The Helsinki Citizens Assembly hCa

The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly is an organization of citizens dedicated to peace, democracy and human rights in Europe.

The Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly is a non-governmental organization, working on the notions of fundamental rights and freedoms, peace, democracy and pluralism. hCa works independently from political parties, government and states, aims to:

  • introduce the basic rights and freedoms accepted in international agreements and outlined by universal standards into daily life;
  • promote peaceful processes for the resolution of problems through mutual understanding dialogue and peace;
  • improve pluralist democratic bodies and civil society initiatives;
  • ensure the supremacy of law and to defend an economic system that promotes the well-being of human life and the environment.

Why “Helsinki”? The Helsinki Final Act (August 01, 1975) provided a basis for creating conditions favorable to peace in Europe and made human rights a common value to be respected by all nations in a world which was divided into East and West camps in that period. The word « Helsinki » refers to the historic significance of this agreement (taken directly from Helsinki Yurttaslar Dernegi).

The collapse of the Berlin Wall and the new global political context this created gave rise to a new peace movement called the “Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly”. From October 19th to 22nd 1990, peace activists from all parts of Europe (chaired by Vaclav Havel, then president of Czechoslovakia) held a meeting … (see the full long wikipedia-text).

More links on wikipedia: Helsinki Accords; Helsinki Committee for Human Rights.

Other links:

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RUPANTAR

Linked with Binayak Sen – India.

Rupantar is founded in 1992, and started its operations from 1994 in Khulna and Bagerhat district. At the beginning activities were mainly cultural; Rupantar activists performed theaters and popular folk music on various social issues.

The fundamental principal of Rupantar is based on the hypothesis that culture and sustainable development are closely connected. This connection is an emerging concept in the development world. Although the identity of a society is largely determined by its culture, yet is difficult for any society to have a static sense of the culture. Both society and culture are changing simultaneously.

Vision: Establishing a Gender Equitable Democratic Society with Cultural Values, Free From Injustice and Superstitions

Mission & Strategy;
Intervention;
Development;
Achievements;
Photo Gallery;
Comming special events 2007-2008;
Democracy & Governance Programme;
Contact.

About: RUPANTAR: AGENT FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION

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People's Union for Civil Liberties PUCL

Linked with Binayak Sen – India.

In November 1980, a National Convention of civil rights workers converted the People’s Union for Civil Liberties into a membership organisation. The National Convention elected Mr. V.M. Tarkunde as President and Mr. Arun Shourie as the General Secretary of PUCL. Since then the PUCL has undertaken work on several fronts-from commencing work towards preparing a new Prisons Act and Jail Manual under the leadership of Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer to agitating on specific issues like the release of trade unionists arrested under the National Security Act in Madhya Pradesh. Most of the effort has been devoted to setting up State and Local Units which alone can effectively pursue specific issues. (full text).

Homepage;
PUCL explained on wikipedia;
PUCL Office bearers;
Library;
Publications;
PUCL-news;
monthly bulletin/newsletter;
Contact.

A short history: Veteren leader Jaya Prakash Narayan (JP) founded the People’s Union for Civil Liberties and Democratic Rights (PUCLDR), in 1976. The idea was to make the PUCLDR. An organisation free from political ideologies, so that people belonging to various political parties may come together on one platform for the defence of Civil Liberties and Human Rights.

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Dissident Voice

a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice

Linked with Averting World War III, Ending Dollar Hegemony and US Imperialism, and with The Monarchy’s Clash with Socialism.

Dissident Voice is an internet newsletter dedicated to challenging the distortions and lies of the corporate press and the privileged classes it serves. The goal of Dissident Voice is to provide hard hitting, thought provoking and even entertaining news and commentaries on politics and culture that can serve as ammunition in struggles for peace and social justice.

A regularly updated resource with links to many articles, quotes, and important information missing from mainstream news coverage about the war in Iraq.

Homepage of the new website (since April 2007;
Links;
Archives (since April 2007);
Homepage of the old dissident voice-website (with a marvellous Editor’s Fave Links-collection on the left column);
archive of the old dissident voice-website;
Contact.

Submissions: Dissident Voice (DV) welcomes your article submissions. Send them to us by mail.

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World War 4 Report

Defending the fourth world, deconstructing the war on terrorism.

Linked with WELCOME TO WORLD WAR 4.

Why World War 4: The « World War III » envisioned in the Cold War was a devastating conflict between two monolithic superpowers. The Cold War, thankfully, never reached this climax. But now we are faced with its chilling sequel: the age of « asymmetrical » or « molecularized » warfare, in which a single globalized superpower faces an invisible, hydra-headed enemy which is everywhere and nowhere; in which the expansion of « free markets » is an explicit aim of military campaigns; and in which indigenous peoples, stateless ethnicities and localist/autonomist poltical models—the « Fourth World »–are increasingly targeted and conflated with the « terrorist » threat. The leaders of this new global crusade acknowledge openly that it will last generations. To emphasize that this new world situation requires a new kind of thinking, we have joined with those on the left and right alike that call this global conflict World War 4.

Homepage;
Documents;
Blog;
Newsletter/Subscribe;
Archive/back issues;
Contact.

Peoples / About;
Mission statement: WW4 REPORT has been monitoring the global War on Terrorism and its implications for human rights, democracy and ecology since the immediate aftermath of 9-11.

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