Over 200 people at deportation anniversary rally in Prague, hear statement sent by Vaclav Havel (updated with photo gallery) (Prague Watchdog) - On the anniversary of Stalin’s deportation of Chechens and Ingushetians to Central Asia and West Siberia in 1944, a rally was held this afternoon at the Namesti Miru Square in Prague.
More than 200 people expressed their support for the efforts to achieve peace in Chechnya and voiced their protest against the European politicians who, by their de facto indifference, have contributed to the current situation in Chechnya.
At the opening, war correspondent Jaromír Stetina read a statement by former Czech President Vaclav Havel written solely for the rally: "I welcome and endorse your meeting to support resolving the Chechen conflict, based on respect for human dignity, liberty, and basic human rights. The only thing one can do is to continue appealing to the Russian government, stressing over and over again that they not prolong this historically deep-rooted suffering.
However, my appeal is not only directed toward the Russian representatives. I especially challenge the Czech and European politicians to take a clear stance against a government that is not resolving conflicts within its territory through political means, but with methods that no longer belong to developed countries in the 21st century."
Czech Senators Zuzana Roithova and Jan Ruml, as well as their two colleagues from the lower chamber of Czech Parliament, Tana Fischerova and Svatopluk Karasek, were also at the rally to lend their personal support.
Last but not least, on behalf of the non-parliamentary Green Party, their candidate to the European Parliament, Olga Lomova, expressed the party's full support for the Peace Plan proposed by Ilyas Akhmadov, Foreign Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which was also read at the rally.
Click on the PHOTO GALLERY to see pictures from the rally. Another photo gallery is available here. (T/E) RELATED ARTICLES:
· Rally in the Brussels (photo gallery)
· Rally in Moscow (photo gallery)
· Rally in Rome (photo gallery)
|
