Jean Supports Nigerian Pro-Democracy Activists

Jean will join campaigners in London tomorrow, including the Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka (the first African to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature), for the State of the Nigerian Nation, a major symposium on democracy and corruption in Nigeria.

Jean will deliver the opening speech at the afternoon session of the symposium, organised by the Nigeria Liberty Forum and taking place at the Holloway Road campus of London Metropolitan University. She will speak on ‘Poverty and corruption in Nigeria: what can the European Union do?’

The summit has been organised to counter ‘Democracy Day’, organised by the Nigerian government to mark 10 years since the return of democracy, but controversial among anti-corruption campaigners who are deeply concerned about the political situation in Nigeria.

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former Executive Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, who was dismissed from his post on 22 December 2008 by the Nigerian Police Service Commission, will speak after Jean. Many believe his dismissal was politically motivated.

Jean recently submitted a written question to the European Commission, raising her concerns for Nuhu Ribadu and asking what progress the Commission had made in fighting corruption in Nigeria. She hopes to be able to report the reply to the symposium on Friday.

Jean, an active supporter of Nigerian pro-democracy campaigns in London, said:

“I’m honoured to be a guest at this symposium, and to be sharing the platform with both Wole Soyinka, whose distinguished career as a writer is matched by decades of brave political campaigning, and Nuhu Ribadu, whose dedication to fighting corruption is an inspiration to all those seeking a fairer future.

"As Nuhu Ribadu’s experience has shown, it takes courage to stand up and act against corruption, and that is why it is vital that the international community unites to support campaigners for change, and recognises its responsibility to support democracy and challenge injustice.”

Separately, this week also sees the opening of a landmark court case in New York in which Royal Dutch Shell, the oil giant, stands accused of complicity in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Nigerian environmental activist, in 1995.

Jean said:

“We must welcome the fact that Shell’s role in the death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others is to be reconsidered, and we can only hope that, after nearly 15 years, the truth will, at last, be heard. Since Ken Saro-Wiwa’s death in 1995 his predictions of ecological and humanitarian disaster in the Niger Delta have been proved right. The area, so rich in natural resources, is both a wasteland and a war zone.

“The international community must pay attention to this court case as it could shine a light on the human and environmental costs of western companies working with corrupt governments. We have a political and moral responsibility to the communities whose lives have been destroyed.”

The State of the Nigerian Nation symposium is a day-long event taking place this Friday 29 May at Stapleton House, on the Holloway Road campus of London Metropolitan University. The summit begins at 9am, with the morning session, ‘Citizen Power and Democratic Change’, commencing at 9.30am. Jean will introduce the afternoon session, from 1pm to 1.45pm.

For more information about the event, you can visit http://www.nigerialibertyforum.org.uk/

Re-elect Jean for action on human rights

Jean speaks about why she thinks that the European elections are important, and why Londoners should vote for her on June 4th:



And if that wasn't enough, then just look through the archive of this blog to see how hard Jean works for all the diverse communities that she represents in London. Today, her human rights work has led her to the AGM of the Kurdish Federation - and another strong, outspoken statement on human rights for all people. The kind of statement that, with your help, she will continue to make in the European Parliament!

GREEN MEP’S HUMAN RIGHTS CALL AHEAD OF KURDISH FEDERATION AGM

Jean Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, will join members of the Kurdish community in London this Sunday [24 May] to address the ninth AGM of Fed-Bir, the Kurdish Federation in the UK.

Jean, a longstanding champion of Kurdish rights in London and Europe, said:

“I am delighted to be joining Fed-Bir again for their AGM.

For years, the Federation has carried out its important work – promoting Kurdish culture and identity in London, supporting Kurds here and around the world. Fed-Bir also understands the struggle of others for justice and peace, as their expression of solidarity with the Tamil community shows.”

Last month, Jean met Leyla Zana, the leading Kurdish politician, former prisoner of conscience and European Parliament Sakharov prize winner to discuss her forthcoming court case to appeal against her recent ten year sentence. Jean signed an open letter to David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, in March, expressing concern over Ms Zana’s arrest and sentencing, and calling on the British Government to use its influence in supporting her case.

Jean added:

“I was fortunate enough to meet Leyla Zana again this year. Her courageous commitment to her cause is an inspiration to the Kurdish people, and to all those who seek justice and equality around the world. We shall be monitoring the progress of her upcoming court case as a test of justice and democratic pluralism in Turkey.

I welcome recent reports that suggest that a settlement to the conflict in Turkey, which has claimed over 40,000 lives, might at last be on the agenda. This is a small sign of hope in what has been a devastating era, but it must not be allowed to eclipse the repression which many Kurdish people in the country are still suffering. Let us hope that this might also mark progress for the Kurds in Iran and elsewhere.

“The international community must put pressure on Turkey to ensure it conforms to human rights standards. The EU has a crucial role to play since Turkey’s proposed entry to the European Union must rest on a commitment to democracy, equality and justice for all.”

Jean on Sri Lanka

As always, Jean has been up to a great deal over the last couple of months. Her latest newsletter is now available on her official MEP website, and it makes inspiring reading.

Among many other things, Jean is still working on the issue of the ongoing human rights abuses in Sri Lanka - something that has been largely ignored by many other politicians in the UK. This blog has covered her previous work on this issue, and this Saturday Jean spoke at a packed public meeting, as the excellent Green Ladywell blog explains. As well as this, she has an article in the latest New Statesman about the ongoing difficulties that journalists are experiencing in covering the story.

It's Register to Vote week as I write. Make sure you're registered, and that you vote Green on June 4th, if you want this kind of hard-working, progressive politics to last another five years in the European Parliament!

Jean calls for Sri Lankan ceasefire

Jean spent today at the demonstration for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka, speaking out from the platform for human rights and respect for civilians on all sides. You'd expect nothing less, I suppose, from a representative who was named Justice and Human Rights MEP of the Year in 2005.

Unlike some politicians, who only seem to have discovered the situation in Sri Lanka over the last few days after the demonstrations and hunger strikes in the UK, Jean has been working on this issue for years. Regular readers of this blog will already know this, with Jean's involvement spanning both the need for a ceasefire and individual cases of human rights abuses.

As should be clear by now, if we want the EU to stand up for human rights around the world, we need more MEPs like Jean Lambert. As ever, if you don't believe us, how about listening to her opinions direct, in the video below?