EVENTS
Fifth Congress of the European Civic Forum, 1-8 August 1994, Forcalquier, France
As every year since 1990, the European Civic Forum is organising its annual congress in the beautiful hills near the small town of Forcalquier in the Provence region. For five years, the Congress of the ECF has been a "meeting-place for the new conscientious objectors in common search for solutions to the crisis of our societies".
This year's congress will focus on a critical analysis of three items at the centre of official political and media debate: Employment, exclusion, humanitarian action. Particular attention will be given to the situation in the EU, Italy, Yugoslavia and Algeria.
The congress will also discuss current action and projects of the ECF such as the campaign in support of war resisters from former Yugoslavia, the independent ex-Yugoslav press agency AIM, and the creation of an EastWest Centre on rural development in Brandenburg (Germany).
For further information please contact: Forum Civique Europen, B.P. 42, F-04300 Forcalquier, Tel: +33/92 731815, Fax: +33/92 731818Permanent Tribunal of Peoples (PTP) on the Right of Asylum in Europe, Berlin, 8-12 De-cember 1994
The PTP is a tribunal of opinion made up of about 60 independent personalities, academics, writers, artists, and politicians, from all parts of the world. The PTP was founded in the wake of the Russell Tribunal II on Latin America that was held under the presidency of Lelio Basso and of the first Russell Tribunal on war crimes committed during the Vietnam war. The latest sessions of the PTP were dedicated to the conquest of America and international law (PadovaVenise, Octobre 1992), and to Tibet (Strasbourg, November 1992. At present, sessions are taking place on the Bhopal catastrophe.
The Berlin tribunal on the right of asylum will be preceded by a session on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Madrid (September 1994).
The Berlin session has been convened upon initiative of a large number of NGOs concerned for the erosion of the right of asylum.
The session programme includes the following points: presentation of the act of accusation; overview of the situation of the right of asylum in Europe; reports and witness evidence relating to the principle problems facing asylum seekers in Europe (The countries held for particular examination are Germany, Spain, France and Switzerland); analysis of the causes of flight linked to the situation in countries of origin of refugees (economic degradation, violation of fundamental rights); examination of the causes at the root of the ever more restrictive asylum policy of European states (This implies reflection about democracy and the current erosion of the welfare state); presentation of the defence.
Any person or organisation interested in participating at or contributing to the session, or wishing to support the initiative of the tribunal is kindly requested to contact: Sekretariat des Basso-Tribunals zum Asylrecht in Europa, c/o Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle für aussereuropäische Flüchtlinge e.V., Oranienstr.159, D10969 Berlin; Tel: +49/30 6149404, Fax: +49/30 615 4534.