Vaclav Havel to Democratic Nations: Don't Treat Human Rights as an "Afterthought"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Vaclav Havel to Democratic Nations: Don't Treat Human Rights as an
"Afterthought"
(PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- March 27, 2009) Nearly fifteen years after inviting RFE/RL to
relocate from Munich to Prague, former Czech President Vaclav Havel presided
over RFE/RL's first editorial meeting at its new, state-of-the-art broadcast center today. Havel praised RFE/RL's mission and warned
democratic countries against viewing human rights issues as an
"afterthought" when dealing with authoritarian regimes.
"Western democracies have mastered the art of not
talking about human rights with dictatorships," he said. "They focus
on economics, energy, and agriculture and only mention human rights somewhere
at the end as some kind of afterthought."
Havel echoed Belarusian dissident Alyaksandr Kazulin's
recent comments to RFE/RL that pro-democracy and human rights leaders should be
included in the EU's upcoming meeting with Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr
Lukashenka.
RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin said "Havel's
life and work are intimately connected to the values and ideals that lie at the
heart of RFE/RL's mission."
"Although this new building will be officially
opened in May by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), today's gathering
is a kind of intellectual and moral christening," said Gedmin. "It is
an honor to have President Havel join RFE/RL Executive Editor John O'Sullivan
as co-chair of this first editorial meeting in our new home." [see a photogallery of RFE/RL's new
headquarters]
Several world leaders sent messages of support to
RFE/RL and President Havel on the occasion, including Afghan President Hamid
Karzai, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, and a bipartisan group of U.S. congressional leaders.
RFE/RL is moving from the former Czechoslovak
communist parliament building in Prague, which is being turned over to the
National Museum.
About RFE/RL
RFE/RL broadcasts in 28 languages to 20 countries
where a free press is either banned by the government or not fully established.
Each week, more than 25 million people in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Russia,
Belarus, and elsewhere rely on RFE/RL for objective news and information.
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