Call to Condemn Communist Crimes Upsets Party Faithful
(CNSNews.com) - To the dismay of many of world's surviving communist parties, a leading European political human rights watchdog will next month consider a proposal calling for the crimes of communism to be condemned internationally and investigated more thoroughly.The proposal's supporters argue that communism has never been internationally repudiated to the same degree as Nazism was after World War II, and they warn that unless this happens, communism may see a revival in some areas.
At a meeting in Paris Wednesday, a political affairs committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) agreed a draft resolution should be put before the assembly's next plenary session, in Strasbourg next month.
The resolution "strongly condemns the massive human rights violations committed by the totalitarian communist regimes and expresses sympathy, understanding and recognition to the victims of crimes."
It also calls on communist or post-communist political parties in Council of Europe member states -- if they have not already done so -- "to reassess the history of communism and their own past, clearly distance themselves from the crimes committed by totalitarian communist regimes and condemn them without any ambiguity."
PACE is a body of European lawmakers representing the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, a grouping formed in the aftermath of World War II and responsible for the European Convention on Human Rights and European Court of Human Rights.
Much larger than the European Union, the Council of Europe's members include not only the formerly communist Warsaw Pact states of Eastern Europe, but also constituent parts of the former Soviet Union, including Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The resolution text was prepared by Swedish lawmaker Goran Lindblad, who argues that because all former communist countries in Europe -- except Belarus -- are members of the Council of Europe, the grouping is an appropriate forum for the debate.
This was also the right time to have it, he said, pointing to the 15th anniversary of the disintegration of communism in Europe.
"Whereas another totalitarian regime of the 20th century, namely nazism, has been investigated, internationally condemned and the perpetrators have been brought to trial, similar crimes committed in the name of communism have neither been investigated nor received any international condemnation," he said in an explanatory memo.
Lindblad said this could be partly attributed to a reluctance to upset surviving communist regimes.
China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos fall into that category.
"The wish to maintain good relations with some of them may prevent certain politicians from dealing with this difficult subject," he said.
Lindblad gave several reasons for believing there was an urgent need for public debate on the crimes of communism and their condemnation at an international level.
"It seems that a sort of nostalgia for communism is still alive in some countries. That creates the danger of communists taking over power in one country or another."
It was important that all crimes be condemned, without exception. "This is particularly important for young generations who have no personal experience of communist rules."
Another reason, he said, was the fact that communist regimes still exist and "the crimes committed in the name of communist ideology continue to take place."
"International condemnation will give more credibility and arguments to the internal opposition within these countries and may contribute to some positive developments," he added.
Estimates of the number of victims of communist regimes during the 20th century vary, but are generally placed at more than 100 million. A rough breakdown includes China (38-72 million), Soviet Union (20-62 million), Cambodia (2-2.3 million), North Korea (2 million), Africa (1.7 million), Afghanistan (1.5 million), Vietnam (1 million), Eastern Europe (1 million) and Latin America (150,000).
Communists unhappy
Wednesday's decision to forward the resolution to PACE's plenary session - it's on the draft agenda for Jan. 25 - came despite opposition from Russia's representative.
"We do not intend to justify crimes of totalitarian regimes, but will not support the current version of the resolution," Russia's RIA Novosti news agency quoted senior Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev as saying.
An earlier attempt to have the resolution considered at a previous PACE session was unsuccessful, in part because of opposition from communist parties.
At a meeting in Athens last month, more than 70 communist parties from around the world, including the Communist Party of the U.S.A., backed a measure demanding that the PACE stop what they called "political provocation.
"Primitive anti-communism is unacceptable for sober-minded people," it said.
In a speech delivered at the meeting, a Portuguese Communist Party delegate called the PACE resolution "fascistic."
Several individual parties have also written to PACE chairman, Dutch lawmaker Rene van der Linden, to complain.
Equating communism with the "misanthropic, racist, violent and criminal ideology of fascism has nothing to do with the historical reality," said Yrjo Hakanen, chairman of the Communist Party of Finland in one letter.
The move was "aimed to serve the political interests of the right," he charged.
Liana Kanelli, a lawmaker and member of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) worried in her letter that the resolution would provoke "witch hunting" in 21st century Europe.
Revival?
The Athens meeting was hosted by the KKE, and saw some participants predict a revival in the fortunes of communism.
Australian delegate Rob Gowland wrote in this week's edition of the Communist Party of Australia's publication, Guardian, that there were "open calls" to create a new Communist International.
"Notable was the complete absence of the 'doom and gloom' of the early 90s," he reported, adding that "one was most conscious of a prevalent confidence and optimism, a confidence in the correctness and viability of socialism."
One of the resolutions agreed upon at the conference was for a campaign to highlight "the contemporary relevance of socialism," to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Russian revolution, in 2007.
In an essay published last September, the KKE attributed what it called a "systematic stepping up of reactionary assaults" to anxiety that communism was making a comeback.
"Europe's reactionary forces are worried," it said in an article published in the party journal, Rizospastis. "About 15 years ago all the talk was about the death of communism and the end of history."
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