Re: Fwd: Lithuania: Close Pabrade detention camp
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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 10:53:52 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Lithuania: Close Pabrade detention camp
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Marius Urbelis <[email protected]>
Re: Fwd: Lithuania: Close Pabrade detention camp
>From the moderator: the following submission is an essential follow-up
to the MAHA's posting on campaign to close Pabrade Center in Lithuania
(see MINELRES posting of 27 July at
http://racoon.riga.lv/minelres/archive/07271999-10:58:15-20648.html).
The Lithuanian Red Cross' M.Urbelis' letter to the campaign's
participant might be of interest to other people too, an excerpt from
the letter is forwarded to the list with Marius's consent.
Boris
...................
In general it is good that international organizations like National
Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns in the UK and others are
interested in Lithuanian migration problems. But I really think that
before an international action that is directed against Lithuanian
migration phenomena (like Foreigners Registration Center in Pabrade)
is started, an opinion/suggestion of local actors on the field (like
National Society of Lithuanian Red Cross) should first be heard.
National Society of Lithuanian Red Cross, which I represent, is part
of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Therefore we
are bound by principles of International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement. One of the seven principles of this movement is Neutrality
which means that members of the Movement may not take sides while
carrying out their functions. In our daily activities while providing
legal councelling in both camps (Refugee Reception Center in the town
of Rukla and Foreigners' Registration Center in the town of Pabrade)
we do remeber this principle and abide by it!
Therefore taking into account our mandate we can not take side in any
protest campaign that is related with implementation of our
organizational functions. And moreover, we would appreciate if all
participants of such campaign would not expect from us any side in
this campaign, although we do not reject our support in terms of
providing objective information about our activities. This information
is also available to all the Governmental organizations (including
Lithuanian).
Moreover, we would also appreciate your understanding and
reasonableness in using information available from our organization on
the matters interested to you (like Pabrade camp). For example, I
cannot agree that some information already was properly used by some
activisits of the campaign. In the bellow attached message it was
written: "In 1998 the Project reported handcuffs and gas being used as
a form of punishment". The information is not correct. Such means of
suppression, to our knowledge, although existed in the internal
documents of Pabrade Center, were never used in practice! And this was
implied in our report.
There are some reasons why we are concerned about properly used
information received you from us:
1) international community should know the objective truth about the
situation in Pabrade camp;
2) Lithuanian Red Cross can not risk to undermine its position and
mandate before international community and Lithuanian Government;
3) the scapegouts or victims of reciprocal actions taken from our
Government in case it will find that Lithuanian Red Cross provides
with false/incorrect information, will be the asylum/seekers and
stranded migrants themselves who, at the most, need our and yours
support now.
The most probable revenge action from Lithuanian Government would be
to ban us access to these people! I do not think that your campaign is
aiming at such result!
Therefore, I would appreciate if all activists in the campaign would
not misuse information received from us.
Regarding my personal opinion (which does not necessarily correspond
with organization's position) on campaign, I do not agree with it. The
campaign should rather be aimed at improving legal and humanitarian
situation in Pabrade camp through rather constructive criticism than
through unachievable result. Pabrade camp will not be closed down
irregardless of international campaign in the forseable future.
Once again I would appreciate if you and all other campaign activists
would understand specific position of Lithuanian Red Cross (it is the
only organization that has free access to that Center at the moment so
far. But I should warn you that even our neutral approach is not very
praised by the authorities. And any possibility to ban us access could
be used any time!).
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Marius Urbelis
lawyer coordinator
Lithuanian Red Cross
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