Stéphane Hassel: In Memoriam

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine mourns the passing of Stéphane Hessel

Brussels - 27 February 2013

For Immediate Release

Stéphane Hessel, author of the bestseller Time for outrage, French ambassador, human rights’ advocate and great philosopher, died last night at the age of 95.

The Russell Tribunal on palestine (RToP) mourns the passing of its honorary president and huge supporter. Pierre Galand, RToP general coordinator says :

The Tribunal has always ben his project, and he was its soul as he has always inspired us with his ideas and supported us with concrete gestures. He would have participated in the last session of the Tribunal, in Brussels on 16 and 17 March, but now that he’s passed away we will pay him the tribute he deserves. With his death, we loss a last eye-witness of the drafting of the Human Rights’ declaration. If the World loses a great personality and a distinguished intellectual and activist, at a personal level, I will miss him as a comrade and a friend.

In all sessions of the RToP held in Barcelona, London, Cape Town and New York, Hessel has denounced the outragious complicity of third parties in the continuous violation of the Palestinian people’s rights and the failure by Israel to comply with the international law. He’s also called on individuals and organisations around the World to put pressure on the international community so that politicians and decision-makers adopt all possible measures to reach peace in the Middle East and enforce the existing sanctions on those countries which don’t comply with UN resolutions.

On 18 February 2013, Stéphane Hessel gave a last interview on his involvement in the RToP. The interview will be published in a book by the French publisher Editions de L’Herne, due out in mid March. You can read the interview at this link (French only): http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.com/en/sessions/final-session/forthcoming-book-justice-pour-la-palestine-march-2013.

Notes to editors :
For further information on the Russell Tribunal on Palestine go to http://www.russeltribunalonpalestine.com

One of the last public speeches made by Stéphane Hessel’s at the New York session of the RToP can be found at : http://youtu.be/lUtiV2IImNQ

Contact person
Maurizio Molinari
RToP press officer
Press.russelltribunal@gmail.com
+32487615224

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