AsiaNews.it, Italy
April 29 2006

Humanitarian, exposition of human rights violations, starts today

Asia will also come under the spotlight in the nine-day event in
Valmontone, near Rome, with a focus on Cambodia (encounter with
Philip Short, the author of the books Pol Pot and Mao), China
(encounter with Fr Bernardo Cervellera, director of AsiaNews and
author of the book Missione China (Mission China), Tibet (encounter
with Ugo Papi, president of the association Friends of Tibet and
Marialaura Di Mattia Polichetti, Indo-Tibetologist).

Rome (AsiaNews) – Violated human rights will be the major theme of
`Humanitarian’, a nine-day event that will tackle genocides, women’s
and children’s rights, torture and the death penalty, arms
trafficking, wars, hunger and poverty, the struggle against AIDS and
poetry.

The manifestation will be held in Valmontone – in the province of
Rome – from today, 29 April until Sunday 7 May. It includes times of
research and reflection interspersed with theatre, music, cinema and
dance. Throughout the event, documentaries, videos, photo exhibitions
and artistic shows will be featured.

Many governmental and non-governmental organizations that safeguard
human rights in Italy and the rest of the world will take part in all
stages of the event – elaboration of the programme, interventions,
exhibitions, and video materials. Some of the organizations are:
ActionAid International, Amnesty International – Italian section,
Italian Refugee Council, the inter-ministerial committee for human
rights, the Italian Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, Hands off
Cain, Save the Children Italy, Terre des hommes Italy, Unicef Italy,
and the International Voluntary Association for Development.

The event will be opened on Saturday by Aldo Forbice, creator and
director of Humanitarian and by Giovanni Conso, chairman of the
honorary committee. The chairpersons and directors of organizations
taking part in Humanitarian will be present, together with Italian
and European MPs.

The opening will be followed by a concert of Grazia Di Michele.

Sunday will focus on genocides of today and yesterday: there will be
testimonies, film clips and commentaries about the Armenian genocide,
the Shoah, the gulag, Chechnya, Rwanda and Darfur. Space will be
allotted to Asia, with a focus on Cambodia (encounter with Philip
Short, the author of the books Pol Pot and Mao); China (encounter
with Fr Bernardo Cervellera, director of AsiaNews and author of the
book Missione China – Mission China); Tibet (encounter with Ugo Papi,
president of the association Friends of Tibet and Marialaura Di
Mattia Polichetti, Indo-Tibetologist); Iran, with testimonies of ex
political prisoners, and Iranian dissidents.

>From Monday onwards, it will be time for shows, debates and
exhibitions, like `A world of rights’ by Amnesty International that
aims to be a key to the theme of the interdependence of all human
tights, revealing links between civil and political rights on the one
hand and economic and social rights on the other. The initiative will
analyze current problems like fundamental rights, the impact of
economic choices on the world of nature and human societies, the
right to peace and how this is threatened by economic interests, the
arms trade, identity and self-determination of peoples.