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From Our Members JSMP & HAK, Timor Leste – Statement of Solidarity for Rohingya Community

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Statement of Solidarity for Rohingya Community from Timor-Leste
We stand in solidarity with the Rohingya community who are currently facing death and suffering in Myanmar (Burma)
Dili, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
For immediate release:
11 September 2017
For more information, contact: Celestino Gusmão, [email protected], +670 7743 2621

Through this press release, we, the members of Timor-Leste International Solidarity Movement, declare that we stand together with people everywhere to protest the persecution of the Rohingya community in Myanmar.

Since October 2016, the Myanmar government’s military forces have inflicted violence against the Rohingya people, causing a humanitarian tragedy. The military has killed many Rohingya civilians, and forced others to abandon their homes and seek shelter in Bangladesh. During the past two weeks alone, Myanmar’s actions have forced more than 250,000 people to flee to escape persecution.

We hereby call on the Government of Myanmar to immediately stop all acts of military persecution of the Rohingya people. To show its commitment to human rights, we also encourage the Government of Myanmar to sign the international treaties, particularly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; to become a signatory to the International Criminal Court, and the other international human rights conventions on Torture, Refugees, Slavery, Racial Discrimination, Statelessness and Forced Disappearances.

A few years ago, we joined with other human rights advocates in Southeast Asia and around the globe to support democracy and human rights for the people of Burma who were oppressed by military dictatorship. Today, we urge the democratic Government of Myanmar to respect the Human Rights of the Rohingya people and everyone else within its borders.

We call on the United Nations and national governments to pressure the Government of Myanmar to fulfil its obligations in accordance with international law. We suggest that the Government of Myanmar promote dialogue, not violence, to achieve peace.

We call on international solidarity activists to come together and respond to these acts of persecution and to continue promoting Human Rights in every country where they are being violated.

We call on all countries that have been asked to give protection to those persecuted – not to deny people their rights to life and safety, but to give them a place and provide themwith what they deserve, as the persecution against them in Myanmar has forced them to require international humanitarian assistance.

Article 10 of Timor-Leste’s Constitution provides for solidarity with people who are struggling for national liberation. The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste offers political
asylum, in accordance with the law, to people being persecuted as a result of their struggle for national and social liberation, defense of human rights, democracy and peace. These
legal principles were adopted based on the historical foundation of our people’s victory over oppression.

For these reasons, we express our concern and solidarity for the Rohingya community who are enduring killing and suffering. We call on the State of Timor-Leste to exercise its moral
and legal obligation to speak out against the humanitarian crisis and urge an immediate end to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

It is our hope that those who have been killed will be treated with due respect, and their bodies will be buried with dignity, and that those who seek protection are provided with
safety in the lands in which they seek it.

Signed by more than 80 civil society leaders and human rights activists from Timor-Leste.

Celestino Gusmão, La’o Hamutuk institute
Jose Moniz, JSMP (Judicial System Monitoring Program)
Ines Noronha Martins, Individual
Gil Boavida, HASATIL (HAMETIN Agrikultura Timor Lorosa’e)
Fernando ‘Ato Lekinawa’ Costa , ASEAN Peoples Forum Timor Leste
Damiao da Silva Peireira, Fundasaun Hanoin Hamutuk
Moisés Vicente Hok Batano, “KLEJOTAMO” Klibur Estudante no Juventude Tapo/Memo-Oan
Caitano Alves, Movimentu ONE
Emily Morrison
Januario Correia, Departamento Desenvolvimento comunitário-UNTL
Fivania da Costa Mascarenhas, Front Mahasiswa Timor-Leste-FMTL
Maia Romana Soares, Individual
Joazito Viana, Individual
Rosa Xavier, Individual
Amito Qonusere Araújo, Jornalista Radio Timor-Leste, RTTL
Lucio Ma’uverro Savio, Dili cycling
Inocencio de Jesus Xavier, AJAR Timor-Leste
Jose Luis de Oliveira, AJAR Timor-Leste
Luis De Oliveira Sampaio, JSMP (Judicial System Monitoring Program)
Efrem VGS Trinquedos, Vice Secretary Juventude FRETILIN
Angelita Sarmento, Individual
Mar’I Bin Bader Alkatiri, Individual
Muhamad Bin Awad Alkatiri, Individual
Zacky Umar Alkatiri, Individual
Angela Soares, Individual
Zyzy Silva Bento, Caritas Diocesana de Baucau
Ines Almeida, Individual
Ego Lemos, Permatil
Manuela Leong Pereira , ACbit
Feliciano Araujo , CODIVA
Pelagio Doutel, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Luis Ximenes, Director Belun
Sister Monica Nakamura , Individual
Sisto dos Santos, HAK Association
Evanhelino Gusmão, Individual
Manuel Monteiro , HAK Association
Juvinal Dias, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Charles Scheiner, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Marta da Silva, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Cana Vanlensia, ASEAN Peoples Forum Timor Leste
Luis Marcelo Alves, Liberta
Daniel Santos do Carmo, KSI-Kadalak Sulimutuk
Melissa O’Donnell, Human rights activist
Faustinho Soares, Human rights activist
Clementino da Costa, Uniao Estudante Juventude Eukisi-ONE
Martinha Amaral Fernandes, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Abrão Jose Pereira, Human rights activist
Marçal dos Santos Pereira, Human Rights activist
Zulmira Maria Mendes Pereira, Human Rights activist
Victor da C. Madeira, Jornalista RTTL.EP
Eodes Maria Sanches, Human Rights activist
Januario da Cruz Barboza, UEUMB-União Estudante Municipiu Baucau
Tomas Freitas, Independente
Salina Hanjan Corbafo, Human Rights activist
Filomena dos Reis , Humans Rights activist
Antonio Ximenes, Human Rights activist
Mario Soares, Front Mahasiswa Timor-Leste
David Oliveira, Humans Rights activist
Ruben Conceição da Silva, Jornalist, RTK
Nicolau Pires Lobato, Fundasaun Malaedoi
Carla Chung , Human rights activist
Luis Garcia, KFTT-Klibur Foinsae Tane Timor
Armando da Silva, Luta ba Futuru
Leo Soares, IMI-Institutu Matadalan Integradu
Rosantino Gomes, Human rights activist
Matias Verdial , Human rights activist
Manuel da Silva Pinto, Human rights activist
Edinho Moiz do Rego, Green Lalawa
Celicia Zulmiranda Nunes Ximenes, Human rights activist
Maria Elisa Brito, UEUMB-União Estudante Municipiu Baucau
Anacleto Belo, Eis FALINTIL
Dozeria Soares, Human rights activist
Je’vata Santana, NGO KSI-Kadalak Sulimutuk
Idelfonso Coelho, Human rights activist
Pedro Araujo, Tidibesi Ermera
Bonifacio Pinto da Costa, Human rights activist
Veronica Fernandes, Human rights activist
João Almeida, Human rights activist
Marta Gusmao, Human rights activist
Elianus P. da Costa Oliveira, Front Mahasiswa Timor-Leste
Januario Freitas Pinto, UEUMB-União Estudante Municipiu Baucau
Pamela Sexton, ETAN member
Roberto Pacheco, Human rights activist
Damião F. Boavida, Human rights activist
Sebastião Belo, Human rights activist
Edmundo da Costa Ximenes, Human rights activist
Mariano Ribeiro Tati’isi, Intectual Lena Buibele
Mariano Ferreira, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Maximus Tahu, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Adilsonio Junior, La’o Hamutuk Institute
Ricarda Martins, La’o Hamutuk Institute

For a PDF version of this statement, click here.