Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-12-15-Speech-3-177"
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"en.20101215.11.3-177"2
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"The Sakharov Prize is a symbol of the European Parliament in the fight for respect for human rights throughout the world. The empty chair standing in the middle of our Chamber testifies to how very much this is needed and how very necessary it is to draw attention to the most important examples around the world, today, of people who are fighting for freedom of expression. I did write to the President of Cuba to ask him to allow Mr Fariñas to come to Strasbourg, but unfortunately this did not bring the desired result. On Friday, there was a similar empty chair in Oslo, meant for the imprisoned Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo. On previous occasions, other winners of the Sakharov Prize – Hu Jia from China and the ‘Ladies in White’ from Cuba – have not been able to receive the award in person. Oleg Orlov, who was presented with the Sakharov Prize last year on behalf of Memorial, is not with us, today, although he was invited to the ceremony.
Ladies and gentlemen, Guillermo Fariñas has been awarded the prize for his fight to restore freedom of speech in Cuba. For years, he has actively opposed censorship, has risked his life and health, and has gone on hunger strike 23 times. He has spent 11 years in prison. Recently, while on hunger strike, he was close to death, but just then opposition figures and prisoners of conscience in Cuba began to be released. Great credit is due, here, to the Catholic Church. Just as was once the case for us in my country, the Church is filling the role of institutions of civil society for the people of Cuba. Unfortunately, 11 people are still in prison, and among them are the husbands of some of the ‘Ladies in White’. Here and now, on behalf of us all, I call for their immediate release.
I quote from the resolution we adopted in March, in which we call on the High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commissioner for International Cooperation immediately to begin and to organise a dialogue with Cuban civil society and with those who support a peaceful transition in Cuba. We still have before us, today, a debate on the Andrikienė report on human rights in the world 2009 and EU policy on the matter. We will, therefore, be able to find out what Mrs Ashton’s plans are for strengthening Union human rights policy.
Ladies and gentlemen, despite the fact that people such as Guillermo Fariñas are being persecuted and imprisoned, their voice cannot be silenced. The role of the European Parliament and the role of every one of us is to strengthen that voice. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that in a moment we shall listen to a message, a short speech, which has been recorded for us by this year’s winner of the Sakharov Prize, Guillermo Fariñas. This point should be the moment at which the certificate is presented to the laureate. Unfortunately, I shall be forced to place the certificate on the empty chair, but I hope you will permit me, on behalf of us all, to wish our laureate much strength and health, success in the fight for liberty and, finally, that he will be able to come to us here in the European Parliament in the future and receive his certificate and the prize in person. Thank you very much."@en1
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