New Zealand
15 March 2019
The Socialist International is shocked and saddened by the terrorist attack in Christchurch that has claimed the lives of 49 people. This horrific act, which the SI emphatically condemns, was targeted against innocent Muslim worshippers as they peacefully prayed in two mosques in the city, and is deplorable in its brutality and the hateful ideology espoused by those who carried it out...
Read more
International Women's Day
8 MARCH 2019
On the occasion of International Women's Day 2019, the Socialist International reiterates its unwavering commitment to gender equality and women's rights, causes which have always been and will remain at the heart of the agenda of the global social democratic movement. Today is a moment to reflect on the significant progress made globally towards gender equality, but equally to focus on the important challenges and obstacles that remain, and the ambition, dedication and political will required to overcome them...
IRan
10 SEPTEMBER 2018
The Socialist International expresses its outrage and condemns the missile attack carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran over the weekend against the headquarters of two SI Iranian member parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-Iran) and the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), located in Northern Iraq. The headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP-Iran) was deliberated targeted while its central committee was in session with senior leaders, resulting in the tragic deaths of 16 of its members and the injury of close to 50...
iRAn
Ramin Hossein Panahi
10 SEPTEMBER 2018
The Socialist International is deeply saddened to learn of reports emanating from the Iranian Public Prosecutor’s Office that Ramin Hossein Panahi, who had been sentenced to death for his alleged membership of Komala, was executed by the Iranian regime on 7 September, despite numerous appeals by the international community and human rights organisations. The SI had drawn attention to the plight of Panahi and supported the campaign of the Komala KPIK, an SI member party, for his release. It is reported that Panahi was executed along with two other prisoners, Zaniar and Loghman Moradi, following a flawed trial. The SI denounces these acts in the strongest terms and sends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the members of the KPIK.
Eritrea and Ethiopia
10 JULY 2018
The Socialist International warmly welcomes the signing of a peace agreement by Eritrea's President Isaias Afewerki and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, bringing to an end the state of war between the two countries that has persisted for two decades. Although a ceasefire had previously been reached, the border dispute at the centre of the conflict had been unresolved until Prime Minister Ahmed announced in early June that Ethiopia would fully accept the terms of the comprehensive peace agreement of 2000. The war, which lasted two years between 1998 and 2000, claimed 80,000 lives. This accord will have a profound and positive effect on the lives of the people of both Eritrea and Ethiopia, a process which has already begun with the resumption of telephone communications between the two countries for the first time since 1998. Both governments have also expressed their desire to open "a new era of peace and friendship"…
Greece - FYROM
18 JUNE 2018
The parties belonging to the socialist family are committed to peace and cooperation among the peoples and the countries of the Balkans.
The parties of democratic socialism have a decisive role to play in these turbulent times. We oppose extreme right wing and demagogic forces that are bent on undermining democratic achievements and pluralistic societies. We oppose their authoritarian rhetoric and actions which threaten the basic democratic guarantees for every citizen, for their rights and the free expression of citizens’ voices. We oppose their attempts to divide through extreme nationalism, xenophobia and hate speech.
The peaceful resolution of pending conflicts through mutually agreed solutions is a one way street if we want to establish stability, security, rule of law and sustainable growth in the Balkan region...
PIERRE MAUROY
7 JUNE 2018
On 7 June, the fifth anniversary of the passing of Pierre Mauroy, former President of the Socialist International, the SI Secretary General joined former close collaborators of Pierre Mauroy in the cemetery of Lille to lay a wreath and pay respects on behalf of the SI. A former Mayor of Lille and Prime Minister of France, Pierre Mauroy served as Socialist International President from 1992 to 1999...
Middle East
15 May 2018
The Socialist International condemns the use of live fire by Israeli forces against protesters in Gaza, killing at least 60 people and injuring thousands. Monday's bloodshed bears terrible similarities to the events of 30 March this year, when several unarmed Palestinians were shot dead by the IDF during a major protest. Yesterday, Palestinians exercising their right to peaceful protest were once again targeted. Among the dead were a number of children under the age of 16. A loss of life on this scale has not been seen in Gaza since the end of the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict and the SI stands today in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Those responsible for these killings must be held to account. Earlier this year, calls made by the UN Secretary-General, members of the international community and the Socialist International, for an independent inquiry into the killings were rejected by the Israeli government...
Nicaragua
23 APRIL 2018
The death of nearly 30 Nicaraguan citizens as a result of the repression carried out by the national police and other armed groups against demonstrators during protests that have taken place in that country these last days following the Government’s announcement of reforms to the social security system, can under no circumstances be justified and is totally unacceptable. This loss of life and the deplorable violence used against the protestors have been a cause of deep consternation within the Socialist International. At the same time, we express our grave concern at the limitations imposed on the media and the undetermined number of detainees who should be immediately released...
Middle East
1 APRIL 2018
The Socialist International strongly denounces the killing of 16 Palestinians by the Israel Defence Forces during a major protest along Gaza's border with Israel on Friday. The protests were organised as part of a 'Great Return March' initiative in Gaza. In addition to the 16 killed, more than 700 are reported injured and required hospital treatment in Gaza, many of them having been shot with live ammunition. The use of deadly force against protesters and the scale of the loss of life represent a major escalation of the conflict in the region and a damaging blow to hopes for resuming the process for peace. The SI supports and echoes the call of the UN Secretary-General and others for an independent inquiry into these violent events and the deadly response by the Israeli military. Israeli troops have an obligation to follow human rights law and ensure that lethal force is only used as a last resort…
USA
26 MARCH 2018
The Socialist International is heartened by the massive number of young people who protested in cities across the United States and worldwide as part of the 'March for Our Lives' on Saturday 24 March. This diverse grassroots movement, led by young people whose lives have been profoundly affected by gun violence, has been truly inspirational, and should mark a turning point to bring about real reform on the issue of gun control in the US. By exercising their right to protest in order to stand up for what they believe in, these courageous young people have issued a clarion call to elected representatives. Those returned to enact the will of the people must now respond to the urgent calls for legislation to prevent school massacres from ever happening again, knowing that any who fail to heed those calls will be held accountable at the ballot box...
Burkina FASO
03 MARCH 2018
The Socialist International unreservedly condemns the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Ouagadougou on 2 March, which targeted the Burkinabe army headquarters and the French embassy. These barbaric acts, which claimed the lives of dozens of people, will not weaken the resolve of those who are tirelessly working to rid Burkina Faso and the Sahel region of the threat of violence and terror. Burkina Faso has suffered multiple terrorist attacks in recent years, and the SI expresses its deepest solidarity with the Burkinabe people, and its member party in that country, the MPP, as they come to terms with this latest deadly incident. Terrorism destroys life and harms the wellbeing of all citizens affected, and is a major obstacle to economic and social development…
IWD
8 MARCH 2018
The Socialist International today celebrates International Women's Day, in recognition of the continuing struggle for women's rights around the world. International Women's Day is of particular significance for the SI, as it was first marked as a result of a resolution of the Second International Conference of Socialist Women on the occasion of the 1910 Copenhagen International Socialist Congress. The cause of women's rights has been at the heart of the global socialist and social democratic movement since its inception, and remains key to its agenda to this day. Since the establishment of International Women's Day, a great deal of progress has undeniably been made in the pursuit of gender equality. Women have served at the highest level of elected office in many countries and have more opportunity than ever in large parts of the world when it comes to education and employment....
SYRia
25 JANUARY 2018
The Turkish military incursion into Syrian territory has brought a dangerous new dimension to the conflict in that country, with severe humanitarian repercussions for the civilian populations in the targeted areas. These innocent victims of the latest surge of violence have previously suffered at the hands of both the regime and the terrorist forces and once again find themselves at the centre of a conflict they are powerless to prevent. According to United Nations spokespersons and conflict monitors in Syria, the Turkish offensive has already resulted in the loss of civilian life and displacement of at least 5,000 civilians, a number that is certain to rise. Of the 324,000 people that currently live in the affected area, as many as 40 percent were already displaced, many of them more than once. Those who are most vulnerable are reportedly unable to flee, placing them at even greater risk...
NIGERIA
MIDDLE EAST
6 DECEMBER 2017
The formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a deeply troubling act by the United States that will have damaging and far-reaching consequences for the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. The deep significance of Jerusalem as a historical holy site for Jews, Muslims and Christians makes its final status central to any durable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The future of Jerusalem is therefore not one that can be decided unilaterally by any one nation, a fact that has long been recognised by the international community and previous US presidents, both Republican and Democrat. The foreign policy of the current US administration has been characterised by unilateral decisions taken with little regard for the global consensus or the wider outcome of such actions. Recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, while continuing to deny the legitimate claims of the Palestinian people for an independent state...
Balfour Declaration
02 NOVEMBER 2017
One hundred years ago today during the First World War, British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour conveyed the support of his country's government for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people in Palestine", in a declaration that has had a profound impact on the subsequent history of the Middle East and on the peoples of Israel and Palestine. Balfour's pledge paved the way for the declaration of an independent State of Israel in 1948 and later its acceptance as a member of the United Nations in 1949. On this anniversary, despite the conflicts, wars and human suffering of the past hundred years, we can appreciate that the aspirations and needs of one people led the international community to act positively to their quest for statehood. There remains, however, the challenge to equally respond to the aspirations and needs of the Palestinian people who have waited all these years for their rights to be recognised and respected…
Somalia
MYANMAR
08 SEPTEMBER 2017
The Socialist International has witnessed with growing concern the severe deterioration of the situation in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Renewed violence has led to multiple deaths and the displacement of many thousands of members of the Rohingya minority in that country, deepening the humanitarian crisis. Ethnic Rohingya refugees who have successfully fled to Bangladesh have reported massacres in their villages and the burning of hundreds of homes by the Burmese military, in an effort to remove the civilian Rohingya population from this area by forcible means. The government and authorities of Myanmar have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all those living in the country, regardless of ethnicity and religion, and the SI calls on the government to now cooperate with the United Nations...
Spain
venezuelA
18 AUGUST 2017
The Socialist International strongly condemns the decision of the Venezuelan regime to usurp the powers of the National Assembly, the seat of the legislative power in that country. This unconstitutional and illegitimate decision does not only ignore the will of the Venezuelan people expressed in the ballot box in elections that took place at the end of 2015, in which its members were elected, but places, in an unequivocal and irrefutable way, the people of Venezuela under an authoritarian and dictatorial government. Under these circumstances, the international community, faced with the risk of having to witness an untenable internal situation of continuing violations of the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Venezuelan people...
Press coverage
venezuelA
31 July 2017
The Socialist International has followed with grave concern the recent events in Venezuela, where yesterday the government of President Nicolás Maduro held a vote to elect members of a constituent assembly via a process that ran contrary to Venezuela’s current Constitution. This election in turn did not meet the minimum requirements and guarantees to ensure that the vote was fair and its results credible. It was also an election marked by repression and violence that cost the lives of more than 10 Venezuelans; these adding to the 120 fatalities that have already resulted from the repression that has taken place during demonstrations over the last few months...
Press coverage
BURKINA FASO
World Refugee Day
20 June 2017
TurkeY
16 JUNE 2017
The Socialist International vigorously condemns the sentencing and arrest of Enis Berberoğlu, a member of parliament of the CHP, an SI member party, for allegedly revealing information about the secret supply of arms to Syria by Turkey’s intelligence agency MIT. Our International deeply deplores this latest act by the Erdoğan regime to silence the opposition and reaffirms its full support and solidarity with its members in Turkey. The Socialist International stands shoulder to shoulder with CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as he, along with members of the opposition, undertakes a protest march from Ankara to Istanbul demanding Justice...
DR Congo
15 MAY 2017
Responding to an invitation by the leadership of the UDPS of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the SI Secretary General Luis Ayala arrived to Kinshasa on Friday 12 May to convey the Socialist International’s solidarity with the party and family of their deceased leader Etienne Tshisekedi, and to express the support of the organisation for their efforts and those of other political forces engaged in moving forward a transition to democracy in the country. However, agents of the regime were waiting for him at the airport upon arrival to ensure that he would not enter the country and, despite his protests, withheld his passport and forced him back to the aircraft upon which he had arrived. This action by the government of Kabila, which the Socialist International condemns, reflects once more the reality under which the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the political opposition live today...
belarus
29 APRIL 2017
The Socialist International vigorously protests against the latest abduction by government security agents and detention of Mikalai Statkevich, leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party NH, an SI member party, ahead of the forthcoming May Day celebrations planned to take place in Minsk. Since his sudden disappearance yesterday, it has been reported that he has been secretly charged, and will be held for five days. Recalling his violent abduction last month, and equally that of other members of the BSDP-NH, it is clear that these repeated acts of intimidation and violence by the regime will not deter the democratic opposition, or indeed any of the citizens of Belarus, from demanding their full rights and freedoms...
PARAGUAY
02 APRIL 2017
The violent demonstrations that have occurred in recent days in Paraguay have generated serious concern in the region and the international community, and exposed a widely known truth, that democracy can only be protected and advanced when it is in full view of the people, in front of the nation and with full respect for its institutions. The discussion and processing of the constitutional amendments aimed at changing the rule of non re-election of the Head of State, which was established in 1992 after the end of a long period of authoritarianism under General Stroessner, has, at the very least, and on a matter that is so close to the soul and historical memory of the citizens of that country, lacked the necessary transparency...
VeneZUELA
30 MARCH 2017
The decision that has just been adopted by the Supreme Court (TSJ) of Venezuela, declaring the National Assembly - nothing less than the legislative branch of power in the country - in contempt, and announcing that the Supreme Court is to simultaneously assume the functions of this institution of government, goes beyond the mere denial of the Assembly, it is a critical blow to the last vestiges of democracy in that Latin American nation. Democracy exists when there is a clear division of the powers of the State, and for some considerable time, the citizens of Venezuela have been observing how this has been violated, while their freedoms and rights were being restricted and the consequences of a grave political, social…
In Solidarity
venezUela
14 JANUARY 2017
As 2017 begins, it is more evident than ever that the political, social and economic situation in Venezuela is becoming increasingly serious and urgent for millions of its inhabitants, and the international community cannot remain indifferent or absent in face of the critical circumstances of a nation which, thanks to the efforts of a whole generation some decades ago, was able to rise up and follow the path to democracy. Along with with the highest international records for inflation in existence today in a national economy and the largest number of deaths caused by homicides and criminal acts, this situation multiplies the human suffering...
D.R. Congo
5 JANUARY 2017
The new political agreement signed in Kinshasa by opposition leaders and the party of President Kabila at the end of 2016 is greatly welcomed by the Socialist International as a sign of hope and as a potential first step towards bringing reconciliation and peace to a country that has, for so long, been subject to internal divisions, political instability and conflict. Following the expiry of President Kabila’s term of office on 19 December 2016 and the absence of new elections, Congo saw a resumption of civil unrest and renewed violence on the streets. On 19 and 20 December alone, more than forty people were killed, shot by security forces....