German Ambassador to Jamaica, Dr. Christian Hausmann, flicks through German foreign policy literature with executive director of Jamaicans for Justice, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, at the Terra Nova Hotel in St. Andrew, yesterday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer JAMAICANS FOR Justice (JFJ), the local human rights activist group, has been awarded the Human Rights Award 2002 by the German city of Weimar in recognition of the organisation's work in Jamaica. This makes it two accolades within a month for JFJ.
Making the announcement at the Terra Nova Hotel, St. Andrew, yesterday, German Ambassador to Jamaica, Dr. Christian Hausmann, reaffirmed his Government's commitment to the protection of human rights, choosing to single out the issue of the death penalty as a breach of rights that should be abolished across the globe.
"Human rights are enshrined in the German constitution," Dr. Hausmann said. "We consider human rights not to be a luxury, not one of those agreeable subjects that can conveniently be put aside when more important matters, like security or combating terrorism, require attention. We believe the opposite is true."
According to Dr. Hausmann, the German Government sees human rights policy as "the most reliable foundation for stability and peace".
"Capital punishment has been abolished in Germany and in the great majority of European countries," he said. "In our Government's opinion, the death penalty cannot be justified on either ethical or legal grounds. We believe it does not work as a deterrent to crime and, in the event of a miscarriage of justice, it cannot be rectified. Abolition helps secure respect for the dignity of the individual and supports the right to life."
The Weimar Human Rights Award began in 1995 and has been awarded to outstanding persons and organisations, including Nigerian Dr. Beleo Ransome-Kuti, Mayor of Tuzla (Bosnia) Selim Beslagic and Colombian attorney Dr. Lais Guillermo Perez Casas. This year is the first time the award has been bestowed on a Caribbean country.
Susan Goffe, JFJ chairwoman, expressed her gratitude and emphasised the importance of international support and co-operation in ensuring that all citizens' rights are protected.
"The award, for us, indicated a recognition of the universality of human rights and the part that is being played by NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) and citizens' organisations in protecting and maintaining these rights," she said. "The foundation for the society in which we live needs to be one of justice, fairness and equality for all people."
She urged Jamaica to ensure that the rights of individuals were not violated, as the country tries to face and deal with its serious crime problems.
"We are faced with major and frightening assaults on the security of our people," she said. "What we recognise, however, is that it is in precisely these times of crises that there is the greatest need for voices to defend human rights.
