Author: Marek Olšanský

  • EU Special Envoy for Religious Freedom Jan Figel: “Europe needs to stand up to help minorities in Iraq

    EU Special Envoy for Religious Freedom Jan Figel: “Europe needs to stand up to help minorities in Iraq

    “Iraq is in an incredibly difficult situation. Minorities especially, were since 2014 abandoned by the central government of Baghdad and also felt abandoned by the Kurdish authorities. They became the victims of a genocide by ISIS,” EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion and belief Jan Figel told The European Post.

    Jan Figel is the first EU authority to have visited Iraq after a long time. The mission of the Special Envoy involved various elements: discussions with national political authorities in Baghdad; meetings with provincial political and religious authorities in Najaf and Erbil, Kurdistan.

    Among others, he met with Vice-President of Iraq Al Alawi, the Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Salim al-Jabouri in Baghdad, with Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim in as well as Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Bashir al-Najafi underlying messages of peace, harmonious cohabitation, reconstruction and reconciliation.

    While in Erbil, Figel met the Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), ​​Nerchevan Barzani, and top religious authorities such as Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako, the Archbishops Mirkis of Kirkuk and Warda of Erbil Warda, the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Mosul Nicodemus Sharaf, and other Christian activists – who asked for the EU’s support in providing security via a military presence, and the presence of international observers. Representatives of Yazidis, Kakais, Turkmens, Shabaks, Jews, Bahais and others expressed their desire for more justice and equality in future Iraq. “We want Iraq as a civil state, not a religious one“.

    The EU should exercise more diplomatic pressures on the Iraqi central government regarding security and support activities such as the elimination of landmines in areas retaken from ISIL/Daesh, the Special Envoy said he felt there.

    “Iraq needs to protect and promote positions of depleted minorities . Minorities in Iraq deserve more attention and more support from international community” Figel added.

    “After the liberation of Mosul from ISIS we should speak more about a safe return to their homes and the protection of all citizens, including minorities. What they need most from Baghdad, from regional and local administrations is security. Since the new Iraqi government is in place, no single minister visited Northern Iraq. It’s not only about a safe return but also about recognition of rights, property ownership and giving minorities more self administration instead of bureaucracy, negligence and indifference,” Figel stated.

    During his visit, the Special Envoy referred to the differences between the US and EU approaches. Political and religious leaders in Iraq welcomed the EU’s actions in the country and in the Middle East region. All of them were aware of the major differences between US policy and the EU’s soft power approach.

    For these reasons, Jan Figel noted that “Europe is a credible partner. In Iraq there is a lot of anti-Americanism but there is not anti-Europeanism! Europe should step up its intense, credible and constructive cooperation. I think it’s Europe’s responsibility to help religious and ethnics minorities in Iraq!” he concluded.

    Interview with Jan Figel: “Europe needs to stand up to help minorities in Iraq!”

    See the article at: http://europeanpost.co/eu-special-envoy-for-religious-freedom-jan-figel-europe-needs-to-stand-up-to-help-minorities-in-iraq/

  • Burma’s Yet Incomplete Democratic Transition

    The United Nations on Friday issued a report on the Burmese military’s abuse of Rohingya Muslim civilians in northern Rakhine State over the past four months. The campaign of murders, mass gang-rapes, brutal beatings and disappearances clearly rises to the level of crimes against humanity.

    The report draws on interviews with 204 Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh, most of whom witnessed killings. Almost half reported having a family member killed. Of the 101 women interviewed by U.N. investigators, more than half said they had been raped. Young children were killed in front of their parents. The U.N. has confirmed the equally graphic findings of investigators from private human-rights groups.

    U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, “The devastating cruelty to which these children have been subjected is unbearable. What kind of hatred could make a man stab a baby crying out for his mother’s milk? And for the mother to witness this murder while she is being gang-raped by the very security forces who should be protecting her—what kind of ‘clearance operation’ is this? What national security goals could possibly be served by this? . . . The killing of people as they prayed, fished to feed their families, the brutal beating of children as young as two and an elderly woman aged 80—the perpetrators of these violations, and those who ordered them, must be held accountable.”

    The Rohingyas have long been one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Despite having lived in Burma for generations, in 1982 a new law took away their citizenship rights and rendered them stateless. Restrictions on movement, marriage, education and religious freedom followed. In 2012, two dramatic outbursts of violence left thousands displaced and the Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists bitterly divided.

    Failure to find a humane and just solution led a small group of Rohingyas to attack Burmese border police posts in October, killing nine police officers. This provoked the Burmese army into a grossly disproportionate response that has resulted in ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

    Calls for an international response are growing. In December, 23 international figures, including 11 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and several former prime ministers, warned that the situation “has all the hallmarks of recent past tragedies—Rwanda, Darfur, Bosnia, Kosovo.” They called for an independent U.N. inquiry to establish the truth.

    Last week’s report goes some way to fulfilling that need, and it adds more weight to demands for a full commission of inquiry. Another option is an investigation by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to ensure that, in the words of the U.N. high commissioner, “victims have access to justice, reparations and safety.”

    As devastating as the stories from the Rohingyas are, theirs is not the only human-rights and humanitarian crisis in Burma. As it conducted ethnic cleansing in Rakhine, the Burmese army intensified its assault on the Kachin ethnic group and other minorities in northern Shan State.

    Thousands have been displaced in recent weeks, and a Catholic church was bombed in December. Two Kachin Christian pastors, Nawng Latt and Gam Seng, were arrested after taking journalists to the bombed church to gather evidence. They are due to appear in court Tuesday, charged under the Unlawful Association Act for allegedly aiding Kachin rebels, a charge they deny.

    Burma’s human-rights abuses are not restricted to its peripheries. Buddhist nationalists have waged a campaign of anti-Muslim hatred across the country for the past four years. This led to outbreaks of violence and laws that restrict religious conversion and interfaith marriage, violating freedom of religion or belief.

    The assassination of Burma’s most prominent Muslim lawyer and constitutional expert, U Ko Ni, in front of Yangon Airport last week is a reminder that the country’s political system remains a highly disputed work in progress. This murder of Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal advisor, who had been outspoken in calls for constitutional reform, is a warning shot designed to stoke further fear and instability.

    A year ago the world celebrated Burma’s peaceful transition to democracy, but it’s now clear that the military is determined to hang on to much of its power.

    Under the constitution, the military remains in control of the Home Affairs, Border Affairs and Defense ministries, meaning Ms. Suu Kyi’s leadership is tenuous. While she could have done more to speak out, she does not control the troops. Only Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief, has the power to stop the killing and rapes.

    The international community must now act to hold the Burmese military to account for its crimes. Burma’s future hangs in the balance.

    Mr. Figel is the European Union’s special envoy for freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. Mr. Rogers is a human rights activist with Christian Solidarity Worldwide and author of three books on Burma.

    See the article at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/burmas-yet-incomplete-democratic-transition-1486400191

  • CIFoRB interviews Ján Figeľ

    CIFoRB interviews Ján Figeľ


    Angela Garvey Hammond interviews Ján Figeľ, the EU Special Envoy for the Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the European Union. More information on the CIFoRB project: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/ciforb

  • EU Special Envoy

    EU Special Envoy

    Interview on the mission to promote Freedom of Religion and Belief

  • “Embattled” – Conference speakers Jan Figel and Andreas Thonhauser

    “Embattled” – Conference speakers Jan Figel and Andreas Thonhauser

    Conference “Embattled: Christians Under Pressure in Europe and Beyond”; Session I with presentations by Andreas Thonhauser (ADF International) and Jan Figel (European Commission, Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom and religion and belief outside the EU) A conference with the goals of informing lawmakers, professionals, clergy, and media from Austria and neighboring countries about the challenges and pressures faced by Christians in Europe and around the world, as well as proposing legal, political, and cultural solutions.

  • What US President-elect D. Trump can do for Syria and Aleppo

    (CNN) The US President-elect walks onto the world stage facing a question: Will this century of genocides end or continue?

    Donald Trump comes to power amid what has been called „the complete meltdown of humanity“ in Syria, with US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power demanding of UN member states Syria, Iran, and Russia: „Are you truly incapable of shame?“

    Power’s speech at a UN Security Council Emergency Briefing on Syria also invoked history’s scenes of horror: „Aleppo will join the ranks of those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later. Halabja, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and now, Aleppo.“

    Her words, while an accurate indictment of the current situation in Syria, are also a prescient reminder that generations of American leaders have been confronted with the savagery of genocide and have failed to take appropriate action.

    If the scenes emerging from Aleppo show us anything, it is that the Trump administration must now grapple with this legacy and simply put, do better. The United States, through its executive branch, must call upon the United Nations to take action.

    The people of the world, especially those in the darkest of places, are looking to America, the European Union, and the international community of democracies with their hopes, and their very lives, at stake. We should not abandon our basic duties, and these people, yet again.

    Trump is coming to power at a dark time in the world. Last March, Secretary of State John Kerry declared that the ethnic cleansing of Christian, Yazidi, and Shia Muslim communities by ISIS forces amounts to nothing less than genocide. That same week, Congress voted unanimously in favor of classifying the atrocities as genocidal.

    And yet even after acknowledging that entire communities are being systematically murdered en masse, no one has been able to stop the massacres.

    This is not the first time a US president-elect has confronted such stakes. In 2008, a NY Times editorial urged then President-elect Obama to take practical steps to prevent new instances of genocide. Unfortunately, we failed then — and we are failing now.

    The current systematic murdering, torture, enslavement, kidnapping, raping and persecution of religious and ethnic minorities in territories dominated by the Islamic State constitutes the very same type of evil that we like to comfortably pretend is confined to only history books. Each time a power-crazed fanatic group is finally beaten down, we view the remains and repeat the promise of „Never Again“ articulated at the Nuremberg Tribunal of 1946.

    And each time, we break that promise anew by waiting too long and not working hard enough at our commitment to prevent genocide or crimes against humanity.

    Labeling is far from enough, but it is an important first step. Because once we recognize something as genocide, America and other leading nations are then obligated to act.

    The US has ratified the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article I of which establishes a duty for contracting states to „prevent and to punish“ genocide, and Article 8 of which states that such countries „may call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such action“ as „appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide.“

    If soon-to-be-President Trump wants, as he has previously stated, to prosecute criminals, then let him hold these genocidal war criminals responsible for their actions. If, as he claims, he wants to take a firm stand against Islamic terrorism, let him take action in a realm where every day matters, where every hour can mean the difference between life and death for innocent men, women, and children.

    If his incoming administration is frustrated with the international community’s status quo, let them break out of the cycle of weak resolutions and empty statements and take seriously the US stake in the „responsibility to protect,“ a political commitment unanimously adopted by all members of the United Nations General Assembly at the 2005 World Summit.

    It says that, „If a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take collective action to protect populations, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.“

    Fundamentally, this is not about politics; it is about making a commitment to save people’s lives. In 2016, the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian-based organization that advocates for constitutional and human rights, published a 7-point plan to stop the ISIS genocide against Christians which can be applied in any instance in which the US recognizes that a genocide is taking place.

    These practical steps for governmental intervention include calling upon the various UN organs to formally recognize the genocides taking place, to prosecute war criminals and to establish in-region safe zones for genocide victims, which would also eliminate the need for mass refugee relocation.

    We urge President-elect Trump to seriously consider these and other practical suggestions.

    After a bitter election season, the American people are understandably having a hard time trying to get past their domestic differences. But to paraphrase Saint-Exupéry, national unity will not come from always seeing eye to eye, but from looking outward together in the same direction.

    Stopping genocide around the world could and should serve as a unifying call to action, and a request for every American, including both the President-elect and his opponents, to turn their powerful gazes outwards. Regardless of party affiliation, we must all look back at our failures over the last hundred years and look ahead with a unified vision for a more humane century.

    Our collective political energy could best be spent saving lives, and the incoming leader of the free world must immediately commit to doing his part.

  • What US President-elect D. Trump can do for Syria and Aleppo

    What US President-elect D. Trump can do for Syria and Aleppo

    The US President-elect walks onto the world stage facing a question: Will this century of genocides end or continue?

    Donald Trump comes to power amid what has been called “the complete meltdown of humanity” in Syria, with US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power demanding of UN member states Syria, Iran, and Russia: “Are you truly incapable of shame?”

    Power’s speech at a UN Security Council Emergency Briefing on Syria also invoked history’s scenes of horror: “Aleppo will join the ranks of those events in world history that define modern evil, that stain our conscience decades later. Halabja, Rwanda, Srebrenica, and now, Aleppo.”

    Her words, while an accurate indictment of the current situation in Syria, are also a prescient reminder that generations of American leaders have been confronted with the savagery of genocide and have failed to take appropriate action.

    If the scenes emerging from Aleppo show us anything, it is that the Trump administration must now grapple with this legacy and simply put, do better. The United States, through its executive branch, must call upon the United Nations to take action.

    The people of the world, especially those in the darkest of places, are looking to America, the European Union, and the international community of democracies with their hopes, and their very lives, at stake. We should not abandon our basic duties, and these people, yet again.

    Trump is coming to power at a dark time in the world. Last March, Secretary of State John Kerry declared that the ethnic cleansing of Christian, Yazidi, and Shia Muslim communities by ISIS forces amounts to nothing less than genocide. That same week, Congress voted unanimously in favor of classifying the atrocities as genocidal.

    And yet even after acknowledging that entire communities are being systematically murdered en masse, no one has been able to stop the massacres.

    This is not the first time a US president-elect has confronted such stakes. In 2008, a NY Times editorial urged then President-elect Obama to take practical steps to prevent new instances of genocide. Unfortunately, we failed then — and we are failing now.

    The current systematic murdering, torture, enslavement, kidnapping, raping and persecution of religious and ethnic minorities in territories dominated by the Islamic State constitutes the very same type of evil that we like to comfortably pretend is confined to only history books. Each time a power-crazed fanatic group is finally beaten down, we view the remains and repeat the promise of “Never Again” articulated at the Nuremberg Tribunal of 1946.

    And each time, we break that promise anew by waiting too long and not working hard enough at our commitment to prevent genocide or crimes against humanity.

    Labeling is far from enough, but it is an important first step. Because once we recognize something as genocide, America and other leading nations are then obligated to act.

    The US has ratified the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article I of which establishes a duty for contracting states to “prevent and to punish” genocide, and Article 8 of which states that such countries “may call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such action” as “appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide.”

    If soon-to-be-President Trump wants, as he has previously stated, to prosecute criminals, then let him hold these genocidal war criminals responsible for their actions. If, as he claims, he wants to take a firm stand against Islamic terrorism, let him take action in a realm where every day matters, where every hour can mean the difference between life and death for innocent men, women, and children.

    If his incoming administration is frustrated with the international community’s status quo, let them break out of the cycle of weak resolutions and empty statements and take seriously the US stake in the “responsibility to protect,” a political commitment unanimously adopted by all members of the United Nations General Assembly at the 2005 World Summit.

    It says that, “If a State is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take collective action to protect populations, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

    Fundamentally, this is not about politics; it is about making a commitment to save people’s lives. In 2016, the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian-based organization that advocates for constitutional and human rights, published a 7-point plan to stop the ISIS genocide against Christians which can be applied in any instance in which the US recognizes that a genocide is taking place.

    These practical steps for governmental intervention include calling upon the various UN organs to formally recognize the genocides taking place, to prosecute war criminals and to establish in-region safe zones for genocide victims, which would also eliminate the need for mass refugee relocation.

    We urge President-elect Trump to seriously consider these and other practical suggestions.

    After a bitter election season, the American people are understandably having a hard time trying to get past their domestic differences. But to paraphrase Saint-Exupéry, national unity will not come from always seeing eye to eye, but from looking outward together in the same direction.

    Stopping genocide around the world could and should serve as a unifying call to action, and a request for every American, including both the President-elect and his opponents, to turn their powerful gazes outwards. Regardless of party affiliation, we must all look back at our failures over the last hundred years and look ahead with a unified vision for a more humane century.

    Our collective political energy could best be spent saving lives, and the incoming leader of the free world must immediately commit to doing his part.

    The original article can be found here: https://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/18/opinions/trumps-responsibility-in-aleppo-fige-goldfeder-opinion/index.html

  • Address by Ján Figeľ at The Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy 2016 in the theme of “Promo

    “Freedom of Religion, Interfaith Dialogue and Development Policy” A Keynote Address by The Hon.

    Jan Figel (EU Special Envoy for Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU) The Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy 2016 “Promoting Global Human Rights through Cultural Diplomacy” (Berlin, December 14th- 19th, 2016) The Center for Cultural Diplomacy Studies – Publications Institute for Cultural Diplomacy www.ccds-berlin.de www.culturaldiplomacy.org The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

    Follow us on Facebook http://on.fb.me/ZfCwv0

  • Ján Figeľ’s speech at the Launching Event of the European Academy of Religion in Bologna, Italy

    Ján Figeľ’s speech at the Launching Event of the European Academy of Religion in Bologna, Italy

    European Academy of Religion A research intiative of Scientific Societies and Associations of Scholars, Research Centers and Departments, Media, Scientific Journals, Publishers and Scholars coming from European and Mediterranean Countries, the Middle East, Caucasus and Russia ​ Bologna, December 4th & 5th 2016 – www.fscire.it