Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-01-Speech-3-111"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060201.13.3-111"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Tyranny is most afraid of those who practice freedom' – the words of José Martín, a hero of the 19th century fight for Cuban independence, are still as relevant today as they were when he uttered them. We can also add that apart from its own opposition, a dictatorship is also afraid of those who practice freedom in other countries. Therefore we, the representatives of European democracies, must be aware of our especially great responsibility when discussing one of the last Communist regimes.
As a personal thought, please allow me to add that as a young Hungarian politician, I am extremely aware of this responsibility, because my generation was brought up by our parents and grandparents against the background of a Socialist dictatorship similar to that in Cuba. We also owe it to them to stand up firmly for our principles.
By now it has become clear that last year’s lifting of the coercive measures taken against Cuba failed to bring the desired results, and it only prompted the Cuban Government to step up oppression. Arrests have been on-going, and in 2005 approximately 30 members of the opposition were imprisoned, which means that by now the number of those detained for their political views in often inhuman circumstances has exceeded 300. Therefore, depictions of a comic-opera dictatorship led by a jovial parlour revolutionary are false. In the meantime, foreign observers are not allowed to travel to the country, a fact that I have recently experienced myself. Last year, like several other fellow MEPs, I was refused the entry visa to attend a meeting of the opposition. In case we have not known it so far, we can now learn the fact that a dictatorship – be it rightist or leftist – does not allow compromises. This is another reason why we cannot support the lifting of coercive measures.
History is an unequivocal witness: the opposition movements of the former Socialist block could not have reached their goals without the stimulation of the Western European democracies. Today it falls on the reunited Europe to give strength to all those who are representing the values of democracy in the shadow of dictatorship."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples