Open letter to the Danish Prime Minister

Euro-Med sent this letter to the Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and the Foreign Minister, Per Stig Moeller, on behalf of its more than 60 members in support of the DCHRDear Sir

On behalf of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, I take the opportunity to address the concern of our members regarding the plans of your government to dismantle the Danish Centre for Human Rights.

The Danish Centre for Human Rights has over the past years become one of the most respected and constructive human rights institutions in Europe and the Mediterranean region. It has fulfilled its role as an independent national human rights institution in a way to become an lead example for the establishment of similar institutions on the basis of the UN Principles relating to the status of national human rights institutions (the Paris principles of 1993). Its contribution to the support of the NGO sector in Africa is one of its important achievements.

The Danish Centre for Human Rights was also instrumental in the establishment of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network. This is one of the reasons why the EMHRN General Assembly in 1997 decided to choose Copenhagen as the location for its head quarter. The EMHRN is now hosted by the Danish Centre for Human Rights and benefits from its positive environment while enjoying full political and financial independence.

Seen in the light of the latest development, we consider the decision to dismantle the Danish Centre and to reconstruct it in a new form as creating grave prejudice to the human rights cause in the region which comprises Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, PNA, Turkey, Cyprus and Malta in addition to the EU countries.

Government interference in independent human rights organisations’ work is regrettably not unknown to our part of the world and we believe that the dismantling of a national human rights institution by the upcoming Danish Presidency of the EU will be seriously counter productive to the work of developing independent civil society organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

We therefore kindly ask you to reconsider your decision and to ensure full continuity in the work of the Danish Centre for Human Rights as an independent national human rights institution.

On behalf of the EMHRN

Yours sincerely


Abdelaziz Bennani,
President, EMHRN


cc. Members of the EMHRN

National Organisations
Ligue Algérienne des Droits de l’Homme, Algérie.
Ligue Algérienne pour la Défense des Droits de l’Homme, Algérie.
Syndicat National des Avocats Algériens, Algérie.
Bruno Kreisky Foundation for Human Rights , Austria.
Jeunesse Maghrébine, Belgique.
The Danish Centre for Human Rights, Denmark.
Danish Helsinki Committee, Denmark.
Danish United Nations Association, Denmark.
Tampere Peace Research Institute, Finland.
Ligue des Droits de l´Homme, France.
Fédération des Tunisiens pour une Citoyenneté des Deux Rives (FTCR), France.
Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece
Greek Committee for International Democratic Solidarity, Greece.
80:20 Education and Citizens for a Better World, Ireland.
Arab Association for Human Rights, Israel.
B´Tselem, Israel.
Intercenter, Italy.
Italian Helsinki Commitee, Italy.
Italian Refugee Council, Italy.
Al Urdun al Jedid Research Centre, Jordan.
Foundation for Human & Humanitarian Rights, Libanon.
Institute for Human Rights, Beirut Bar Association, Libanon.
René Moawad Foundation, Libanon.
Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies, Malta.
Organisation Marocaine des Droits de Humains (OMDH), Maroc.
Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Maroc.
Espace Associatif, Maroc
LAW, Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, PNA
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Gaza, PNA.
Comité pour le Respect des Libertés et des Droits de l´homme en Tunisie, France.
Conseil National pour les Libertés en Tunisie (CNLT)
Swedish Refugee Council (SRC), Sweden
Comités pour la Défense des Libertés Démocratiques et des Droits de l’Homme en Syrie, (CDF), Syrie/France.
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK
Damascus Centre for Theoretical and Civil Rights Studies, Sweden
Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l’Homme, Tunisie.
Human Rights Association, Turkey
Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, UK
Mouvement Franco-Libanais, SOLIDA, Paris
ADALAH, The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Israel
The Public Committee against Torture, Israel
International Association for the Protection of Human Rights in Cyprus, Cyprus
Rights and Freedom Association-Cyprus, Cyprus
Palestinian Human Rights Organisation, Lebanon

Regional Organisations
Institut Arabe des Droits de l’Homme, Tunisie.
Cairo Institute for Human rights Studies (CIHRS), Egypt.
Centre for Media Freedom, MENA, UK.
Collectif 95 - Maghreb Egalité.
Forum des Citoyens de la Méditerranée, France.
Kurdish Human Rights project (KHRP), UK
Forum des Migrants de l’UE, Belgique.

Associate Organisations
International Helsinki Federation, Austria.
Amnesty International, EUAssociation.
Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme, FIDH, France.
Article 19, UK.
Penal Reform International, France/UK.
Euro-Arab dialogue from below, the Netherlands.
Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Norway.
International Service for Human Rights, Switzerland
Human Rights Watch, USA
ACSUR Las Segovias, Association for Co-Operation with the South, Spain

Individual Members
M. Madjid Benchikh, Professeur de Droit, Algérie/ France.
M. Mohamed Tahri, Avocat, Algérie
Mr Hans Kjellund, Lawyer, Denmark.
M.Khémaïs Chammari, Expert Consultant, France
Ms Christine Merkel, German Commission for UNESCO, Germany.
Ms Annette Jünemann, Researcher, Germany
Ms Anna Bozzo, Researcher, Italy
Ms Sae’da Kilani, Writer, Jordan.
Ms Samira Trad, Consultante, Liban.
M. Moncef Marzouki, ancien président de la Ligue tunisienne pour la Défence
des Droits de l’Homme.
Mr Atham Naisse, Lawyer, Syria
Mr. Philip Rudge, former secretary general,
European Council on Refugees and Exiles, UK
Ms Caroline Stainier, Lawyer, Avocats sans Frontières, Belgium
Per Stadig, Lawyer, Sweden


For further information please contact:

Marc Schade-Poulsen, Executive Director / Marit Floe Joergensen, Information Officer
Euro Mediterranean Human Rights Network, Wilders Plads 8 H, DK-1403 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Tel: +45-32 69 89 12 / Fax: +45-32 69 89 01
E-mail: info@euromedrights.net