Breakfast with Human Rights Defenders at the Permanent Representation
16.12.2020 / 19:57 | Aktualizováno: 17.12.2020 / 20:02
The breakfast called „Why do Human Rights Defenders Need Political attention?“ was hosted by Ms. Jitka Látal Znamenáčková, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Political and Security Committee, on 15 December 2020. The opening statement was given by EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Mr. Eamon Gilmore, followed by testimonies of four human rights defenders.
The situation in Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan were discussed among others. Permanent Representatives to the Political and Security Committees and other EU diplomats also participated at the meeting.
The concept of the meeting was based on the breakfast of President Mitterrand with Czechoslovak dissidents, including the future president Václav Havel, in December 1988. This event was appreciated as an important and helpful manifestation of support.
Similar breakfast meetings have been organised by Mr. Tomáš Petříček, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Czech Embassies around the world since 2018 to support human rights defenders on the occasion of Human Rights Day.