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Doc. 8545
23 September 1999
1999 European Marathon for Human Rights In Honour of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Written Declaration No. 295
This written declaration commits only the members who have signed it |
Whereas, the rights protected by the Declaration are universal and are the birthright of every member of the human family;
Whereas, international human rights bodies have deplored governmental religious discrimination in Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and Russia;
Whereas the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance have urged national governments to abide by the Declaration and the European convention on Human Rights and to dialogue with religious and ethnic minorities to resolve issues of concern;
We, the undersigned, men and women of diverse religions, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, call upon political and spiritual leaders throughout Europe to uphold, in deeds as well as words, the universal rights and freedoms articulated in the Declaration;
We call upon Germany, as a leading nation of Europe, to end governmental religious discrimination, criticised by international human rights bodies in 24 separate reports, and instead to commit itself to a policy of dialogue. We hold that Germany must be guided by tolerance, and so guide other nations;
Thus we proclaim this message of peace and freedom for all, carrying it on foot over 4,500 kilometres, across land and water and through seven nations, to its resting place in Germany.
Signed : 1
Akgönenç, Turkey, EDG
Biga-Friganovic, Croatia, SOC
Cilevics, Latvia, SOC
Cunliffe, United Kingdom, SOC
Gibula, Poland, SOC
Gogoberidze, Georgia, LDR
Ponsonby, United Kingdom, SOC
Solonari, Moldova, SOC
Vis, United Kingdom, SOC
______________
Total = 9
1 SOC: Socialist Group
EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
EDG:European Democratic Group
LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
UEL : Group of the Unified European Left
NR : Not registered in a group