Mr. Don Wright

Amnesty International
Film Festival

Vancouver, CANADA



Dear Mr. Wright,

I am writing to ask you to resign. Let me explain the reasons I have to ask you to do so.

A few days ago I learnt the outrageous decison taken by you and your organization Amnesty International (Vancouver branch) of cancelling the film showing of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"

The reasons given by you for making such decision simply don’t stand up. You and AI say the film is politically one-sided (which is not true but even if it were why then on the other hand you authorized the presentation of a film openly against the China government!!!!!!). You even contest there was a coup in Venezuela in April 2002! (whereas your AI people in Venezuela have recognized there was a coup!!!).



Allow me to say you have made a terrible mistake which has grave consequences in particular for human rights in Venezuela and for the whole region in general. It is a bad signal!!! It means AI supports the overthrowing of governments and the brutal violation of human rights if those who carry out such actions are "friends" of AI or worst if have enough power and friends in the White House and may be in Ottawa.

The reputation of your organization has been gravely damaged because Amnesty International de facto has taken the side of those trying to hide the reality of April 2002 when our president and legitimate government was overthrown by the very same people that today is stopping the film to be shown in Vancouver. It is the same people that destroyed our economy last December, implementing a great scale sabotage against our main oil industry, a sabotage that has caused the loss of more than 10 billion dollars to our economy, thousands and thousands of jobs lost, and countless dead and great suffering among our people.



The decent thing to do on your part would be to acknowledge your mistake and reschedule the film to be shown within the Film Festival. However not only you have not do so but has become evasive



Now, I would be very naïve if I were to believe that you are the only responsible for that decision. Therefore, I must raise my protest also against AI in general. Something has to be wrong with Amnesty International when things like this are happening, when for instance you have not been able to raise your voice and show with objectivity what is happening in our country. WHY your organization did not say a word on April 11-12-and 13, 2002, when our people were being chased like animals for the only reason of belonging to the president’s party, his government staff or simply people supporting their legitimate president and government?? I myself was censored in the radio of my university because I wanted to call the attention of our people to the violation of human rights that was undergoing throughout the country. Where were your representatives defending human rights those days when the dictator Pedro Carmona was shutting the Congress, the Supreme Court, or taken to jail without trial governors, majors, and anyone who dare to support our legitimate government??. If anything I recall seeing your main representative in television "almost" supporting the dictator Carmona!!!!!



In sum, I hope my reasons for asking you to resign are now more clear: There are serious evidence that you have lost the objectivity which such a high mission, namely the defense of Human Rights, requires.





Sincerely



Hernán López-Garay
Profesor Titular
Universidad de Los Andes
Mérida, VENEZUELA