

CoE:1st Wallenbeg Prize, Roma of Turkey, Arus to EuroFora: Film=strong expression for Human Rights

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Few People know that most Roma originate from Turkey, and not from Romania, contrary to what many believed until recently. But the PanEuropean CoE's Organization, after a patient work throughout many Countries for many Years, managed to confirm that, to the point that even prestigious Human Rights' Prize "Wallenberg", sponsored by Sweden, etc., was awarded for the 1st time to a Young Roma Film Director from Turkey, Ms Elmas Arus, today in Strasbourg, for her tenacious and systematic Work, together with many Volunteers, to Document the reality, problems, beliefs and ways of Lives of Thousands of Roma People, who used to stay rather Discrete in the Past, in 38 Cities accross Turkey, from Instabul to Erzurum, etc., during a whole Decade (2001-2010), until Prime Minister Erdogan reportedly unknowledged, back on 2009, the existence of this particular Minority, (which appeared in Europe from around the 15th-16th Century and afterwords, while it's practicaly non-existent in America, Africa, Australia and other remote Geographic Areas of the World).

Meeting the recipient, after a Ceremony at the CoE, earlier Today, where she officially received from the Secretary General of the PanEuropean Organization, Thornbjorn Jagland from Norway, the Prize awarded to her by a Committee of Experts, "EuroFora" observed that Ms Arus, who has also created the Association "Zero Discrimination" with a wider scope, stressed in her Speech to a Ceremony held in front of CoE's Committee of Ministers' room, in the presence of several Diplomats, CoE's Officials and Journalists, etc, that it's in order to better make known and defend the Rights of Roma People that she had decided to start using the Documentary Films, and asked her, why did she found that particular Tool more adequat than f.ex. Photos, Paintings, Litterature or Fiction, Sociological reports, Journalism, Politics, "classic" Human Rights Activism via NGOs, Lawyers, etc., among various other possible means which could have also served that same purpose.
- "With a Book you can make an Interpretation (Analysis), may be, but when you have a Film, it "touches" People more Deeply, with Emotions etc., and in a muc h more Widespead way". So, "I believe that it has a Bigger Impact if we make a Movie". "And I also think that I can Express Myself, and my own emotions, Better with that" (i.e. an Audio-Video Documentary Film work), Ms Arus replied to "EuroFora"'s Question, (speaking through an interpretator in English).

+ From what could be seen from 2 Giant Screens reproducing in pareallel the Longest Documentary Film ever made by Ms Arus on Roma People in Turkey, sub-titled in English, it pictured, indeed, a wide spectrum of a methodic presentation of their Human Rights' problemss, but also their Culture, part of their History, ways of Life, etc., often in a really touching manner, revealing both issues already met in some other Countries even well inside Europe's core", f.ex. about the Obstacles reportedly met by Roma Children on the Crucial matter of their Access to normal Education outlets, early Schooling etc etc, added to various other Cultural and/or Historic references, (including even a Legend related to .. Adam and Eve !), a very Hard way of searching for their Livelihood (f.ex. from offering to repair Kitchen tools on the roads, cutting Bushes, etc., until even treating Waste, etc), despite some reported Ameliorations of their material conditions here or there,(f.ex. sometimes with "State Jobs" and/or "Housing" in certain Villages, etc.), but often returning back to a "Modern" way of Nomadic Life, mainly consisting into quasi-permanent and recurring Displacements at Differend places accross the Country, in order to Sarch various Seasonal Jobs, spread all over the Year and/or the areas, such us, f.ex. Factories, Fields, Mines, Agricultural production, collect Fruits, Vegetables, a.o., often being obliged to live in Tents, etc.

But despite her quite serious, Documentary-like style of Filming the Facts, Arus had succeeded to often picture also the touching Human Eyes of many Roma Children and/or of several Aged People, which in certain dire circumstances "spoke" better than a thousand words....However, she was herself .. filmed Today by her small Son, a Roma little boy with brilliant eyes, obviously Proud that his Mother's work was honored at the CoE, and even received an Invitation to take part in an Event due to be organized "at Hamlet's Historic Castle", out of Copenhagen, by an experienced collegue, Danish Journalist, well known both to the CoE and to EU Parliament in Strasbourg since many Decades, as he told "EuroFora"...
The overall move apparently suited quite well the overall philosophy of the Raoul Wallenberg Prize, named after the man who had taken, even personaly, serious Risks in his continuous efforts to protect and save Jewish and other People, while they were systematically Discriminated and/or Persecuted by the NAZI regime in the Past, particularly before and during the 2nd World War.
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("DraftNews", as already send to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, Full Final Version, might be published asap).
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An "Eugenic" loophole Amendment, which might expose to Dangers reminiscent of "3rd Reich's" notorious Genetic Abuses, hidden at the last minute inside an otherwise Good, larger Health policy Package scheduled to be voted on Thursday, was strongly denounced by a coalition of MEPs from various Political Groups and Countries, in a Press Conference held this afternoon at EU Parliament in Strasbourg.
Mainly calling to "Select Human Embryos", via "Genetic Counselling" and "pre-implantation" Techniques including "Genetic Tests", in order to "Eradicate Hereditary rare Diseases", it might open ways to Dangerous Practices in Future, they denounced in substance.
But they also made it clear that a much larger Report inside which this Controversial Amendment "No 15" was added in dubious circumstances, officialy destinated to struggle against "Rare Diseases", and drafted by Professor Antonios Trakatellis, was otherwise "an Excellent Report", aiming at a "completely Uncontroversial target" of Health policy on which "all MEPs and Experts are united, believing that Europe should act" to protect People's Health (See "EuroFora"'s earlier News).
The controversy came at a particularly delicate moment for the EU in relation to Citizens, at the eve of June 2009 EU Elections, and shortly before Ireland re-votes for "Lisbon Treaty"..
- Denouncing risks of "an Eugenic demand, very similar to what we had during the 3rd Reich in Germany, but now coming from some Scientisists themselves", German ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Dr. Peter Liese stressed that critical MEPs were against "Eugenic" engineering with "Selection of Human Embryos", and anything which might ultimately lead up to to a "Selection of Human Race". It doesn't help to "eradicate" Human Lives, he added.
Several Experts and NGOs expressed "Deep Concern", as f;ex. DR M.C. Cornel of the "European Society of Human Genetics", which stressed, on this occasion, that "the importance of Non-Directiveness in Reproductive issues is a Central characteristic of Human Genetics, after the Atrocities committed in the name of Genetics in the first half or the 20th Century".
- "This is completely Unacceptable", stressed Italian Liberal MEP Vittorio Prodi, on the Controversial Amendment, also because pushes to "eliminate early Human Life", as he noted.
- "This opens a Dangerous Road, rather a Motorway", denounced Danish MEP Mrs Margrette Auken, from the "Greens", observing that various similar attempts were made in the Past "not only in Germany, but also in several other Countries, "even at the 1970ies", "f.ex. on forced Sterilisation of Roma" People, and other criticisable situations f.ex. in the UK, in Sweden, etc. as she said.
+ Other NGOs, as f.ex. "LebenHilfe" from Berlin, added that, among various other Risks, could also be that, by exploiting the pre-implantation Genetic Diagnostics and the Selection of "healthy" Embryos, some may "propagate" several "Eugenic" aims, starting f.ex. by pushing to eradicate Human Livies which might "Cost too much" to preserve, ultimately exposing to dangers reminiscent of the "3rd Reich"'s atrocious abuses.
In consequence, ChristianDemocrats/EPP and "Green" MEPs "decided by Majority to vote against" this Controversial Amendment, anounced to Journalists the 5 MEPs who participated in the Press Conference, representing a wide spectrum, from Liberals to "Greens" and ChristianDemocrats, and from Hungary, Italy, Germany and Danemark up to Ireland (Gay Mitchell), etc.
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Hungarian ChristianDemocrat MEP Laszlo Surjan said "that it was "Suddenly, at the End of the Procedure" in Committee, that "appeared this (Controversial) Amendment, which has nothing to do" with the main purpose of the Report, on which all agreed.
He denounced an "Unhonest" move, and called to "avoid this kind of unacceptable situations". Nobody should "Select People", Surjan stressed.
- "We (MEPs) had No Chance to Discuss" this last-minute Amendment earlier added at a Committee's level, said German MEP Peter Liese
Speaking to "EuroFora", Dr. Liese, the Spokesman of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group in EU Parliament, said that MEPs didn't oppose other references of the Report f.ex. on "Genetic Tests", because they were "no proposals" to impose them, while, on the contrary, there was "a Problem" if anyone attempted to "impose" f.ex. this or that Genetic Technique and "Genetic Counselling", etc. to the People on human reproduction.
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The precise Text :
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Controversial parts of Amendment No 15 ask mainly "to lead finally to the Eradication" of "Hereditary" "rare diseases", "through Genetic Counselling .., and ..pre-Implantation Selection of healthy Embryos".
But EU Rapporteur Professor Trakatellis, said to "EuroFora" that fears should be alleviated by Guarantees that all this should be done only "where appropriate", when it's "not contrary to existing National Law", and "always on a Voluntary basis", according to other Parts of the Amendment.
He stressed that the main aim was to allow "a free and informed choice of persons involved", without imposing them anything : - "It's not an obligatory, but advisary" text, he said.
To make that point clear, he was ready, in agreement with many MEPs, to eventually drop at least that part of the controversial Amendment which initially called for "efforts to ..lead finally to the Eradication of those rare diseases" "which are Hereditary".
But, until late Wednesday evening, reportedly together with many other MEPs, he stood by all the rest of the controversial Amendment, (fex. on the "Genetic Counselling" and the "pre-implantation Selection of healthy Embryos"), so that critical MEPs, going from ChristianDemocrats as Dr. Liese, to "Greens" or "Ind/Dem", observed to "EuroFora" that "this was not enough" to close the dangerous loophole.
Particularly since, as Professor Trakatellis noted himself, "this is already allowed to the U.K.", and "other National Legislations would probably follow, sooner or later" in a similar direction. As for a general call to "Eradicate Hereditary rare Diseases", this "should happen, at any case, in practice, de facto", to protect public Health.
On the contrary, "our goal should be to help patients suffering from rare diseases, not to eradicate the patients. In case of genetic disease risk, the decision should not be guided by scenarios" made by politicians. "Perents who may decide to accept a child, even if handicapped or with genetic disease, must be respected and supported with solidarity", critical MEPs stated.
- "Any Pressure" to "a patient or couple (who "should be able to make an informed choice consistent with their own values"),"from health Professionals, Public Health Policies or Governemental Institutions, or Society at large, should be avoided", stresses the "European Society for Human Genetics".
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Each MEP's vote will be registered !
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The Socialist Group requested a "Split vote" on the Amendment 15, first without, and afterwards with the words "lead finally to the Eradication" etc.
But the first "split vote" leaves intact all the other parts of the Controversial Amendment, (i.e. "Genetic Counselling", "Selection of healthy Embryos", etc).
That's why, 3 Groups of MEPs : ChristianDemocrats/EPP, "Greens/EFA", and "Ind/Dem", have asked for "Roll Call Votes", on everything regarding the Controversial Amendment No 15, and on the final outcome of the resulting Report as amended, which will register all the individual positions to be taken by each MEP.
Something which will obviously make each MEP think twice before voting for one or another choice, to be sure that he/she will make the right choice in front of EU Citizens, particularly at these pre-Election times...
Crucial Votes were scheduled between 12 Noon and 1 p.m. local Strasbourg time, in the middle of a long series of various other Reports, and after a long Public Debate on the larger Health policy package, from 9 to 11.50 am.
The specific Report inside which was hidden the controversial Amendment is due to be debated between 11 and 12 am.
So that more last-minute Surprises may not be excluded a priori...
Particularly at the present Historic moment, when even the Institutional Future of the EU depends on the result of a second Referendum on "Lisbon Treaty", later this year, in ...Ireland, a mainly Catholic country, where People are particularly sensitive in such kind of socio-cultural and values issues...