NEWS & ANALYSIS

The Dalai Lama: An open letter to President Motlanthe

Various individuals and organisations call for an apology to the Tibetan spiritual leader

LETTER TO PRESIDENT MOTLANTHE: GOVERNMENT MUST PROVIDE GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ON HUMAN RIGHTS

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals support the call by Health Minister Barbara Hogan for government to apologise for the decision to prohibit the Dalai Lama from entering South Africa. We also call on government to reverse the decision.

As Minister Hogan stated, this decision by the government was made on behalf of all citizens. It undermines the values of freedom, equality, dignity and sovereignty upon which our Constitution is founded. Given our history South Africa should be at the forefront of resisting the use of economic power to bully other countries into silence on human rights violations. But we are also concerned that there may be undeclared interests at play in the decision to bow to China on this issue, such as party political funding.

It is unfortunate that Minister Hogan has become the centre of attention regarding the ban on the Dalai Lama. The South African Human Rights Commission and others had already publicly expressed their concern regarding the government's decision prior to the statement that was made by Hogan. The real issue is not about Hogan but about the foreign policy choices of our government.

Political leaders must be loyal first and foremost to the Constitution.  Hogan was not only giving voice to her conscience, but was also speaking in defence of our Constitution and the duty of the state to represent us all in a manner that is befitting of constitutional values.  In the past, threats by presidents of the United States based on its economic power did not stop Nelson Mandela and other senior government leaders from speaking honestly on global human rights violations, including torture in Iraq and the rights of oppressed people to self determination.

Again we call on our government to reverse its decision to deny the Dalai Lama entry into South Africa and to apologise for its mistake. This will take courage but our people will support it as will the global community of citizens.  We also call on the government to assure us that no action will be taken against Minister Hogan whose leadership of the health department has begun to repair the damage and despair caused by her predecessor.

 

SIGNED BY:

Prof Quarraisha Abdol-Karim

Board Member, AIDS Law Project

Zackie Achmat

Treatment Action Campaign - Deputy General Secretary and ANC Supporter

Sieraaj Ahmed

 

AIDS Law Project

 

Paula Akugizibwe

 

Stef Albertyn

 

Gabriela Altamirano

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Yvette Andrews

 

Anglican Diocese of the Free State

 

Premi Appalraju

 

Tara Appalraju

 

Artists for a New South Africa

 

Assitej South Africa

 

Balspindie Press

 

Laurel Baldwin-Ragaven

 

Ms Vivian Black

Reproductive Health & HIV Research Unit

Ms Lucilla Blankenberg

Community Media Trust

Zenariah Barends

 

Daniel Barnett

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Yoni Bass

 

Lunga Biyela

 

Lucilla Blankenberg

 

Adv Julia Boltar

Johannesburg Bar

Andrew Boraine

 

Deena Bosch

 

Joel Bregman

 

Derek Brian

 

Dr Brian Brink

Board Member, AIDS Law Project

Nathalie R Bucher

 

Adv SF Burger SC

Group 621

Rober Carr

Jamaica

Centre for Applied Legal Studies

 

Centre for Law and Social Justice (CLSJ)

 

Polly Claydon

 

Thomas Coggin

 

Rachel M Cohen

 

Colonnades Theatre Lab, SA

 

Prof. Mark Cotton

 

Creative Voices

 

Anthony Day

 

Anne Katrin Detjen

 

Xavier Donceel

 

Nikki de Havilland

 

Jacques de Villiers

 

Andries Dippenaar

 

Ms Vuyiseka Dubula

Board Member, AIDS Law Project and General Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign

Sandi Du Bowski

United States of America

Evi Eggers

 

Sharon Ekambaram

 

Collin Eglin

 

Deborah Ewing

 

Andrew Feinstein

 

Friends of TAC (FoTAC)

 

Anik Gevers

 

Erica Glyn-Jones

PANSA National Chair

Andrew Feinstein

 

Doret Ferreira

 

Jenifer Festis-Ferguson

 

Prof. Sharon Fonn

Board Member, AIDS Law Project

Louis Fourie

 

Vivian Fritelli

 

Nicole Fritz

 

Sr Veronica Fynn

 

Nathan Geffen

Treatment Action Campaign

Eric Goemaere

 

Gregg Gonsalves

United States of America

Lucia Gorne

 

Andy Gray

Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in SA (CAPRISA)

Temoris Grecko

Mexico

Jacqueline Green

United States of America

Dotan Greenvald

Israeli Peace and Justice Activist

Charlie Greenwood-Elliott

 

Anna Grimsrud

 

Deon Groenewald

 

Grant Gunston

 

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

 

Camilla Hansen

 

Prof. Shireen Hassim

Wits University

Yvette Hardie

 

Paula Hathorn

 

Dr Anneke C Hesseling

 

Health and Human Rights Programme and School of Public Health and Family Medicine - UCT

 

Robert Hendricks

 

Frances Hill

 

Nokhwezi Hoboyi

 

Rebecca Hodes

Treatment Action Campaign

Karl Hoffman

 

Dr Simone Honikam

Head: Perinatal Mental Health Project : UCT

Dr Lyn Horn

 

Denise Hunt AIDS Consortium

 

Gilad Isaacs

 

Vuyani Jacobs

Community Media Trust

Dr Marie Jobson

 

Dr G Josias

 

Demille Jovan

 

Rhoda Kadalie

 

Rozanne Kamalie

 

Iphegenia Kerfoot

 

Julian Kesler

 

Mazkir Klali

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Larissa Klazinga

One in Nine Campaign

Louise Knight

 

Justice Johann Kriegler

Board Member, AIDS Law Project

Gerald Kraak

Atlantic Philanthropies

Victor Lakay

 

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR)

 

Katherine Lawrence

 

Adv Michelle Le Roux

Johannesburg Bar

Karl Le Roux

RuDASA

Yaron Lever

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Simon Lewin

 

Jack Lewis

Community Media Trust

Graeme Lipschitz

 

Daniel Linda

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Prof. Leslie London

 

Rev Steven Lottering

 

Carol Luka

 

Chani Macauley

 

Mikhael Manekin

Israeli Peace & Justice Activist

Mari Martinsen

 

Moses Masitha

 

Sithembile Mbete

 

Dr Cheryl McDermid

 

Stephen McGill

Canada

Anneke Meerkotter

Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre

Graeme Meintjes

 

Letti Mdani

 

Gaoretelelwe N N Molebalwa

 

Moeketsi Montsho

 

David Moore

 

Mosamaria AIDS Ministry

 

Peter John Moses

 

Michael Moss

 

Keketso Mptale

 

Nhlanhla Ndlovu

Board Member, AIDS Law Project and Trustee, Centre for Economic Governance and AIDS in Africa

Tantaswa Ndlelana

 

Attapon Ted Ngoksin

International Treatment Preparedness Coalition Secretariat

Joseph N Ngunju

Ambassadors for Change, Kenya

Dr James Nuttall

 

Caleb Orozco

United Belizze Advocacy Movement - Belize)

Dr Heidi Orth

 

Dr Nesri Padayatchi

Centre for AIDS Programme of Research in SA (CAPRISA)

Shane Petzer

 

Le Nhan Phuong

Atlantic Philanthropies

Prof. Marius Pieterse

Board Member, AIDS Law Project

Prof. Wolfgang Preiser

 

Ilan Price

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Catherine Pringle

 

Public Service Accountability Monitor

 

Helena Rabie

 

Yvette Alta Raphael

 

Zina Raj

 

Fazel Randera

 

Molebogeng Rangaka

 

Michael Rautenbach

Siyayinqoba, Beat It!

Shaun Resnik

 

Mandy Ristow

 

Bernice Roeland

Director of AIDS Response

Peter Rutherford

 

SA Human Rights Commission

 

Cathryn Salter-Jansen

 

Joery Sasse

 

Eric Sawyer

Co-Founder ACT UP NY

Sass Schulz

 

Kira Schlesinger

 

Simon Sephton

 

Fisani Sekwele

 

Butjwana Seokoma

SANGONeT

Siber Ink Publishers

 

Gavin Silber

 

Abongile Sipondo

 

Jill Sloan

 

Social Justice Coalition

 

Theo Steele

Board Member, AIDS Law Project

Jenny Stead

 

Ilan Strauss

 

Francois Taljaard

 

The AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa

 

Lega Thlame

 

Alison Tilley

 

Treatment Action Campaign

 

Adv Wim Trengrove

Johannesburg Bar

Adv Duncan Turner

Johannesburg Bar

Daniel Turton

United States of America

Adv David Unterhalter SC

Johannesburg Bar

Prof. Donna Van Bogaert

Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics

Dr Gilles van Cutsem

 

Annalie van Niekerk

 

Desmond van Niekerk

 

Vernita van Niekerk

 

Pieter van Rooijen

Netherlands

Gert van Zyl

 

Rouvanne van der Berg

 

Alex van der Heever

 

Willem van der Linde

 

Ahmien van der Walt

 

Dr Francois Venter

 

Sara Weiss

 

Adv Matthew Welz

 

Jodi Wishnia

 

Jonathan Whittall

 

Thein Win

 

Wan Yanhai

Beiking Aizhixing Institute, China

Nathan Geffen

Treatment Action Campaign Treasurer

Brian Honermann

AIDS Law Project, Researcher

 

Issued by the AIDS Law Project

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