Colleagues,

Please see GCAP’s reaction to the G8 Summit in Deauville, France.

Political change in the Arab Region

Global Civil Society Leaders Tell the G8 As the G8 leaders discuss the Middle East and North Africa, in the presence of Egypt and Tunisia as invited guests to the G8, they must place human rights, peace and justice at the centre of their policies towards those countries and the region as a whole. Faced with brutal crackdowns – like the one in Syria where more than 1000 people have been killed by security forces and another 10,000 arrested – the G8 should demand the immediate release of political prisoners and full respect of human rights in the region.

“Women and men, young and older across the Arab Region are standing up – often at the risk of their own lives – to demand dignity, democracy, accountability, and social and economic justice” says GCAP global council member Kinda Mohammediah, who also works with the Arab NGO Network for Development. “The people of my region have said no to oppressive regimes whose economic policies fostered inequality, poverty and unemployment. We welcome the support of the rest of the world. But please, this is not the time to link your support for freedom with conditions that could aggravate the poverty and inequality here.”

To read more, see

http://www.whiteband.org/en/release/Global-Civil-Society-Leaders-G8%20