World leaders and human rights defenders call for inquiry into deaths of Oswaldo and Harold

Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero Escalante

Appeal for International Inquiry into the Deaths of Oswaldo Paya and Harold Cepero


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,

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. Luis Alberto Monge, former president of Costa Rica
6. Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of European Parliament
7. Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister of Germany
8. Irwin Cotler, MP, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
9. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate
10. Zbigniew Romaszewski, former Speaker of Polish Senate, a founder of the Solidarity movement
11. Stanislav Shushkevich, former president of Supreme Soviet of Belarus, a current opposition leader in Belarus
12. Arnold Vaatz MP, Deputy Leader CDU, Germany
13. Emma Henriksson MP, Group leader, The Christian Democrats, The Swedish National Parliament
14. Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson, former Foreign Minister of Iceland
15. Mantas Adomênas MP, Lithuania
16. Laura Alonso MP, Argentina
17. Mbarka Bouaida, former MP, Morocco
18. Philip Claeys MEP, Belgium
19. Michael Danby MP, Australia
20. Mátyás Eörsi, Secretary-General of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy, former MP, Hungary
21. David Kilgour, former MP, Canada
22. Adam Lipinski MP, former State Secretary of Poland
23. Martin Palouš, former Ambassador, Czech Republic
24. Marija Aušrinė Pavilioniene MP, Lithuania
25. Marco Perduca, Italian Senator, co-vicepresident of Nonviolent Radical Party
26. Janelle Saffin MP, Australia
27. Egidijus Vareikis MP, Lithuania
28. Renate Wohlwend MP, Lichtenstein
29. Emanuelis Zingeris MP, Lithuania, President of Parliamentary Forum for Democracy
30. Algis Chaste MP, Lithuania
31. Rimantas Jonas Days MP, Lithuania
32. Corina Fusu MP, Moldova
33. Tadeusz Iwinski MP, Poland
34. Vytautas Juozapaitis MP, Lithuania
35. Liutauras Kazlavickas MP, Lithuania
36. Valeriu Munteanu MP, Moldova
37. Victor Popa MP, Moldova
38. Paulius Saudargas MP, Lithuania
39. Valeriu Saharneanu MP, Moldova
40. Werner Schulz MEP, Germany
41. Aurelija Stancikiene MP, Lithuania
42. Povilas Urbsys MP, Lithuania
43. Fabian Hamilton MP, United Kingdom
44. Patricio Walker, Senator, Chile
45. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, former Congressman, United States
46. Matteo Mecacci, former MP, Italy
47. András Schiffer MP, Hungary
48. Katalin Ertsey MP, Hungary
49. Eligijus Masiulis MP, Lithuania
50. Gintaras Steponavičius MP, Lithuania
51. Albinas Mitrulevičius MP, Lithuania
52. Irena Šiaulienė MP, Lithuania
53. Domas Petrulis MP, Lithuania
54. Algirdas Sysas MP, Lithuania
55. Raminta Popovienė MP, Lithuania
56. Gediminas Kirkilas MP, Lithuania
57. Arūnas Dudėnas MP, Lithuania
58. Orinta Leiputė MP, Lithuania
59. Audronė Pitrėnienė MP, Lithuania
60. Dangutė Mikutienė MP, Lithuania
61. Zita Žvikienė MP, Lithuania
62. Jolita Vaickienė MP, Lithuania
63. Valentinas Mazuronis MP, Lithuania
64. Vytautas Antanas Matulevičius MP, Lithuania
65. Linas Balsys MP, Lithuania
66. Vitalijus Gailius MP, Lithuania
67. Rokas Žilinskas MP, Lithuania
68. Juras Požėla MP, Lithuania
69. János Horváth MP, Hungary
70. Rene Bolio, former Senator, Mexico, President of Concertation Mexicana
71. Rosa Díez González MP, Spain
72. Carlos Martínez Gorriarán MP, Spain
73. Álvaro Anchuelo Crego MP, Spain
74. Irene Lozano Domingo MP, Spain
75. Antonio Cantó García del Moral MP, Spain
76. Francisco Sosa Wagner MEP, Spain
77. Carlo Casini MEP, Italy
78. Annelie Enochson MP, Sweden
79. Alf Svensson MEP, Sweden
80. Penilla Gunther MP, Sweden
81. Bi-khim Hsiao MP, Taiwan
82. Yi-Jin Yeh MP, Taiwan
83. Kun-Tse Lee MP, Taiwan
84. Chun-Yi Lee MP, Taiwan
85. Tai-Hua Lin MP, Taiwan
86. Chia-Lung Lin MP, Taiwan
87. Wen-Ling Huang MP, Taiwan
88. Chien-Kuo Liu MP, Taiwan
89. Tuan Yi-Kang MP, Taiwan
90. Yu Mei-Nu MP, Taiwan
91. Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya President, President of the External Affairs Commission of the Spanish Parliament
92. Ramon Espadaler, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya President of General Assembly, Catalan Minister of Interior
93. Josep Maria Pelegrí, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya Secretary General, Catalan Minister of Agriculture
94. Joana Ortega,Unió Democràtica de Catalunya Vice President, Vice President of Government of Catalonia
95. Salvador Sedó i Alabart, International Relations Secretary, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya, Member of the European Parliament
96. Josep Sanchez Llibre MP, Spain
97. Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, United Nations Watch
98. John Suarez, International Secretary, Cuban Democratic Directorate
99. Carl Gershman, President, the National Endowment for Democracy
100. Ken Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute
101. Lorne Craner, President, International Republican Institute
102. David Kramer, President, Freedom House
103. Zohra Yusuf, Chairperson, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
104. Yang Jianli, President, Initiatives for China
105. Carlos E. Ponce, General Coordinator, Latin American and Caribbean Network for Democracy
106. Faisal Fulad, Secretary General, Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society
107. Art Kaufman, Senior Director, World Movement for Democracy, National Endowment for Democracy
108. Alessandro Pettenuzzo, European Union of Public Relations
109. Lehlohonolo Chefa,  Executive Director, Policy Analysis and Research Institute of Lesotho
110. Anki Flores, Former Secretary-General of the Antiracism Information Service, Geneva
111. Shauna Leven, Director, René Cassin organization
112. Bhawani Shanker Kusum, Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti, India
113. Duy Hoang, Spokesperson, Viet Tan
114. Dickson Ntwiga, Executive Director, Solidarity House International Foundation
115. Nazanin Afshin-Jam, President, Stop Child Executions
116. Atamao B T Kane, President, Southpanafrican International
117. Okay Machisa, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
118. Obinna Egbuka, President, Youth Enhancement Organization International Multiracial Shared Cultural Organization
119. Zofia Romaszewska, one of the founders of Solidarity movement, Poland
120. Fernando Savater, philosopher, writer and activist, Spain
121. D. José Luis Orella, President, Foro Arbil, Spain
122. Sasha Gosh-Siminoff, Executive Director, Syrian Emergency Task Force
123. Jorge Ocejo Moreno, President, Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América, Former Mexican Senator
124. Viktorija BRAŽIŪNAITĖ, Chair, Young Leaders Forum
125. Mazen Hasan, Chairman, Syrian Expatriates Organization

https://unwatch.org/3362-2/