Pax Christi International
Newsletter nr 98
1 March 2002
Africa 1
Rwanda: Peace workers are victims of increasing political repression 1
Asia & Pacific 3
Peace Prize Winner Puts His Prize to Use 3
Peace Rally in Sri Lanka celebrates cease-fire 3
Americas & Caribbean 4
Disappearance in Colombia 4
End of Dialogue in Colombia 4
Middle East 5
Ecumenical solidarity and action promised in Palestinian–Israeli conflict 5
Documents available from the International Secretariat: 6
Security, Demilitarisation and Arms Trade 6
Report of the research on Licensed Production of Arms 6
Interfaith Coalition for a Peaceful End to Terrorism 6
Human Rights 7
Economic Justice, Development and Ecology 7
Manifesto for Another World 7
Peace Spirituality 9
Integrated Peace Spirituality 9
Peace Demonstration in London 10
Celebrating the Season of Lent 10
International Calendar 12
Africa
Rwanda: Peace workers are victims of increasing political repression
Pax Christi International, together with Pax Christi sections/member organisations and other NGOs, has been active in advocating the release of Laurien Ntezimana and his collaborator Didace Uremangingo from a Rwandese prison where they were incarcerated on Jan 27th, 2002.
On 20 February 2002 we learned that both had been set free. Currently, they are not allowed to leave the city of Butare and are required to report to the police on a weekly basis. A third collaborator, Ignace Ndayahundwa, was questioned and released soon after the arrest.
The following is from Amnesty International’s press release:
Amnesty International called on 5 February 2002 for the immediate and unconditional release of three peace and reconciliation activists - Laurien Ntezimana, Didace uremangingo and Ignace Ndayahundwa - arrested by police on 27 January and 2 February and held at Butare central prison, southern Rwanda. All three men are members of the Association Modeste et Innocent (AMI), the Modeste and Innocent Association, a Rwandese non-governmental organization working to promote individual dignity and national peace and reconciliation. A fourth female member of AMI was also briefly detained but later released. Laurien Ntezimana, president of AMI, has been refused all visits in detention.
The authorities have not disclosed what charges the men may face, but their arrest is believed to relate to the use of the word "ubuyanja" ("renewal" or "rebirth of energy") in a recent issue of the Ubuntu bulletin published by AMI. The bulletin contains an editorial by Laurien Ntezimana explaining the meaning of the word "ubuyanja" and why AMI uses it. The men are also reportedly being questioned about the mission of AMI, the reasons behind its creation and whether or not AMI had the necessary authorizations to operate legally in Rwanda.
The word "ubuyanja" has recently become associated with a banned political opposition party, the Parti Démocratique pour le Renouveau-Ubuyanja (PDR-Ubuyanja), Democratic Party for Renewal-Ubuyanja. The three detainees are not believed to have any connection with PDR-Ubuyanja. The concept of "ubuyanja" has long been a central tenet of Laurien Ntezimana and AMI's program for peace and reconciliation.
These latest detentions are part of a growing pattern of harassment by the authorities of individuals suspected of supporting political opposition in Rwanda and of journalists who report on developments. "The Rwandese authorities seem determined to stifle any suggestion, however tenuous, of peaceful political dissent," Amnesty International said. "In doing so they are resorting to unlawful detentions and violating the fundamental right to peaceful freedom of expression."
"In the absence of recognizable criminal charges, supported by credible evidence, these three prisoners of conscience should be immediately set free. The Rwandese Government should publicly renew its commitment, made under international treaties, to upholding the right to freedom of expression," the organization added.
AMI was founded in February 2000 in commemoration of the work of Modeste Mungwarareba, a Catholic priest, and Innocent Samusoni who devoted them to promoting reconciliation between Hutu and Tutsi in the Butare region of southern Rwanda. Modeste Mungwarareba died in May 1999. Innocent Samusoni was killed during the genocide in April 1994. Laurien Ntezimana is a long-standing and well-known peace activist who in 1998 was awarded the Pax Christi International "Prize for Peace".
The PDR-Ubuyanja party, founded in May 2001 by the former president Pasteur Bizimungu, was banned in June 2001. Journalists who interviewed Pasteur Bizimungu at the time were interrogated, threatened and forced to hand over tape recordings to the military authorities. Several individuals associated with the party have since been detained or intimidated. On 26
December 2001 one of the PDR-Ubuyanja's founders, Gratien Munyarubuga, was shot dead in Kigali by unidentified assailants. Catherine Mujawamaliya, secretary of PDR-Ubuyanja, was held without charge at Remera police station in Kigali from 10 December until last week. Members of her family were allegedly killed by Rwandese Patriotic Front soldiers in August 1994. Her repeated calls for those responsible for the killings to be brought to justice may have been a factor in her prolonged and illegal detention. Until her release, Amnesty International considered her a prisoner of conscience.
Members of a faction of a legal opposition party, the Mouvement Démocratique Républicain (MDR), Democratic Republican Movement, have also been targeted by the authorities. The secretary-general of MDR, Pierre Gakwindi, has been detained in Kigali central prison since 4 January 2002, accused of giving a press interview considered "ethnically divisive" and
defamatory of serving government officials. Amnesty International believes that the charges against him are politically motivated and that he may be a prisoner of conscience arrested solely because of his opposition to the government.
Amiel Nkuriza, editor of the independent French-language Le Partisan newspaper, was recently forced to flee abroad following sustained harassment by the authorities. He was detained for four days from 31 December 2001 for an editorial that dealt with the political situation in Rwanda and was reportedly threatened by police officers at the time of his release. On 4 January, he was interrogated about an article he wrote for the independent Kinyarwanda newspaper, Umuseso, on the killing of Gratien Munyarubaga. Le Partisan and Umuseso -- both well-respected newspapers -- have been regular targets for public denunciations issued by members of the government.
Asia & Pacific
Peace Prize Winner Puts His Prize to Use
Eddie Kneebone, Pax Christi’s Peace Prize winner for the year 2001 is developing a project to build a three-storey building to house young sweatshops workers in Bangkok. Mr. Kneebone is a well-known regional indigenous personality and artist in Residence at Wodonga Institute of TAFE (Australia). He was awarded the Peace Prize for his considerable contribution to promoting understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians through stories and art. He was invited to Thailand in Ocotober 2001 to receive the Prize. During his visit, he was deeply affected by his encounter with young people working at a sweatshop in Bangkok. He visited a three-storey building used as a sweatshop; its workers housed in squalid conditions. He was so moved by the experience that he decided to use the Peace Prize as a means of changing the conditions for these exploited workers.
Local and International Rotary clubs have approved his proposal and provided backing to procure a three-storey building to house the workers. The plan is to make the top storey into a dormitory, the middle floor a workshop and the ground floor a training centre.
Building on the experience of this first effort, Eddie Kneebone plans to reproduce this enterprise as often as possible. This way his Peace Prize can make a difference for the exploited young workers of Thailand.
(Taken from “Disarming Times,” the journal of Pax Christi Australia, Feb-March 2002)
Peace Rally in Sri Lanka celebrates cease-fire
15 February 2002-- The mutual cease-fire presently observed by the L.T.T.E. and the government of Sri Lanka has brought great hope to its people. To express their hopes for a future that will bring an end to the violence and bloodshed, people came together for a Peace Rally in the northern Sri Lankan city of Kandy. The Commission for Justice, Peace Human Development and Human Rights Secretariat, Kandy together with the Inter Religious Peace Committee of the Central Province organized this event. Fr. Nandana Manatunga, Director of the Commission for Justice, Peace Human Development and Human Rights Secretariat was a participant at Pax Christi's Asia-Pacific Consultation which took place in October 2001.
Over 10,000 People – Sinhalese, Tamil, and people of all faiths from Kandy, NuwaraEliya and Matale districts joined in the rally. A large number of Buddhist Monks, Catholic Clergy, Hindu and Muslim Dignitaries were present. The Rally was one of the many programmes implemented by Sri Lankan Human Rights and Peace organization at different levels. The central call of the Rally was “Deplore the War! – Ask for Peace!”
Thousands of people walked the roads of Kandy in a silent demonstration commencing in the heart of the city and proceeding through the main streets, returning to the centre for the finale. The Diocesan Media Apostolate Centre Kandy presented a Street Drama demonstrating to the audience the cruelty of the war comparing it to "the pain caused to a mother when her children fight: brother killing brother." The Bishop of Kandy Dr. Vianney Fernando addressed the rally stressing the need for people to come together as a movement of people to raise a voice for peace. He called upon the assembly to support the ongoing Peace process by helping to regain the trust that existed a few decades ago among all ethnic communities. He requested the LTTE and the government to continue the negotiations concerning devolution of power and respecting the equal rights of every citizen. Fr. Manatunga read the official statement issued by the inter Religious Peace Committee outlining the requirements for the peace efforts. In addition, he called for judicial and police reforms to sustain peace in the country. Handouts of the message were distributed to all present, in Tamil and Sinhala. There were more than 55 banners waving in Sinhala, Tamil and English with many peace messages. Fr. Christopher S.S.S. from Matale read the official statement of the Central Province Inter Religious Committee in Tamil. Three members of the Buddhist Clergy also addressed the people. Hindu priests and Muslim clergy also addressed the rally each in turn pledging their commitment to work for peace.
The message of the day and the rally was clear: the people of Sri Lanka denounce the war and fervently hope that the present ceasefire will be mutually observed and will prove a strong foundation for a culture of peace in Sri Lanka.
Americas & Caribbean
Disappearance in Colombia
At the request of a local partner of Pax Christi International in Colombia, Etienne De Jonghe, International Secretary, sent a letter of concern to the Colombian President regarding the disappearance of a leader of a community in Barrancabermeja. The following is an extract of the letter:
Pax Christi International expresses its deepest concern about the forced disappearance of Manuel Francisco Navarro, a leader in the community of displaced campesinos of Cienaga del Opon in Barrancabermeja. From information we have received from human rights groups who are working in Barrancabermeja, we understand that on 2 February 2002 at around 14.00 Don Manuel was surrounded by three men in civilian clothes (including a young man known as ‘Cachete’) and taken to the neighbourhood of Arenal in the centre of the city. On February 3 at around 10.00 he was seen alive by residents of Arenal who testified that he was taken by known members of AUC who operate in front of the local soccer stadium in that neighbourhood.At around 20.00 on the same day Don Manuel was seen when he was taken by two men in civilian clothes through the neighbourhood “Los Rosales” and later, at around 21.30 through the neighbourhood “Provivienda.” The police reportedly gave up looking for him at 17.00 on the same day.
We wish to bring to your attention that all these facts have been reported to both local and national authorities but no effective action has been taken to date to investigate his disappearance and free him from his captors.
Don Manuel was the Police Inspector of the Correctional Institution in Cienaga del Opon for more than 10 years until the reorganization of the municipal administration. However, we believe that his disappearance is mainly related to his position as community leader of the displaced community. Specifically, we believe that facts that came to the public’s attention, prior to and during the return process of the displaced community last June (2001) which took place with the help of the Municipal Committee for Attention to the Displaced Population, were the immediate cause of his abduction. We are especially concerned about the relationship between Don Manuel’s disappearance and this event as it very clearly shows that there are absolutely no real guarantees by the state for the return of the community and the safety of its members and their leader on their return.
Having brought this matter to your attention, we call upon you, as President of Colombia, to do everything in your government’s power to:
- Guarantee the safety and physical integrity of Manuel Francisco
- Ensure his release and safe return.
- Establish necessary and sufficient guarantees to continue the process of return of the displaced campesinos of Cienaga del Opon and their reestablishment in conditions of dignity.
Pax Christi International has a worldwide membership and works on issues of peace, security, economic, social and cultural rights. The movement enjoys special consultative status with the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the United Nations. In Colombia, Pax Christi works closely and supports the existence of Peace Communities in Urabá and the peaceful work of parishes in Barrancabermeja. We hope you will take serious note of the forced disappearance of Manuel Francisco Navarro and ensure that the situation is addressed without any further delay. We look forward to positive action on the part of your government.
End of Dialogue in Colombia
Pax Christi Netherlands issued a press release concerning the end of the peace dialogue in Colombia. The press release is available in English, Spanish, Dutch (ref.: LA.03.E/D/S.02). The English version follows: