An open letter to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and Ambassadors of all Member States
12 March 2013
Excellencies,
We urge you to support our demand for an international and independent investigation into the alleged murder of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, a world-renowned figure and recipient of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, who died in a car crash in Bayamo, Cuba, on July 22, 2012, together with fellow activist Harold Cepero.
In dramatic new testimony by the driver of the car, Ángel Carromero describes, in a Washington Post interview dated 6 March 2013, how their vehicle was followed, harassed and ultimately rammed from behind by a car bearing government license plates. Mr. Carromero further alleges that, following the crash, he was drugged, mistreated and coerced by Cuban authorities into making a false confession.
The new revelations corroborate the claims made by the families of the victims and other witnesses, as well as the report by Spain’s ABC news agency about text messages sent contemporaneous with the incident from the mobile phones of Mr. Carromero and another passenger, Aron Modig, indicating that their car was chased and then hit, causing the crash.
Significantly, according to the family of Oswaldo Payá, state security agents had repeatedly threatened to kill him.
Mounting and credible allegations that the Cuban government may have been complicit in the murder of its most prominent critic, a leading figure in the human rights world, cannot go ignored by the international community.
The families of the victims, and the people of Cuba, have a right to know the truth, and they have a right to justice. This can only happen with the creation of an international and independent inquiry. We therefore respectfully urge you to support our call.
Sincerely,
1. Armando Calderon Sol, former President of El Salvador
2. Alfredo Cristiani, former President of El Salvador
3. Luis Alberto Lacalle, former President of Uruguay
4. Alejandro Toledo, former President of Peru
5. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of European Parliament
6. Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister of Germany
7. Irwin Cotler, MP, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
8. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate
9. Zbigniew Romaszewski, former Speaker of Polish Senate, a founder of the Solidarity movement
10. Stanislav Shushkevich, former president of Supreme Soviet of Belarus, a current opposition leader in Belarus
11. Arnold Vaatz MP, Deputy Leader CDU, Germany
12. Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, former Foreign Minister of Iceland
13. Mantas Adomênas MP, Lithuania
14. Laura Alonso MP, Argentina
15. Mbarka Bouaida, former MP, Morocco
16. Philip Claeys MEP
17. Michael Danby MP, Australia
18. Mátyás Eörsi, Secretary-General of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, former MP, Hungary
19. David Kilgour, former MP, Canada
20. Adam Lipinski MP, former State Secretary of Poland
21. Martin Palouš, former Ambassador, Czech Republic
22. Marija Aušrinė Pavilioniene MP, Lithuania
23. Marco Perduca, Italian Senator, co-vicepresident of Nonviolent Radical Party
24. Janelle Saffin MP, Australia
25. Egidijus Vareikis MP, Lithuania
26. Renate Wohlwend MP, Lichtenstein
27. Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Lithuania, President of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy
28. Algis Chaste MP, Lithuania
29. Rimantas Jonas Days MP, Lithuania
30. Corina Fusu MP, Moldova
31. Tadeusz Iwinski MP, Poland
32. Vytautas Juozapaitis MP, Lithuania
33. Liutauras Kazlavickas MP, Lithuania
34. Valeriu Munteanu MP, Moldova
35. Victor Popa MP, Moldova
36. Paulius Saudargas MP, Lithuania
37. Valeriu Saharneanu MP, Moldova
38. Werner Schulz MEP, Germany
39. Aurelija Stancikiene MP, Lithuania
40. Povilas Urbsys MP, Lithuania
41. Fabian Hamilton MP, United Kingdom
42. Patricio Walker, Senator, Chile
43. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, former Congressman, United States
44. Matteo Mecacci, former MP, Italy
45. András Schiffer MP, Hungary
46. Katalin Ertsey MP, Hungary
47. Eligijus Masiulis MP, Lithuania
48. Gintaras Steponavičius MP, Lithuania
49. Albinas Mitrulevičius MP, Lithuania
50. Irena Šiaulienė MP, Lithuania
51. Domas Petrulis MP, Lithuania
52. Algirdas Sysas MP, Lithuania
53. Raminta Popovienė MP, Lithuania
54. Gediminas Kirkilas MP, Lithuania
55. Arūnas Dudėnas MP, Lithuania
56. Orinta Leiputė MP, Lithuania
57. Audronė Pitrėnienė MP, Lithuania
58. Dangutė Mikutienė MP, Lithuania
59. Zita Žvikienė MP, Lithuania
60. Jolita Vaickienė MP, Lithuania
61. Valentinas Mazuronis MP, Lithuania
62. Vytautas Antanas Matulevičius MP, Lithuania
63. Linas Balsys MP, Lithuania
64. Vitalijus Gailius MP, Lithuania
65. Rokas Žilinskas MP, Lithuania
66. Juras Požėla MP, Lithuania
67. János Horváth MP, Hungary
68. Rene Bolio, former Senator, Mexico, President of Concertation Mexicana
69. Rosa Díez González MP, Spain
70. Carlos Martínez Gorriarán MP, Spain
71. Álvaro Anchuelo Crego MP, Spain
72. Irene Lozano Domingo MP, Spain
73. Antonio Cantó García del Moral MP, Spain
74. Francisco Sosa Wagner MEP, Spain
75. Carlo Casini MEP, Italy
76. Annelie Enochson MP, Sweden
77. Alf Svensson MEP, Sweden
78. Penilla Gunther MP, Sweden
79. Bi-khim Hsiao MP, Taiwan
80. Yi-Jin Yeh MP, Taiwan
81. Kun-Tse Lee MP, Taiwan
82. Chun-Yi Lee MP, Taiwan
83. Tai-Hua Lin MP, Taiwan
84. Chia-Lung Lin MP, Taiwan
85. Wen-Ling Huang MP, Taiwan
86. Chien-Kuo Liu MP, Taiwan
87. Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch
88. John Suarez, International Secretary, Cuban Democratic Directorate
89. Carl Gershman, President, the National Endowment for Democracy
90. Ken Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute
91. Lorne Craner, President, International Republican Institute
92. Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
93. Yang Jianli, President, Initiatives for China
94. Carlos E. Ponce, General Coordinator, Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy
95. Faisal Fulad, Secretary General, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
96. Art Kaufman, Senior Director, World Movement for Democracy, National Endowment for Democracy
97. Alessandro Pettenuzzo, European Union of Public Relations
98. Lehlohonolo Chefa, Executive Director, Policy Analysis and Research Institute of Lesotho
99. Anki Flores, Former Secretary-General of the Antiracism Information Service, Geneva
100. Shauna Leven, Director, René Cassin organization
101. Bhawani Shanker Kusum, Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti, India
102. Duy Hoang, Spokesperson, Viet Tan
103. Dickson Ntwiga, Executive Director, Solidarity House International Foundation
104. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President, Stop Child Executions
105. Atamao B T Kane, President, Southpanafrican International
106. Okay Machisa, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
107. Obinna Egbuka, President, Youth Enhancement Organization
108. International Multiracial Shared Cultural Organization
109. Zofia Romaszewska, one of the founders of Solidarity movement, Poland
110. Fernando Savater, philosopher, writer and activist, Spain
111. D. José Luis Orella, President, Foro Arbil, Spain
112. Viktorija Braziunaite, Chair, Young Leaders Forum
Published by UN Watch - at March 21, 2013 in human rights council (unhrc).