BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 22. The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) is set to hold a press conference on October 25 to present a report on human rights violations in the overseas territories of France, TurkicWorld reports.
The objective of the event is to enhance awareness throughout the global community regarding significant human rights violations occurring in these regions.
Key topics of the press conference will include severe environmental disasters, the destruction of cultural heritage, the disappearance of local languages, and violations of the right to education.
The report details issues such as nuclear testing in French Polynesia, nickel mining in New Caledonia, and eco-terrorism in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Mayotte. It also addresses violations related to health rights, discrimination in education, access to information, electoral rights, and cultural and religious freedoms. Notably, France's suspension of reporting to the United Nations on territories under colonial rule has halted international discussions on human rights abuses in these areas.
Among the participants will be witnesses and victims of human rights violations in these territories. They will share their stories and the challenges their communities face, as well as their struggles against French cultural and political hegemony.
The report features statements from Eric Simoni of the Nazione party and Herve Pinto, the president of the "Collective for Justice" in Martinique, who received a 20-month prison sentence. Additionally, officials from New Caledonia assert that France imprisons them as political prisoners, further supporting the allegations of aggression.
The event is part of BIG's project "Strengthening Global Initiatives Against Neocolonialism and Colonialism," implemented by the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
