All India Secular Forum strongly condemns the action of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Margao, Goa, banning lecture organised by the Citizen's Initiative for Communal Harmony (CICH) in association with the Goan Ramnath Kare Law College in Margao on May 24th 2007. The lecture was on "Communal Threats To Secular Democracy In India" by the General Secretary of All India Secular Forum Prof. Ram Puniyani and well known activist working for peace and communal harmony. The SDM acted upon a letter from one citizen Shivanand Karapurkar apprehending social tension in view of the lecture. The letter was also addressed to the Election Commission taking advantage of the forthcoming elections in Goa. The Chief Election Commissioner later admitted that the action of the SDM was wrong but refused to take any action against him. The SDM's action will only embolden the communal forces, which do not have people's support but cleverly manipulate state machinery to subvert democratic rights of the people who had gathered to listen to the lecture. We laud the courage of the management of Kare Law College who, inspite of severe pressure from fundamentalist forces in Margao to cancel the lecture, opted to pursue the agenda of peace and harmony.
Peace and Democracy
Report: Equador - An Anti-Bases Network Finds Its Base
The consolidation of an international network for the abolition of foreign military bases marks an important advance for the global peace and justice movement
BY Herbert Docena
14 March 2007
On the perimeter fence of the Eloy Alfaro air base in Manta, Ecuador hangs a sign, "Warning: Military Base. No Trespassing." Since 1999, the base has been used as a "forward operating location" by the US military - just one of over 737 US military installations currently scattered in over 100 countries around the world.
On March 9, about 500 visitors showed up at the base's main gate. One of them walks up to the fence and pastes a bright blue and red sticker saying "No Bases!" on the warning sign, a broken rifle forming the diagonal line with the letter "o" to make the universal sign of prohibition.
It is a small, symbolic act of trespassing for a newly formed international network with a big goal: the closure of all such military bases worldwide. But with the successful convening of a conference that launched the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases (No Bases) in Quito and Manta, Ecuador from March 5 to 9, 2007, that goal has become a little closer to reality.
Pakistan's democracy movement defies repression, Jim McIlroy, Lahore, 29 March 2007
Around 5000 lawyers protesting on March 21 vowed not to rest until they succeed in removing General Pervez Musharraf from office, forcing the withdrawal of the reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and gaining assurance of a full independent judiciary capable of protecting the constitution. They called for the establishment of a truly democratic government through free and fair elections. The dispute was sparked on March 9 when Musharraf suspended Chaudhry.
The lawyers will remain undaunted against the "black acts" of the rulers, while waging a struggle for the rule of law and for the supremacy of the constitution, Ahsan Bhoon, president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, told the " after their lunchtime march through the city mall.
The lawyers will remain undaunted against the "black acts" of the rulers, while waging a struggle for the rule of law and for the supremacy of the constitution, Ahsan Bhoon, president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, told the " after their lunchtime march through the city mall.
Resolution of the Conference on War, Imperialism and Resistance: West Asia
New Delhi, 12th-14th March
West Asia is currently becoming the global flashpoint, with US imperialism seeking to remould the region to its liking. Israel, its closest ally in the region, is also seeking to destroy the Palestinian nation, as well as stamp out all resistance to its own apartheid policies inside Israel as well the Palestinian Territories it has occupied. The catchall slogan of "War against Terror," post 9/11, is providing a cover for the aggressive designs of the US-Israeli axis. Military strikes against Iran now loom on the horizon and the UN Security Council itself is being manipulated for that purpose.
It is the resistance of the people in Iraq, of the Palestinian people, as well as the heroic resistance by the Lebanese national forces against Israeli invasion that today stand in the way of US and Israeli designs in the region. This conference expresses its solidarity with the people of these countries who are fighting for their very existence against overwhelming odds and call upon different sections to unite to help spearhead a much broader resistance against the US-Israeli axis and imperialism.
Declaration: International Conference for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases
Declaration: International Conference for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases, March 5 to 9, 2007, Quito and Manta, Ecuador
We come together from 40 countries as grassroots activists from groups that promote women's rights, indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, human rights, and social justice. We come from social movements, peace movements, faith-based organizations, youth organizations, trade unions, and indigenous communities. We come from local, national, and international formations.
United by our struggle for justice, peace, self-determination of peoples and ecological sustainability, we have founded a network animated by the principles of solidarity, equality, openness, and respect for diversity. Foreign military bases and all other infrastructure used for wars of aggression violate human rights; oppress all people, particularly indigenous peoples, African descendants, women and children; and destroy communities and the environment. They exact immeasurable consequences on the spiritual and psychological well-being of humankind. They are instruments of war that entrench militarization, colonialism, imperial policy, patriarchy, and racism. The United States-led illegal invasions and ongoing occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan were launched from and enabled by such bases.
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