Urgent Call to Action in Solidarity with the Palestinian People: We Condemn the Murder of Family Members of UAWC Leader and Call for Justice!
by La Vía Campesina
HUMAN RIGHTS
URGENT CALL TO ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE: WE
CONDEMN THE MURDER OF FAMILY MEMBERS OF UAWC LEADER AND CALL FOR
JUSTICE! [1]
Published on Friday, 25 July 2014 17:27
AND TO DEMAND AN END TO THE WAR OF OCCUPATION IN GAZA BY THE STATE OF
ISRAEL AND ITS INDISCRIMINATE TARGETING OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS!
(Harare, July 24, 2014) On Sunday evening (July 20), the Israeli air
force struck the house of Mr. Saad Ziada killing six members of his
family (his mother, three brothers, a sister-in-law and a nephew). At
the moment of the attack, Mr. Ziada was away from his home, which saved
his life. Saad Ziada is a leader of the Union of Agricultural Work
Committees (UAWC), a member of La Via Campesina.
This event occurred two days after La Via Campesina issued a solidarity
call condemning the Israeli government's illegal war of occupation on
Gaza and its targeting of Palestinian civilians which constitutes a war
crime, violating international law.
This act is clear evidence that the Palestinian people are facing
tremendous threats and extrajudicial killings whilst the disgraceful
silence of the international political community continues. Meanwhile
social movements globally have denounced this recent expression of
collective punishment of the Palestinians in Gaza. This assault in which
80% of fatalities have been Palestinian civilians, along with the
on-going siege and closure of Gaza, constitute a clear violation of
international humanitarian law.
La Via Campesina expresses solidarity with Mr. Saad Ziada and demands
justice for Ziada's and all families who have fallen victim to such
gruesome, targeted attacks. We extend this solidarity and our sense of
outrage to these families - children, women and men -who are killed
every day, victims of the incessant crimes against humanity wrought by
the Israeli State.
We call upon our member organizations, our allies, social movements and
the international community in general to:
-Demand justice for Saad Ziada, his family and all those who have lost
loved ones, have been severely wounded, have been displaced and have had
their possessions and goods destroyed by the Israeli occupation and
deliberate military targeting of civilians.
-Join the various acts of protests that social movements from around the
world are organizing to demand an end to this brutal war against the
people of Palestine, an end to the Israeli occupation, and to actively
demand respect for international law and treaties including the 4th
Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilians in times of
war.
-Join the call issued by public figures and the intellectual community,
including Nobel laureates, to demand that international institutions
denounce the illegal Israeli occupation and aggression that violated
international and humanitarian law.
-The State of Israel could not continue its assault on Gaza if the U.S.
government did not approve it. The U.S. government gives Israel upwards
of $3 billion a year in military aid, which it uses to procure weaponry
from multinational corporations that profit from this ongoing war. We
support the calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions of products and
corporations that profit from Israel's continued occupation of the West
Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
La Via Campesina
International Peasants Movement
Links:
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[1]
http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights...
10 years, 5 months
Via Campesina solidarity call with the people of Palestine
by La Vía Campesina
LA VIA CAMPESINA
INTERNATIONAL PEASANT MOVEMENT
SOLIDARITY CALL WITH THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE
La Via Campesina International -representing around 200 million farmers
from 73 different countries around the world- condemns the Israeli war
on Gaza and the crimes against the Palestinians that violate the
international and humanitarian laws.
Since July 7th 2014, 214 Palestinians were killed, including at least
164 civilians of whom 44 were children and 29 women. 1,585 Palestinians
were injured of whom 435 are children and 282 are women. 1,660 homes
were destroyed or severely damaged in Gaza directly displacing 9,900
persons. 22,600 were displaced people hosted at UNRWA schools. 900,000
people are without water supply due to inability to repair and operate
infrastructure.
LVC calls the International organizations and movements in addition to
the activists around the world to pressure the policy makers in their
countries to stop the war on Gaza immediately , hold Israel accountable
for its crimes against civilians and end the collective punishment
policy of the siege on Gaza,
This letter is an invitation to take an action to save the Palestinian
farmers and fishermen.
La Via Campesina
International Peasant Movement
10 years, 5 months
La Via Campesina calls for the International Treaty on seeds to reject biopiracy
by La Vía Campesina
LA VIA CAMPESINA PRESS RELEASE
LA VIA CAMPESINA CALLS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY ON SEEDS TO REJECT
BIOPIRACY
(Geneva, 7th of July 2014) The International Treaty on seeds (ITPGRFA)
celebrated on July 3 in Geneva its 10th anniversary. It has been
recognizing for a decade now farmers' rights to use, exchange and sell
their seeds. By organizing the sharing of seeds gathered from peasants'
field in 131 countries, it makes a critical contribution to global food
security. Given climate change is on the rise, these local seeds are
often the only ones guaranteeing harvests, while varieties selected in
laboratories to work with chemical inputs are unable to adapt to any
unexpected stress.
The success of the Treaty should not however mask its broken promises.
The industry has still to service the debt contracted when "borrowing"
for free seeds from peasants to create its commercial seeds. As such,
the Treaty is unable to fulfil the sharing of benefits. Meantime,
peasants lose their right to use the seeds they generously gave to the
Treaty, as the industry contaminates these seeds with its engineered
genes or patent them based on their natural features. Farmers' rights
cannot remain a statement of general intent and if the Treaty persists
to trample on these rights, farmers cannot carry on to graciously give
their seeds.
Without effective safeguard mechanisms for farmers' rights and fair
benefit sharing, along with concrete measures against patents on life,
the seeds bank of the Treaty will become biopirates' commons.
This Treaty must change, and La Via Campesina is ready to assist.
More on www.viacampesina.org
10 years, 6 months
A victory on our path to an international declaration on the rights of peasants
by La Vía Campesina
PRESS RELEASE - LA VIA CAMPESINA
A VICTORY ON OUR PATH TO AN INTERNATIONAL DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF
PEASANTS
(Geneva, June 27th, 2014) On June 27th, the United Nations Human Rights
Council Assembly passed a resolution authorising the continuation of the
process of drafting an international declaration on the rights of
peasants and other people working in rural areas. Bolivia is in charge
of starting up informal consultations between States and civil society
as well as organising the second session of of the Intergovernmental
Open-Ended Working Group, which is scheduled to take place in November
2014.
The declaration project originated with the Via Campesina, and it is
the fruit of ten years of work on the part of this international
movement which is comprised of more than 164 organisations in 73
countries. The Via Campesina set itself the task of categorising the
forms of discrimination suffered by people working in rural areas
(peasants, agricultural workers, nomads and pastoralists, fishers,
indigenous peoples, landless workers, etc.) and, with the support of
organisations such as FIAN-international and CETIM (the Europe-Third
World Centre), of defining the specific human rights applicable to their
situation.
In March 2012, the Assembly of the Human Rights Council accepted the
final text resulting from a series of studies carried out by the
Council's Consultative Committee. In September 2012, the Assembly voted
to create an Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group that was given
the responsibility of drafting a declaration on the basis of the
preliminary version annexed to the final study. In July 2013, the
intergovernmental group held its first working session.
Thus, at the Human Rights Council's 26th session, the member states
voted on the resolution (for the renewal of the intergovernmental
group's mandate) that was presented by Bolivia. 29 countries supported
the resolution; 13 countries abstained; and 5 countries voted against
the resolution_ (*)_.
For the Via Campesina these figures, which show growing support for the
declaration process, are an indication of success (In 2012, there had
been 23 votes in favour, 16 abstentions, and 9 in opposition). It should
be noted that countries such as France, Austria, Germany, Italy, and
Ireland, which had previously opposed the resolution, this time took the
option of abstaining. This was not only the result of intense advocacy
with their respective governments by the peasant organisations of the
European Coordination of the Via Campesina and by civil society
organisations, but it was also an encouraging sign that governments are
looking upon peasant agriculture more favourably. The various Via
Campesina delegations carried out their advocacy work during the
session.
In the coming months, the Via Campesina and its allies will redouble
their efforts to overcome the continuing reticence of certain States and
to convince them of the need for a declaration of this kind. At a global
level, this international declaration project will serve to protect
peasant agriculture as a whole - an agricultural model that produces 70%
of the world's food on barely 25% of the land. The Via Campesina is
defending small scale peasant agriculture both in the South and in the
North of the globe.
The Via Campesina expresses its thanks to Bolivia, South Africa, Cuba,
and Ecuador for their efforts within the Human Rights Council to bring
about constructive advances in the work on this project.
_(*) VOTES BY COUNTRY:_
YES (29): Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China,
Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopa, Gabon, India,
Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru,
Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South
Africa, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam
ABSTAIN (13): Austria, Botswana, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Macedonia
NO (5): Czech Republic, Rep. of Korea, Romania, United Kingdom, United
States of America
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10 years, 6 months