> From: Carmelo Ruiz <carmelo_ruiz at yahoo.com>
> Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 09:35:03 -0800 (PST)
>
> International Tribunal Condemns Navy Violations of
> Human Rights in Vieques
>
> Robert Rabin, Committee for the Rescue and Development
> of Vieques
>
>
> The Government of the United States of North America,
> and in particular, the US Navy, is guilty of violating
> the human rights of the people of Vieques, Puerto
> Rico, as a consequence of sixty years of Naval
> practice on this island municipality. That was the
> final verdict of a panel of judges that listened to
> several days of testimony during the International
> Tribunal about Human Rights Violations in Puerto Rico
> and Vieques, held in the Count Mirasol Fort in Vieques
> from the 16th to the 20th of November. The Committee
> for Human Rights in Puerto Rico, under the direction
> of Dr. Luis Nieves Falcón and the Committee for the
> Rescue and Development of Vieques (CRDV) sponsored and
> organized the Tribunal. Nilda Medina, coordinator of
> the Vieques Peace and Justice Camp and member of the
> CRDV, mobilized a large group from the community to
> help with the great amount of work related to the
> Tribunal and to assure the success of this important
> project of solidarity with the Vieques struggle.
>
> The Tribunal helped denounce internationally the
> violations of the most basic human rights, violations
> that result from the colonial situation of Puerto
> Rico, the repression against those who fight for
> Independence and the presence of the US Navy on
> Vieques. Holding the Tribunal in Vieques helped focus
> attention on the problem of militarization. The
> participation of judges from Asia, Africa, America and
> Europe contributed to the international dissemination
> of information about the Vieques case.
>
> Dr. Denis Brutus, National Poet of South Africa and ex
> political prisoner with Nelson Mandela under the
> Apartheid regime, presided over the panel of judges
> that included distinguished defenders of human rights
> from Germany, East Timor, Canada, Spain, United States
> and Puerto Rico. Monsignor Walter F. Sullivan,
> Catholic Bishop of Richmond, Virginia and national
> president of Pax Christi in the US (pacifist organ of
> the Catholic Church) and Dr. Rainer Huhle, founding
> member of the Latin American Human Rights
> Documentation and Information Center and the Center
> for Human Rights of Nuremberg, Germany were also on
> the panel. The attorneys for the people included
> outstanding Puerto Rican lawyers, well known for their
> work in favor of self determination and for their
> solidarity work toward the demilitarization of
> Vieques. Lawyers Fermin Arraiza, Jr., José Juan
> Nazario and Pedro Varela, represented the interests of
> Puerto Rico and Vieques during the proceedings that
> included the participation of recognized political,
> religious, feminist and cultural leaders from all
> parts of the Puerto Rican archipelago and from the
> diaspora.
>
> Several informal activities allowed the judges and
> other members of the Tribunal to converse with people
> from the community and learn about our music, culture
> and history. The first night in Vieques the judges and
> lawyers met with a large group of representatives from
> diverse sectors of the population to speak informally
> and dance to the music of the Rubén Bonano Trio.
> Saturday night, approximately fifty participants in
> the Tribunal joined hundreds of Viequenses in the
> vigil celebrated each Saturday night at the Peace and
> Justice Resistance Camp, in front of the gates to the
> bombing range at Camp García Sunday evening the judges
> and their advisors worked while other Tribunal
> participants shared with members of the community
> during a cultural presentation by the Vieques plena
> group, Vieques Libre (Free Vieques). During the
> weekend people visited the bioluminescent bay and
> places of archaeological and historic interest on
> Vieques
>
> The first day of deliberations were dedicated to Self
> Determination, US Control Over the Local Economy,
> Militarization, Political Repression, Displacement of
> the Population, Protest and Cultural statement. Among
> the participants were lawyers Juan Mari Bras and Noel
> Colón Martínez, Dr. Margarita Mergal, Fernando Martin
> in representation of Ruben Berrios, representatives of
> Bishop Juan Vera of the Methodist Church and Monsignor
> Corrada del Río of the Catholic Church. Testimonies
> were also presented by high officials of the United
> Church of Christ of the US.
>
> Several ex political prisoners of Puerto Rico
> participating in the Tribunal, stayed with Vieques
> families and had an opportunity to get first hand
> information about the difficulties caused by the
> military presence. Presentations by sisters Lucy and
> Alicia Rodríguez and Elizam Escobar received great
> applause from the community. Ex political prisoners
> Dylcia Pagán, Carmen Valentín, Edwin Cortés, Luis
> Rosa, acted as observers during the Tribunal. Puerto
> Rican freedom figher and heroin, Lolita Lebron,
> received a standing ovation after presenting testimony
> on political repression in Puerto Rico throughout this
> century.
>
> On Sunday, representatives of diverse sectors of
> Vieques community - women, fishermen, religious
> figures and activists - offered testimonies about the
> terrible consequences of the military presence. Mayor
> elect, Damaso Serrano, opened the session on Vieques
> with a fraternal greeting and a message of gratitude
> to the members of the Tribunal. Cristina Garay and
> Myriam Sobá, of the Methodist Church and the Vieques
> Women's Alliance, respectively, described the abuses
> committed by Navy personnel against Viequense women in
> the 1950´s and 1960´s. Carlos Zenón and his son
> Yabureibo, talked about the historic and heroic
> struggle of the fishermen while community organizer,
> Ismael Guadalupe (CRDV) touched the theme of military
> and police repression against the local struggle.
> Vieques fisherman, Carlos "Prieto" Ventura, brought
> evidence of the military destruction of the marine
> environment. Ex mayor, Radamés Tirado (PNP 1976-1980)
> described Navy intervention in the local political
> arena to promote candidates that favor the military
> presence on Vieques.
>
> Environmental scientists, Jorge Fernández Porto and
> Lirio Márques, described in detail the destruction and
> contamination with heavy metals, uranium and other
> harmful chemicals componentes as a result of more than
> half a century of bombing and other military
> activities on the Eastern part of Vieques. Dr. Rafael
> Rivera Castaño (CRDV) and Dr. Cruz María Nazario
> (School of Public Health-UPR) provided extensive
> evidence about the effects of military contamination
> on the health and well being of the Vieques
> population. Robert Rabin, (CRDV) Director of the
> Vieques Historic Archives, presented a brief testimony
> in which he accused the Navy of practicing cultural
> genocide through the destruction of archaeological
> resources and historical sites located inside the
> military area.
>
> The judges verdict recognized "the inalienable right
> of the people of Vieques to life, a healthy
> environment, social and economic development, rights
> that have been consistently threatened by the presence
> and activities of the US Navy. This situation results
> from the attempt by the US Government and the US Navy
> to destroy the population of this island, partially or
> totally, a policy that has resulted in death and
> serious physical and mental damages."
>
> The Tribunal urged the US Government to order the
> immediate and permanent cessation of all military
> activity on Vieques. The judges also recommended the
> decontamination of Vieques and a just indemnization
> for damages to the health of the people and the
> natural resources and to secure the economic recovery
> of the island.
>
> The International Tribunal contributed to campaign of
> dissemination and denunciation aimed at discrediting
> US military policy in Vieques and in other parts of
> the world where their actions are in direct violation
> of basic human rights. During the past six months, the
> Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
> has sent community representatives to present the
> Vieques case in international forum in Spain, England,
> Korea, Japan, Mexico, Cuba and the United States.. For
> several years, the CRDV has coordinated visits by
> international delegations for demilitarization and
> decontamination, along with the Fellowship of
> Reconciliation (US) and the Caribbean Project for
> Peace and Justice (PR). The work of the International
> Tribunal about Human Rights Violations in Puerto Rico
> and Vieques will be a significant contribution to the
> struggle for peace on Vieques.
>
> For more information from the CRDV - including the
> final findings and other documents related to the
> International Tribunal - please contact us by email at
> bieke at coqui.net. We also suggest you visit the web
> site of the Committee at Redbetances.com or the web
> site, viequeslibre.org