The World Movement strongly condemns the sentencing of nine democracy activists by a Hong Kong district court for their involvement in the 2014 peaceful pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. The individuals, called the “Umbrella Nine,” were handed sentences of up to 16 months on charges of “conspiracy to cause public nuisance” and “inciting others to commit public nuisance” on April 24, 2019. We call on the government of Hong Kong to respect the rights to peaceful assembly and association by immediately and unconditionally releasing these individuals.
Among those sentenced were professors Benny Tai and Chan Kin-man, along with Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming. All received full 16-month terms. The three are founders of the Occupy Central with Love and Peace campaign, which aims to use nonviolent civil disobedience in pursuit of democratic reforms in Hong Kong. In 2014, their organization staged a short sit-in in the city center to protest constraints for the city’s first direct elections that would be held in 2017. This stemmed from a decision made by China that it would allow direct elections, but only from a list of candidates pre-approved by Beijing.
LaParticipatory Democracy Cultural Initiative, Inc.(PDCI) y su subsidiariaDemocraciaParticipativa.net (DP.net), en su carácter de instituciones promotoras de la participación democrática y defensoras de los derechos humanos en el mundo entero, declaran por este medio su respaldo a la Declaración formulada el 17 de abril de 2019 por el Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos (OCDH), que figura a continuación, sobre su posición en algunos de los aspectos en los que incide la aplicación del Título III de la Ley Helms-Burton, que había sido aplazada por distintos presidentes de Estados Unidos durante los últimos 25 años, recordando además los antecedentes que sobre este tema se formularon según "Los Principios Arcos" proclamados en 1995; según la Declaración de Concilio Cubano "A los inversionistas extranjeros con intereses en Cuba", publicada en 1998; o según laDeclaración del Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Cuba sobre la Cumbre del CELAC en La Habana, de enero de 2014, entre otros que a través de los años han tenido en cuenta los derechos de los trabajadores cubanos y han condenado la violación de otros derechos humanos como política habitual del Estado cubano.
Compartimos en términos generales la posición, los principios y la defensa de los derechos de los cubanos como se reflejan en los postulados de la Declaración del OCDH. Por otra parte, en las filas de la PDCI y de DP.net se han expresado firmes reservas en cuanto a las justificaciones y a la legitimidad de las leyes que imponen un embargo de Estados Unidos a Cuba, por considerarlas inoperantes en su capacidad de influir en el régimen cubano, al tiempo que perjudican a los estratos más necesitados de la nación cubana. No obstante, reconocemos y respaldamos el derecho que tiene Estados Unidos a exigir una debida negociación con el gobierno cubano respecto a sus reclamaciones de compensación por las confiscaciones unilaterales de empresas y propiedades de Estados Unidos que han tenido lugar en Cuba durante los últimos 60 años, de conformidad con las consideraciones que se expresan en los párrafos 2, 3 y 4 de la Declaración del OCDH y, en particular, por los abusos que ha cometido y sigue cometiendo el gobierno cubano con sus propios ciudadanos en sus constantes prácticas confiscatorias.
Por último, el párrafo 5 es una exhortación muy válida y justa al gobierno de Estados Unidos para que aplique con discreción el Título III de la Ley Helms-Burton, evitando tomar medidas que afecten negativamente al común de los ciudadanos cubanos, que ya de por sí sufren por la ausencia de derechos y libertades que le impone su propio gobierno, el mismo que en su propaganda utiliza cualquier medida estadounidense para infundir temor a los cambios y al futuro.
Participatory Democracy Cultural Initiative, Inc. (PDCI) DemocraciaParticipativa.net (DP.net)
Consideraciones del OCDH sobre la implementación el Título III de la Ley Helms-Burton
17 de abril de 2019
Sobre las recientes declaraciones del Secretario de Estado de los Estados Unidos Mike Pompeo acerca de la implementación del carril III de la Ley Helms-Burton, el Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos considera:
Nasrin Sotoudeh is a woman of great courage and she needs our help. A lawyer and human rights activist in Iran, she represents women brutalized by the extremist regime, children sentenced to death by its Fundamentalist Islamic judges, and political activists and politicians arrested, tortured, and incarcerated by the regime.
Now, she herself has been arrested for defending all of the above – sentenced to 148 lashes and 38 years in prison. It is vitally important that the Iranian regime is made aware that the world is watching, if there is any hope to secure her release or reduce the harshness of her sentence.
Public support issued by President Trump, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, and House Speaker Pelosi can help greatly to shine a bright light on the Iranian regime's intimidation and torture of any opposition and its treatment of Nasrin in particular.
On December 28, 2018, the World Movement Steering Committee Chairperson and former United Nations (UN) Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura issued a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for concrete action towards the government of Nicaragua in defense of democracy and fundamental freedoms. In the letter, she reminds him: “The lives and dignity of thousands of people, as well as the defense of citizenship, civil society, and democratic institutions, not only of Nicaragua, but of the entire region, depend on this.” Read the full letter here.
In late January 2019, World Movement Steering Committee member Ana Gomes led a European Parliament special mission to meet with Nicaraguan political prisoners, journalists, and civil society members. While there, she published interviews with political prisoners at La Esperanza women’s prison. She notes on Twitter, “[Are they] broken by being thrown in jail by the #Murillo-Ortega regime? NO! They are ever stronger, these brave women.” The videos are available in Spanish here.
Brussels.– On January 31st, Members of the European Parliament will have the chance to significantly enhance transparency in the European Union. This historic vote, if passed, would introduce an amendment to the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure that would require Parliamentarians in special positions to make their meetings with lobbyists public for the first time ever. An absolute majority of 376 votes is required for the rule to pass. With your help, we can put pressure on MEPs to adopt this critical amendment that would transform how transparency in the EU works!
It takes one minute of your time. We are providing you with an email template – simply choose your country and sign the email, and your call will be sent to all MEPs we are targeting in your country!
releasing these individuals. 
prisoners, journalists, and civil society members. While there, she published interviews with political prisoners at La Esperanza women’s prison. She notes on Twitter, “[Are they] broken by being thrown in jail by the #Murillo-Ortega regime? NO! They are ever stronger, these brave women.” The videos are available in Spanish 