For the sovereignty of the people of Paraguay
We share two statements regarding the decision of parliamentarians of Paraguay, who took to the impeachment of the president, Fernando Lugo. The first release was produced by Forum for the Right to Education of Paraguay. The second by the Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE). Read both of them, forward:
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Support for Democratic Institutions – Repudiating to the President’s Impeachment that was promoted by the Congress of the Nation
"The Forum for the Right to Education, a group of people and social organizations that are committed to the construction of a transformation of society that respects human rights of all people and in which education processes be applied to the emancipation of our people, addresses the public in a matter of urgency to express what follows:
We express our support and solidarity to President Fernando Lugo, Paraguay's representative, elected by the will of the people of Paraguay on 20 April 2008, and we remain committed to the deepening of participatory democracy in our country.
We reject, the decision to each of the 76 congressmen who voted for and 3 absent, that through their votes decided for the President's impeachment on behalf of the Paraguayan People, when they never passed a single law that guarantees the rights of every Paraguayan and a fair distribution of wealth in Paraguay. Beyond this, the Congress historically supported and remained part of a political model oppressive and repressive. Therefore, these gentlemen and ladies look for their individual interests and do not represent our will.
We adhere to the struggles and mobilizations in defense of sovereignty and autonomy of the people of Paraguay. And we call on all national and international organizations to the effective solidarity and support for these claims. "
Asuncion, June 21, 2012
Members of the Forum for the Right to Education: CLADEM Py- Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la defensa de los derechos de la Mujer, Panambí, CEAAL- Colectivo Paraguay- Consejo de Educación Popular de América Latina y el Caribe, CECTEC. (Centro de Educación, Capacitación y Tecnología Campesina)- Calleescuela- CPC (Centro Paraguayo de Cooperativistas)- Tape’a- SAVIA; Foro Permanente Educativo, Federación de Mujeres del Paraguay, Coordinadora de los Derechos de la Niñez y Adolescencia- CDIA; Fundación Saraki; Mujeres Unidas de San Pedro; Mujeres Unidas de Concepción; ACIG- Asociación Campesina e Indígena del Guairá, Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas Nivache.
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Note of Solidarity in defense of the sovereignty of Paraguayan People
The Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE) publicly expresses their support and solidarity with the people of Paraguay, in a context where the decision by the congress for the impeachment of the president of the country contradicts the first article of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural: the self-determination of Peoples.
The mobilization of social movements and citizenship in Paraguay against the impeachment shows that this decision outrages the will of its people and the consolidation of an active and participatory democracy in the country, being a serious setback at the national, regional and international context.
The Inter-American Democratic Charter, adopted in 2001 as part of the Organization of American States reaffirms that "participatory democracy in our countries in various spheres of public life contributes to the consolidation of democratic values and freedom and solidarity in the Hemisphere". The Article 2 goes on to say that "representative democracy is strengthened and deepened by permanent, ethical, and responsible citizenship" and finally, Article 6 states that "the participation of citizens in decisions concerning their own development is right and a responsibility. It is also a necessary condition for the full and effective exercise of democracy. "
Thus, the existence of an impeachment of President Fernando Lugo without public debate, consultation nor respect to the Paraguayan citizen, doesn’t represent the will of the people, and threatens the consolidation of democracy in the country, with serious implications for the democratic environment which people seek to strengthen in the regional context and impacts to the agreements signed in the Ushuaia Protocol of 1998, "Democratic Commitment in Mercosur, the Republic of Bolivia and Chile" and the Additional Protocol to the Constitutive Treaty of UNASUR on Commitment to Democracy, 2010.
CLADE understands that the promotion and protection of human rights is a condition for the existence of democratic societies, while its prevalence is an essential condition for the promotion, protection and realization of all human rights. Processes that weaken democracy are promoters of setbacks in the implementation of human rights and therefore in the inherent dignity of everyone.