Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-11-Speech-2-133"
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"en.20071211.31.2-133"2
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"Honourable Members, ladies and gentlemen, for almost two decades the European Parliament has been awarding the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to men and women from all parts of the world who campaign for human rights, freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
His commitment is remarkable in several respects. In a country where violence is constantly on the increase, Salih Osman risks his life on a daily basis in the cause of human dignity and justice.
In the name of human dignity, Salih Osman reassures those destitute, defenceless and intimidated men and women who have sunk into oblivion that the world is aware of their suffering, that they have not been forgotten and that they have reason to hope for a return to a perfectly normal and simply human life.
Since 2004, Salih Osman has been committing himself to the establishment and administration of the Amal Centre in Nyala
being Arabic for ‘hope’, for the rehabilitation of victims of violence and sexual abuse. In a predominantly Muslim country, Salih Osman is one of the few men who campaign actively in support of women’s rights and especially for recognition of the right to compensation for victims of sexual violence.
In the name of justice, Salih Osman strives, day after day, to ensure that those responsible for war crimes are held to account both nationally and internationally. While the Sudanese judicial system still has many defects that make it unable to put an end to the prevailing climate of lawlessness within the country, international jurisdiction seems to offer an alternative.
The fact that the Sudanese authorities are refusing to hand over alleged war criminals to the International Criminal Court, however, highlights the limits of international justice and shows how much progress is still needed before the rule of law can be established in Darfur and throughout Sudan.
That is why Salih Osman’s work is not confined to the legal aid he gives the victims. As a member of the Opposition in the Sudanese Parliament since 2005, he does not hesitate to affirm his convictions in the Sudanese political arena and to engage in efforts to bring about genuine reform of the legal system.
At the meeting between the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament on the eve of last weekend’s EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon, I had the opportunity and the great pleasure to meet Salih Osman. I was immediately impressed by his strong personality and his unbending will to fight for human rights in spite of all the persecution and hostility to which he and his family have been subjected. I learned a short while ago that Ali and you have three children, who are also very much in our thoughts today.
In 2004 Salih Osman himself was imprisoned for seven months without being charged, and it was only when he went on hunger strike that he was released. Members of his family have been tortured and murdered or have had their houses set on fire by the militias.
The great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote, ‘
’. Salih Osman embodies that kind of will and determination, showing his courage in his daily struggle on behalf of his fellow human beings. He is an exemplary campaigner for greater respect for the rule of law in his region. Salih Mahmoud Osman, you have our firm support and our warm acclaim.
As you know, the European Parliament has always been particularly receptive to the suffering of the African peoples. Salih Osman is one of a number of African prizewinners to whom Parliament has given its support in past years and whom it continues to support. Nelson Mandela was awarded the Sakharov Prize in 1988, Salima Ghezali in 1997, Dom Zacarias Kamwenho in 2001 and Hauwa Ibrahim in 2005.
I am delighted to bid a very warm welcome today, here in the European Parliament, to the winner of the Sakharov Prize for 2007, Salih Mahmoud Osman.
Salih Osman, we congratulate you on your untiring work in this cause, in this spirit, and we hope that the recognition this prize brings might grant you strength and protection from year to year for as long as your struggle continues. We are at your side.
It also gives me great pleasure to extend my warmest greetings to his wife, Salwa Ahmed Faragalla Ali, who has always stood by his side at difficult times in his life. We welcome you among us.
The decision to award the 2007 Sakharov Prize to Salih Mahmoud Osman was taken unanimously by the Conference of Presidents, which comprises the chairs of the political groups, on the basis of a proposal adopted by a large number of Members of the European Parliament from various groups. The European Parliament has thereby reaffirmed its solidarity with the people in Darfur and its conviction that a sustainable solution for that region can only be achieved through justice, democracy and respect for human rights.
The conflict that has plagued Darfur since 2003 is exacerbating the plight of a country devastated by more than twenty years of civil war. As with most conflicts, it is the civilian population who have suffered most from militia raids, the destruction of villages, scorched-earth policies and forcible displacements.
The conflict has claimed at least 400 000 lives and has been responsible for more than two and a half million displaced persons and refugees, notwithstanding the signing of the peace agreement in Darfur in 2006.
Just like the European Parliament, the winner of the 2007 Sakharov Prize does not simply accept this unjust situation but protests against the impunity of those who caused it. For years Salih Mahmoud Osman has been defending the rights of victims of the conflict in Darfur. Thousands of people who have been imprisoned without trial, tortured and exposed to death threats, who have been driven from their homes, displaced or subjected to sexual violence are familiar with the name of Salih Mahmoud Osman."@en1
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"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do"1
"amal"1
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