Wednesday, 7 June 2017, in the French Senate, the Global Committee for the Rule of Law “Marco Pannella” and Senator André Gattolin organize a round-table discussion on the right to know as a tool for the transition towards the Rule of Law.
In an increasingly globalized world where many executive decisions are taken at an accelerated pace, often overriding the usual processes of democratic debate and the control by parliament and citizens, the universal recognition of a right to know has become essential if we want prevent the erosion of the fundamental principles of the rule of law.
In 2003, in a historic democracy like Britain, Tony Blair’s government deliberately lied to Parliament to allow for the military engagement in Iraq, on the pretext of the existence – never proved – of weapons of mass destruction. Similar examples of violations of common legal framework occur in France too and in most consolidated democracies as well. Such violations have not ceased to multiply over the last two decades. It is precisely on these infringements of the right to know in our Western democracies that the first panel of this meeting will focus, through the British, Italian and French cases.
Because the recognition of the right to know can also become a major democratic tool for countries in transition towards the rule of law, the second panel will go about this aspect through the testimonies of political leaders and human rights defenders from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Algeria.
PROGRAMME
7 June 2017 at 2 pm
Palais de Luxembourg (salle Monnerville)
26 Rue de Vaugirard 75006, Paris
INTRODUCTION
André Gattolin Senator for Hauts-de-Seine
Maurizio Turco Coordinator of the Presidency of the Nonviolent Radical Party transnational transparty
1st ROUND-TABLE
The right to know in “consolidated democracies”
Laura Harth UN Representative of the Radical Party: presentation of the “right to know” campaign
Lucile Schmid Co-president of the Green European Foundation: the French case
Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata Ambassador, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy: the Italian case
Norman Baker former British MP and former Home Office Minister: the British case
Marino Busdachin Secretary general of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: the case of the indigenous peoples
Daniel Cohn-Bendit former MEP: Marco Pannella’s commitment for human rights in the European Parliament
2nd ROUND-TABLE
The right to know as a tool for the transition towards the Rule of Law
Thuten Wangchen MP in the Tibetan Parliament in exile, monk and President of the Tibetan community in Spain: the Tibetan case
Sam Rainsy former Minister of Finance of Cambodia, former MP and former leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party: the Cambodian case
Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Minister of Algeria, former Minister and former Ambassador: the Algerian case
Vanida Thephsouvanh President of the Lao Movement for Human Rights: the Lao case
Penelope Faulkner Vice-president of “Vietnam Committee on Human Rights – Quê Me”: the Vietnamese case
Read the programme in French on the website of Sen. André Gattolin