LET’S BE TOLERANT

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On 16 November the civilized world celebrates the International Tolerance Day founded by the United Nations. In this connection the RA Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan has made an official statement.

"One could just join the numerous true words about the need of being more tolerant and respecting others' rights, which undoubtedly sound nowadays more than actually. However, I believe that on this very day it is necessary to turn to the problem, the actuality of which became imminent for the Ombudsmen of the whole world a long time ago, but, as a result of being engaged with numerous problems in our own countries and regions, we do not raise our voice in favor of protection of innocent people. I am speaking about Darfur – Sudanese province, where a humanitarian catastrophe has been lasting already three years, and the world is still powerless to terminate it.

According to the data provided by the United Nations, in the course of the three-year conflict in Darfur, more than thousand people have been killed, more than hundred thousands are threatened with death because of starvation and diseases, more than two million innocent peaceful people had to leave their homes and escape. According to the report of the independent Commission, gross violations of human rights and norms of international humanitarian law consistently occur in the province, including crimes against humanity and war crimes.

What is happening in Darfur can completely fall under the definition of Genocide on the basis of the UN Convention of December 9, 1948. It is not at all by chance that the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide has recently stated about his intention to submit a report on the situation in Darfur to the UN General Secretary.

The gravity of the situation is also evidenced by the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, that if the urgent measures are not undertaken, the situation can have “destructive consequences” on the neighboring countries and other parts of the same Sudan.

It does not give rise to doubts that purposeful, consolidated and consecutive actions of the whole progressive world are necessary for termination of the genocide of the peaceful population of Darfur, taking place just before our eyes. I have great confidence that just Ombudsmen – Defenders of Human Rights shall be in the vanguard of peacemaking processes in Sudan and raise their voice of protest against the gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, against cynical force, to which the people of Darfur are exposed and which remains unpunished.

What is now happening in the Sudanese province is undoubtedly one of the main challenges of the XXI century- challenge, not less serious than international terrorism, as it can become a precedent for other countries with authoritarian regime.

The tragedy of tens and hundreds of thousands of peaceful people of Sudan cannot leave us indifferent just because it is happening far away from our homes and countries. The Ombudsmen shall unite in the protest against continued genocide and, jointly with the international organizations and community, do everything required for restraining it. It is necessary to call a special forum of Ombudsmen of the world and develop a program of actions, aimed at restraining the genocide in Darfur. We do not have the right to tolerate the beginning of the 21st century with one more genocide as the 20th century began with the Genocide of Armenians.

Tolerance and indulgence towards the one’s neighbor, regardless the color and belief - these should be the mottos of the new stage of mankind history, where human rights and human dignity are to be recognized as the highest values, neither subject to time, nor to geopolitical and other interests."

Larisa Alaverdyan