AROUND
THE
WORLD
BELGIUM Historic victory for women's rights FIFTY DEFENDANTS in the "monster trial" against a Ghent abortion center were acquitted at the end of February. This was the first time that a Belgian judge has declared outright that the 1867 law on "crimes against the family" is antiquated and that the abortion centers offer a solution to women's problems. Moreover, the judge acknowledged that women did not seek abortions for the sake of "convenience" or
It was recognized that the Ghent center functioned in an irreproachable way and that the doctors do their job without any concern for money. The judge even said that a judgement against the defendants would have been harmful to public health and a source of "agitation."
In the March 1 issue of La Gauche, Marijke Colle commented: "This judgement is an argument in favor of changing the law along the lines of the Herman-MichielsensLallemand bill. This proposal will not decriminalize abortion, but it would legalize the present practice of abortion in Belgium.
"The abortion centers in Flanders, in Brussels and in the Walloon country, the abortion committees and all the women's groups and organizations should be happy with this judgement. Even if the prosecutor appeals, it will be an encouragement to new initiatives for a definite change in the legisPERU People's Assembly A COLOMBIAN far left publication, A Luchar, in its December issue gave the following account of an important attempt to unify workers' and popular struggles in Peru:
MORE THAN 3,000 delegates representing trade-union, popular, student and peasant organizations, as well as student centers, intellectuals, deputies, senators and activists of the left political forces in Peru met in November to form the National People's Assembly (ANP). It is to serve as an instrument for centralizing struggles, and, according to its organizers, as "an alternative instrument of power for the popular masses."
Delegations came from the most remote parts of the country, from Cuzco, from the villages of Ayacucho, as well as from the
Lima suburbs. For four days, they discussed the central problems posed by the new period opened by the deepgoing crisis of the regime of Alan Garcia. All the analyses tended to show that despite the elections that the Aprista government was able to create at a certain time, now broad sectors of the masses consider it a fundamental enemy, the representative of capitalism and imperialism. The National People's Assembly called for a general civic strike for February against the government's policy of hunger and repression.
The delegates also participated in a fraternal debate about the platform of struggle that should be adopted by the meeting. There was a need for a popular and national alternative for solving the country's crisis and fundamental questions such as national sovereignty and the expropriation of the imperialist monopolies; peace based on social justice and the elimination of militarization and the "dirty war"; an anti-imperialist and non-aligned international policy; solidarity with all peoples strug-
Another problem quite widely discussed was the organizational leadership of the ANP. What bodies should be part of it. What forms of delegating power and representation should it adopt.
On this point, it was decided to form a standing representative body made up of 37 representatives of trade-union, peasant, popular and regional organizations, coordinated by a presidium of seven members.
The Peruvian National People's Assembly reflects not only a step forward for, and growth of, the people's struggle, but also an advanced process of centralizing the different social sectors. For example, the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP), the Peasants' Confederation of Peru (CCP), the Cross-Union Confederation of Public Employees (CITE), the United National Union of Teachers (SUTEP) and many other organizations are participating in the centralization of this process.
The left political forces, such as the Peruvian Communist Party, the Mariategui Unification Party [PUM], the Red Fatherland Communist Party and the People's Democratic Union (UDP), as well as smaller groups are also actively involved in the ANP. The Assembly thus reflects a growth and consolidation of the radical left, especially of the PUM and the UDP, which gained by far the most support from this
The most interesting debate because of its timeliness in Latin America was wheth-
AROUND THE WORLD er the ANP was a governmental alternative or only a mechanism for centralizing the masses. During the debate, positions did arise that sought to limit the more reactionary aspects of the ANP. But a great majority agreed on characterizing the ANP as an embryo of people's power that would be reinforced, built and counterposed to the bourgeois government. Finally, the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement sent its greetings to the Assembly, pledging to support and advance its conclusions. * Perestroika and women A CRITICAL NOTE was included in the speech by ex-astronaut Valentina Tereshkova, the top Soviet spokesperson on women, to the official Women's Day rally in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater on March 5. She began by placing the question of an improvement in the situation of women at the center of the perestroika.
"Further democratization of the life of the society is unthinkable without increasing the role of women in society, and this depends largely on their working and living conditions and possibilities for leisure. It is true that women today work without discrimination. But what is important is something else - to what extent are they satisfied with their profession, what real, and not just proclaimed, possibilities do they have for advancement, for raising their general educational, professional and cultu-
"In industry, agriculture and the building trade today, many women still do lowskilled, heavy work. The introduction of new machinery in production is far from always being accompanied by upgrading of the skills of women workers. The new management methods make it possible now for the enterprises to devote part of their incomes to improving conditions for, and protection of, women workers. But in fact they are reducing spending CHINA Protests in Tibet THE BIGGEST Tibetan religious festival, the Great Prayer Festival, held in early March, led to anti-Chinese protests in the country's capital, Lhassa. Following the riots last fall that were severely repressed by Chinese forces, the latest demonstrations by monks demanded "freedom for Tibet," the return of "his Holiness, the Dalai Lama" (forced into exile in India in 1959), and protested against "Chinese oppression." Several people were killed in clashes between police and demonstrators.
With a heritage of feudal theocracy and virtual self-sufficiency in the high Himalayas, the Tibetan people have a fierce determination to regain the independence of their country. Against the background of centuries of resistance of Chinese efforts to 25 assimilate them, 40 years of incorporation
March 21, 1988 • International Viewpoint
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AS
THE MASTER RACE!
AROUND THE WORLD into China counts for little. The Chinese presence, which is mainly administrative and military, is seen as foreign occupation by a people whose language and religion
The Peking regime has a very bad record for Tibetans. Since its troops went into the country in 1951, anti-Chinese incidents have multiplied. In 1954 and 1956, the People's Republic enduringly alienated the local population by terrible military repression. In 1959, the Tibetans' aspirations were again trampled on. Thousands of people were killed and arrested, the "God king" was forced into exile, temples were destroyed, the scriptures of the Tibetan religion, Lamaism, were confiscated.
Long repressed by the Chinese authorities, Lamaism is the ideological crucible of resistance to assimilation. Repression has reinforced this role and marks the failure of the Chinese policy of integrating Tibet into China. On many occasions, history has shown that people's cannot be separated from their historical religious traditions by
To avoid getting mired in Afghan-style quicksand within their own republic, the Chinese will have to recognize the right of Tibetans to their religious, linguistic and cultural identity and discuss with them what political forms real respect for this au-
(From the March 10 issue of Rouge, paper of the French section of the Fourth Appeal by Landing Savane AS A CANDIDATE in the February 18 presidential elections, I appeal to all progressive forces and democrats throughout the world. Democracy in Senegal is gravely threatened because of the irresponsibility of the Abdou Diouf regime.
Already toward the end of the election campaign, Diouf, frightened by a general mistrust of his regime by the masses, began to make public threats against the opposition parties. He went so far as to call their leaders "highway men." Deliberately aiming to put in question the freedoms won by a hard struggle of the Senegalese people, he promised to "clean up democracy" and "pull out the weeds."
After perpetrating massive vote frauds, amounting to actual electoral piracy, Diouf had official results of the February 28 vote proclaimed that gave him an overwhelming throughout the Dakar region "until further
Already leaders of the opposition have been arrested. The repressive forces have invaded the university campus, and savagely attacked the students, wounding dozens of them and making arbitrary arrests. The entire city of Dakar is being heavily patrolled by the army, the riot forces and the police, who are attacking the people, especially the youth, with grenades and clubs. They are detaining and arresting more and
All these events have exposed to the world the real face of the highly touted "Senegalese democracy," which some people have wanted to portray as a model and a rare pearl in Africa. In these grave moments, I appeal to all democratic forces concerned about peace and justice, especially those that identify with the ideals of socialism and democracy, to raise their voices and demand that Diouf and his "socialist" party lift the state of siege, stop the repression and respect the popular will. *
(See page 28 for report on the aftermath of the Senegalese elections.] SANTO DOMINGO Protests against austerity TURMOIL has been growing in this country since the end of February. The "liberal" president, Joaquin Balaguer, has been using force to repress mass discontent. The source of the crisis is austerity measures that have been hitting the workers. The demonstrators are demanding a substantial decrease and at least a two-year freeze of the prices of basic foods and medicines and a minimum monthly wage of 700 pesos
Inflation in Santo Domingo has exceeded 40% for the past six months. Prices are continuing to climb, and speculation is rampant. Wages and social benefits have been frozen, health has become a luxury for workers and the petty bourgeoisie. To deal with the economic crisis, Balaguer has not been able to come up with anything more original than following the method of
TAKE IT FROM AN AFRIKAANER
However, the protest movement is spreading in a country with a strong-tradeunion tradition. The National Conference of People's Organizations, which includes neighborhood committees, as well as other mass organizations, is organizing the
The police repression has already caused five deaths and several hundred casualties. The demonstrators are using the methods available for self-defence. Stores are being sacked. Most of the cities are experiencing demonstrations., and the unions have launched a call for a general strike, together with the people's organizations.
Balaguer has begun to make concessions, announcing an increase of 120 pesos in the lower wages. The social-democratic opposition led by former president Bosch is supporting him, saying that taking power today is inconceivable.
Nonetheless, the governmental repression is likely to have a hard time in putting out the fires. *
[Abridged from the March 10 issue of Rouge, paper of the French section of the INTERNATIONAL Moscow Trials campaign LATEST signatures for the appeal to rehabilitate the Moscow trials' defendants (see page 7):
France: Prof. Maxime Rodinson,
Israeli state: Tuvia Shlonsky, Jerusalem Univ.; Tivka Parnass, Jerusalme
Sweden: Hans Göran Franck, lawyer and MP; Agneta Pleijel, author; Johan (Communist Party) councillor; Matts Nilsson, unionist, Socialistiska Partiet; Prof. Kjell Jonsson, Umeå Univ.; Asst. Prof. Ingvar Johansson, Umea Univ.; Prof. Daniel Kallós, Umea Univ.; Hans Levander, historian; David Gaunt, Umeå Univ.; Staffan Ling, TV producer.
WHICH YOU MUST KEEP SEGREGATED
YOU MUST, BY FORCE OF ARMS, victory in both the presidential and legisla-
CONTROL A PERMANENT
UNDERCLASS..
tive elections. The entire Senegalese people and all the informed observers agree that no credit can be given to these rigged,
— FOR APARTHEID TO WORK
YOU MUST BE TOTALLY RUTHLESS.
ITS PEOPLE MUST LIVE IN THEIR
OWNAREAS IN HOPELESS POVERTY.
GAG THE MEDIA.
YITZHAK
ANYTHING
ABOVE ALI preposterous results.
Abdou Diouf himself is so well aware of these outrageousness of these results and of his own unpopularity that he decided before having them proclaimed to close the
AND ALWAYS, UNFAILINGLY.
University of Dakar, along with all the other schools. Finally, on Monday, February
262r, he decreed a state of siege and curay
International Viewpoint • March 21, 1988
WHEN THEY RIOT SHOOT THEM
AND IMPRISON THEIR LEADERS
THESE YOU CAN PERSUADE TO
DIE IN CUSTODY
GAG THE
ELSE?
MEDIA!