Post by Robespierre - P.R. of Debro on Jul 15, 2007 10:40:55 GMT -5
25 January 2006,Council of Europe resolution
It's very long, but it worths. What do you think?
Resolution 1481 (2006)1
Need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes
1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 1096 (1996) on measures to dismantle the heritage of the former communist totalitarian systems.
2. The totalitarian communist regimes which ruled in central and eastern Europe in the last century, and which are still in power in several countries in the world, have been, without exception, characterised by massive violations of human rights. The violations have differed depending on the culture, country and the historical period and have included individual and collective assassinations and executions, death in concentration camps, starvation, deportations, torture, slave labour and other forms of mass physical terror, persecution on ethnic or religious grounds, violation of freedom of conscience, thought and expression, of freedom of the press, and also lack of political pluralism.
3. The crimes were justified in the name of the class struggle theory and the principle of dictatorship of the proletariat. The interpretation of both principles legitimised the “elimination” of people who were considered harmful to the construction of a new society and, as such, enemies of the totalitarian communist regimes. A vast number of victims in every country concerned were its own nationals. It was the case particularly of the peoples of the former USSR who by far outnumbered other peoples in terms of the number of victims.
4. The Assembly recognises that, in spite of the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes, some European communist parties have made contributions to achieving democracy.
5. The fall of totalitarian communist regimes in central and eastern Europe has not been followed in all cases by an international investigation of the crimes committed by them. Moreover, the authors of these crimes have not been brought to trial by the international community, as was the case with the horrible crimes committed by National Socialism (Nazism).
6. Consequently, public awareness of crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes is very poor. Communist parties are legal and active in some countries, even if in some cases they have not distanced themselves from the crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes in the past.
7. The Assembly is convinced that the awareness of history is one of the preconditions for avoiding similar crimes in the future. Furthermore, moral assessment and condemnation of crimes committed play an important role in the education of young generations. The clear position of the international community on the past may be a reference for their future actions.
8. Moreover, the Assembly believes that those victims of crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes who are still alive or their families, deserve sympathy, understanding and recognition for their sufferings.
9. Totalitarian communist regimes are still active in some countries of the world and crimes continue to be committed. National interest perceptions should not prevent countries from adequate criticism of current totalitarian communist regimes. The Assembly strongly condemns all those violations of human rights.
10. The debates and condemnations which have taken place so far at national level in some Council of Europe member states cannot give dispensation to the international community from taking a clear position on the crimes committed by the totalitarian communist regimes. It has a moral obligation to do so without any further delay.
11. The Council of Europe is well placed for such a debate at international level. All former European communist countries, with the exception of Belarus, are now members, and the protection of human rights and the rule of law are basic values for which it stands.
12. Therefore, the Assembly strongly condemns the massive human rights violations committed by the totalitarian communist regimes and expresses sympathy, understanding and recognition to the victims of these crimes.
13. Furthermore, it calls on all communist or post-communist parties in its member states which have not yet done so to reassess the history of communism and their own past, clearly distance themselves from the crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes and condemn them without any ambiguity.
14. The Assembly believes that this clear position of the international community will pave the way to further reconciliation. Furthermore, it will hopefully encourage historians throughout the world to continue their research aimed at the determination and objective verification of what took place.
Need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes
1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 1096 (1996) on measures to dismantle the heritage of the former communist totalitarian systems.
2. The totalitarian communist regimes which ruled in central and eastern Europe in the last century, and which are still in power in several countries in the world, have been, without exception, characterised by massive violations of human rights. The violations have differed depending on the culture, country and the historical period and have included individual and collective assassinations and executions, death in concentration camps, starvation, deportations, torture, slave labour and other forms of mass physical terror, persecution on ethnic or religious grounds, violation of freedom of conscience, thought and expression, of freedom of the press, and also lack of political pluralism.
3. The crimes were justified in the name of the class struggle theory and the principle of dictatorship of the proletariat. The interpretation of both principles legitimised the “elimination” of people who were considered harmful to the construction of a new society and, as such, enemies of the totalitarian communist regimes. A vast number of victims in every country concerned were its own nationals. It was the case particularly of the peoples of the former USSR who by far outnumbered other peoples in terms of the number of victims.
4. The Assembly recognises that, in spite of the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes, some European communist parties have made contributions to achieving democracy.
5. The fall of totalitarian communist regimes in central and eastern Europe has not been followed in all cases by an international investigation of the crimes committed by them. Moreover, the authors of these crimes have not been brought to trial by the international community, as was the case with the horrible crimes committed by National Socialism (Nazism).
6. Consequently, public awareness of crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes is very poor. Communist parties are legal and active in some countries, even if in some cases they have not distanced themselves from the crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes in the past.
7. The Assembly is convinced that the awareness of history is one of the preconditions for avoiding similar crimes in the future. Furthermore, moral assessment and condemnation of crimes committed play an important role in the education of young generations. The clear position of the international community on the past may be a reference for their future actions.
8. Moreover, the Assembly believes that those victims of crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes who are still alive or their families, deserve sympathy, understanding and recognition for their sufferings.
9. Totalitarian communist regimes are still active in some countries of the world and crimes continue to be committed. National interest perceptions should not prevent countries from adequate criticism of current totalitarian communist regimes. The Assembly strongly condemns all those violations of human rights.
10. The debates and condemnations which have taken place so far at national level in some Council of Europe member states cannot give dispensation to the international community from taking a clear position on the crimes committed by the totalitarian communist regimes. It has a moral obligation to do so without any further delay.
11. The Council of Europe is well placed for such a debate at international level. All former European communist countries, with the exception of Belarus, are now members, and the protection of human rights and the rule of law are basic values for which it stands.
12. Therefore, the Assembly strongly condemns the massive human rights violations committed by the totalitarian communist regimes and expresses sympathy, understanding and recognition to the victims of these crimes.
13. Furthermore, it calls on all communist or post-communist parties in its member states which have not yet done so to reassess the history of communism and their own past, clearly distance themselves from the crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes and condemn them without any ambiguity.
14. The Assembly believes that this clear position of the international community will pave the way to further reconciliation. Furthermore, it will hopefully encourage historians throughout the world to continue their research aimed at the determination and objective verification of what took place.
Mikis Theodorakis reacts with the following statement:
The Council of Europe has decided to change History. To distort it by equalizing the victims with the aggressors, the heroes with the criminals, the liberators with the conquerors and the Communists with the Nazis.
It considers that the biggest enemies of Nazism, i.e. the Communists, are criminals and indeed equal to the Nazis! And it even worries and protests, because although the Hitlerites were condemned by the international community, nothing as such has happened yet with the Communists.
For this reason it suggests that this condemnation takes place now by the Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the 24-27 of coming January.
Meanwhile, it worries because “public awareness of crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes is very poor”. And also because still “Communist parties are legal and active in some countries, even if in some cases they have not distanced themselves from the crimes”.
In other words, the Council of Europe is announcing in advance the future persecution of European Communists that have not yet made a recantation, such as those demanded in the past by the henchmen of Gestapo and the torturers at the camp of Makronisos.
Perhaps tomorrow they shall decide to outlaw the Communist Parties, half-opening this way the door for the ghosts of Hitler and Himmler to pass, who, as it is well known, begun their career by outlawing the Communist Parties and by locking up the Communists in death camps.
However, in the end, they were drowned in the very blood of their victims, those 20 million dead of the Communist Soviet Union and so many other hundreds of thousands of Communists who gave their lives, as it also happened in Greece, by putting themselves at the front line of national resistance movements all across Europe.
However, those gentlemen of the Council of Europe, in their wish to resurrect methods condemned in the consciousness of History and the Peoples, they come second, since they have already been overrun by their great brother, the USA, that exterminate entire peoples using Hitler-like methods, as in the case of Iraq which they have left in ruins full of American prisons, where thousands of innocent victims are tortured daily in a horrific and obvious manner.
For this great crime against humanity, as well as for the contemporary Hitlerite torture camp at Guantanamo, the Council of Europe has absolutely nothing to say.
So how can anyone believe that they are honestly concerned for human rights, when even within their own home, Europe, they have allowed for CIA planes, filled with people without any rights, drive them in special prisons in order to be tortured?
Such citizens cannot be prosecutors. At the Court of History that one day will pass sentence on the countless crimes committed by their big brother, from Vietnam to Chile and from South America to Iraq, they will be on trial on the count of toleration, if not collaboration to those crimes.
Unfortunately today I am obliged to speak more in the name of the dead than the name of the living. Therefore, in the name of my dead Communist comrades, those who have gone through the Gestapo, the death camps and the execution sites in order to defeat Nazism and celebrate Liberty, I have but one word to address to those “gentlemen”: SHAME!
The Council of Europe has decided to change History. To distort it by equalizing the victims with the aggressors, the heroes with the criminals, the liberators with the conquerors and the Communists with the Nazis.
It considers that the biggest enemies of Nazism, i.e. the Communists, are criminals and indeed equal to the Nazis! And it even worries and protests, because although the Hitlerites were condemned by the international community, nothing as such has happened yet with the Communists.
For this reason it suggests that this condemnation takes place now by the Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the 24-27 of coming January.
Meanwhile, it worries because “public awareness of crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes is very poor”. And also because still “Communist parties are legal and active in some countries, even if in some cases they have not distanced themselves from the crimes”.
In other words, the Council of Europe is announcing in advance the future persecution of European Communists that have not yet made a recantation, such as those demanded in the past by the henchmen of Gestapo and the torturers at the camp of Makronisos.
Perhaps tomorrow they shall decide to outlaw the Communist Parties, half-opening this way the door for the ghosts of Hitler and Himmler to pass, who, as it is well known, begun their career by outlawing the Communist Parties and by locking up the Communists in death camps.
However, in the end, they were drowned in the very blood of their victims, those 20 million dead of the Communist Soviet Union and so many other hundreds of thousands of Communists who gave their lives, as it also happened in Greece, by putting themselves at the front line of national resistance movements all across Europe.
However, those gentlemen of the Council of Europe, in their wish to resurrect methods condemned in the consciousness of History and the Peoples, they come second, since they have already been overrun by their great brother, the USA, that exterminate entire peoples using Hitler-like methods, as in the case of Iraq which they have left in ruins full of American prisons, where thousands of innocent victims are tortured daily in a horrific and obvious manner.
For this great crime against humanity, as well as for the contemporary Hitlerite torture camp at Guantanamo, the Council of Europe has absolutely nothing to say.
So how can anyone believe that they are honestly concerned for human rights, when even within their own home, Europe, they have allowed for CIA planes, filled with people without any rights, drive them in special prisons in order to be tortured?
Such citizens cannot be prosecutors. At the Court of History that one day will pass sentence on the countless crimes committed by their big brother, from Vietnam to Chile and from South America to Iraq, they will be on trial on the count of toleration, if not collaboration to those crimes.
Unfortunately today I am obliged to speak more in the name of the dead than the name of the living. Therefore, in the name of my dead Communist comrades, those who have gone through the Gestapo, the death camps and the execution sites in order to defeat Nazism and celebrate Liberty, I have but one word to address to those “gentlemen”: SHAME!
It's very long, but it worths. What do you think?
" -Archaix
Then i must win 
