Commonwealth Greens Parties Against Rwanda’s Entry to Commonwealth

As Freedom Newspaper Calls For The Expulsion Of Jammeh From The Commonwealth

Media Statement from Commonwealth Greens Parties to CHOGM, 26 November, 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Leaders meeting in Trinidad this week are being urged to closely examine Rwanda’s human rights record before considering its Commonwealth  membership.

A coalition of Green Parties from 6 Commonwealth nations are calling for an independent review of the Rwandan Government’s commitment to human rights. The coalition believes that this needs to happen before CHOGM formalises any decision to admit Rwanda to the Commonwealth. 

 The Green Parties from Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England & Wales, Mauritius and Canada are concerned that the ruling RPF party works against alternative parties from developing in Rwanda. One recent example is the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda who has made five attempts to formally register as a party and have been frustrated by Government officials each time.

A number of Human Rights organisations and observers have implicated the ruling party in electoral irregularities, restrictions on press freedom and intimidation of opposition parties. The most recent was an expert report published by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative which concluded it was too early to approve Rwanda’s membership to the Commonwealth.

Admitting an application to join the Commonwealth without due concern for the countries Human Rights record devalues the standards agreed to by the Commonwealth’s 1991 Harare Declaration. These principals state very clearly that a commitment to human rights is a condition of Commonwealth membership.

Commonwealth Greens Parties believes it would be prudent for the Commonwealth to:

·         undertake an independent review of the human rights situation

·         require the RPF to report on its efforts to encourage an environment where opposition parties and democracy can flourish in Rwanda.

For more information contact: Reynolds, Anna (Sen B. Brown), Green Party Australia, Anna.Reynolds@aph.gov.au . Phone:               +61 (0)3 6224 3222         +61 (0)3 6224 3222 ;               +61 (0)427 308 115         +61 (0)427 308 115 - mobile

Commonwealth Green Parties:

Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand - http://www.greens.org.nz/

Australian Greens - http://greens.org.au/

Green Party of Canada - http://www.greenparty.ca/

Green Party of England and Wales - www.greenparty.org.uk

Pakistan Green Party - www.pakistangreens.org

Les Vertes Fraternels (Mauritius Green Party)

Editors note: In a separate development, the Management of the Freedom Newspaper is calling on the Commonwealth to expel The Gambia from the regional body. This paper firmly believes that Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia deserve to be expelled from the Commonwealth,  in view of his appalling human rights record. Jammeh has not only threatened to kill human rights activists, but he also vowed deal with journalists supplying information to right groups outside the country.

“ President Yahya Jammeh is a threat to world peace. His suspension from the Commonwealth is long overdue.  All efforts should be put on deck to ban him from the Commonwealth. He has not shown any  remorse for the wild threats he made against human rights activists. The time has come to set a precedence that would serve as deterrent to would be human rights killers in Africa,” said the Freedom Newspaper editors.