The International Global Human Rights Torch Relay has passed through dozens of cities across Europe such as Athens, Berlin, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Copenhagen, and will be coming to Dublin on 17 October. The Torch Relay Ceremony will be held at the top Grafton Street. Many prominent politicians, including Simon Coveney TD, Senator David Norris, Senator Joe O’Toole, Darragh O’Brien TD will be addressing the event.
Other speakers include elite athlete Ms. Linda Greene, psychiatrist Dr. Declan Lyons, Canadian former Member of Parliament Mr. David Kilgour, Executive Director of Association for Asian Research Mr. Erping Zhang.
This Torch Relay initiative aims to raise awareness of China’s deteriorating human rights situation in the run up Olympic Games 2008 being held in Beijing. According to Amnesty International, China has not fulfilled the promise it made when bidding for the Olympics in 2001 to improve the situation of human rights abuse.
“We cannot award governments for abusing the rights of their own people and we must use this opportunity to force change in China.”
Ms. Patricia McKenna, Spokesperson of CIPFG in Ireland, said, “If Irish athletes, politicians or dignitaries go to Beijing to participate in or support the Olympic Games 2008 without saying or doing anything about China’s failure to improve the situation with regard human rights, it means we are condoning and giving tacit support to the ongoing violations taking place there. We cannot award governments for abusing the rights of their own people and we must use this opportunity to force change in China.”
The Torch Relay event on 17 Oct will start at 1:00PM. There will be speeches by politicians, experts, human rights activists, plus choir singing and band performances. At 3:00PM, torches will be run from top Grafton St to Chinese Embassy in Ballsbridge.
The Classicus Youth Chamber Choir will sing the theme song of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay. Music bands that will be performing will include T Bone Tender and the Fillets, Raggedy Soul, The Harmonic Sound, Skuzzi Port, James Guilmartin, Ro Byrne, Murder of Crowds, Earthquake Hair, Hassle Merchants, Sarah Red McQuillan, Dave Griffin, Enda De Road.
The serial events also include a forum on 16 Oct at Buswells Hotel from 7:00PM and a concert at Eamon Doran’s pub, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 from 8.30PM on 17 October.
The Dublin run of the Global Human Rights Torch Relay is co-organized by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), Human Music and China Human Rights.
Contact: Spokespersons of CIPFG (Ireland)
Ms. Patricia McKenna
Ph: 087 2427049;
Dr. Declan Lyons
Ph: 086 2412206;
Email: cipfgie@gmail.com
Web: www.humanrightstorch.org, www.cipfg.org
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment