THE WEIMAR DECLARATION

Urgent Appeal to the UN Human Rights Council,

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the

Governments and World Public to protect victims of

human rights violations and their defenders.

We the Defenders of Human Rights and recipients of the prestigious Human Right Award of the City of Weimar together with the participants of the International Conference on Human Rights ‘Between Ideal and Reality’, on this 61th year anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights call on the United Nations Council for Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, human rights groups, and all people of good will to speak out against the numerous violations of human rights and act to help the victims and bring the violators to justice.

As a result of the discussions in our conference:

  • We call on you to immediately take up with the concerned governments the violations of women's rights and end so called ‘honor’ killings, genital mutilation and other acts of abuse and every kind of violence against women.
  • We appeal to you to assist the oppressed minorities in Turkey and other states in the Middle East so their political and cultural rights be recognized and respected.
  • We demand that you act more forcibly to end the violations of human rights and the restriction of civil liberties of the people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
  • We appeal to you to advise the government of the Philippines to work for peace with all groups in the Philippines and to end the extrajudicial killings of human rights workers and innocent children by death squads.
  • We ask that you stand with the defenders of human rights, such as Dr. Guillermo Fariñas Hernandez (Weimar Human Rights Award 2006), and protect them from harassment, illegal arrest and detention, brutality and torture. And we call for the immediate release from prison of human rights defender Riad Seif (Weimar Human Rights Award 2003) and all political prisoners.
  • We urge the UN and the government of Kosovo to implement the demands of the World Health Organization (WHO) and immediately evacuate the Roma camps built by the UN on toxic wasteland ten years ago and to urgently medically treat those Roma suffering from lead poisoning.
  • We demand the German Ministers of the Internal Affairs to fully recognize the rights of the Kosovo Roma people and grant them the right to remain as permanent residents and assist them live a life of dignity.

We urge the Serbian Government to adopt the EU resolution to commemorate the 11 of July as a remembrance of Genocide in Srebrenica.

The City of Weimar honors the Defenders of Human Rights with its annual prestigious award and stands with those who suffer under the oppression of tyrants and human rights violators.

All people, citizens of the world are reminded that unless we defend and protect our Universal Rights they will be taken from us. Vigilance, education and advocacy is the way to honor and respect and protect those inalienable rights.

The participants of the International Conference “Human Rights between Ideal and Reality”.

Weimar, 12 December, 2009