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Due to a quite unpleasant and very sad event
that occurred on our page on 16th of March, 2014 when OFA had been
attacked by a British rescuer in our post where we tried to help FPAM to
gather evidence and witness testimonies for their lawsuit against the
Romanian government and the ANVSA, and because said rescuer continues to
spread misinformation about our
organisation without giving people access to the full information, we
now - sadly - feel obliged to issue the following clarifying statement:
We have tried to explain our position to said rescuer in quite a few
emails and hours long discussions without any result and even worse: to
judge from the content of the latest mail that said rescuer has sent to
us tonight, this person did, very obviously, not even bother to open our
link and to have a look at the proof for FPAM's lawsuit which is the
legal document and which can be read on our website, along with the
collaboration protocol that FPAM had signed with Victor Ponta and Daniel
Constantin - at that time the leaders of the USL party - on 21st of
December, 2011 and which clearly states, among others, that the
euthanasia of stray dogs is banned. This contract goes until 21st of
December, 2020.
You can read both documents, at: http://www.occupyforanimals.org/romania---fpam-takes-legal-actions-against-the-romanian-government-and-anvsa.html
IN CLEAR:
Occupy for Animals has no affiliation whatsoever with the Romanian group FPAM.
Contrary to what is being told by the British rescuer, we are neither
supporting nor defending them, or any of their actions. We are simply
trying to help them to gather evidence and witness testimonies for their
legal actions against both the Romanian government and the ANVSA
because we believe this to be a true chance to turn the situation in
Romania around.
Their apparent inability to enact any change
to shelter conditions inside their country, as claimed by said rescuer,
has been noted. What we do know is that previous legal actions which
they have introduced have been successful and maybe they function better
at this higher political level than at the grassroots level of the
shelters.
So what we have is an organisation which has
attracted the contempt of this British rescuer, but they introduced a
legal challenge which we would all have sought to introduce, namely one
to stop the killing. If we were Romanian, we would have sought to
achieve exactly what FPAM have just done. We would have sought to
introduce a legal action. But we can't, we are not from Romania.
A legal action by FPAM is critically important and it is unwise to
interfere at this moment, to not support this important action, let
alone to boycott it.
This would be a betrayal of all Romanian
dogs and their protectors and we must endorse one of the very few
possibilities to stop the horrors which all of us together in our
different ways wish to see ended.
It may only be a small chink
of light at the end of a long dark tunnel but it IS a light in the
darkness, and OFA will always simply support any honest possibility for
positive change which benefits the people and animals of Romania.
Personal perspectives and differences are deemed irrelevant when such opportunities are presented.
FPAM will challenge and seek to prevent the Law 258/2013 from being
enacted and this is exactly what every animal lover seeks to be
achieved. Any opposition to this is counter to the potential health and
safety of all Romanian animals.
The action has already been
filed at the Romanian Court of Appeal and we should ALL applaud and
welcome this action and we are, again, calling on all our Romanian
friends to support FPAM in their lawsuit against the Romanian government
and the ANVSA by submitting their evidence. People from abroad who have
visited shelters and witnessed neglect or abuse can also submit their
evidence which must be legalized at a notary.
All information
about this important action, including the collaboration protocol from
21st of December, 2011 and the legal documents that FPAM has submitted
to the Romanian Court of Appeal, can be read on our website, at:
http://www.occupyforanimals.org/romania---fpam-takes-legal-actions-against-the-romanian-government-and-anvsa.html
This "issue" has taken up too much of our limited time already and we
will not be responding to any further comments on this subject.
For all further information about this important lawsuit, about FPAM in
general, or the claims made by the British rescuer, we respectfully
suggest that you get in touch with FPAM directly. You can contact them
by email at: office@fpam.ro
OFA supports FPAM's important legal
actions against the Romanian government and will continue to do just
that. Nothing more. Nothing less.
March 20, 2014
- Occupy for Animals -
FPAM calls on Romanian activists, rescuers and
citizens who have witnessed cruelty and neglect in public "shelters",
to join them in their lawsuit and to testify against the Romanian
Government and the ANVSA.
INTRODUCTION:
On 21st of December, 2011 USL leaders Victor Ponta and Daniel Constantin, signed a cooperation protocol with the Federation for
the Protection of Animals and the Environment headed by their Honorary
President, Marius Marinescu, prohibiting the euthanasia of stray dogs
through a legislative initiative, during a conference held at the
Capital Hotel Rin. The agreement is valid until 21 December 2020.
PURPOSE:
Protecting the environment and animal rights in Romania.
OBJECTIVES:
1.The refer to permanent and will take steps to harmonize the Romanian
legislation with the European one, considering the EU regulations, the
European and global treaties and conventions profile. This will monitor
the compliance and enforcement provisions of the Universal Declaration
of Animal Rights (Paris, 1978), the World Health Organization
recommendations (1992), the Treaty of Lisbon (2009), the Declaration of
the European Parliament of 13 October 2011, the Kioto Protocol (1997),
Protocol on Environment in Copenhagen (2009), Convention in Durban
(2011) and other relevant international documents to which Romania is a
party.
2.Uniunea Socilal-free and Federation for Animal Welfare
and Environment will work to implement environmental policies and
animals.
3. Will implement and Animal and Environment Police.
The entity will operate though a single telephone number that that will
operate at national level.
4. USL and Federation for Animal
Welfare and Environment will monitor the work of the Executive, so stop
and prevent abusive measures taken by the authorities, and violation of
Roman law, the European regulations and European and global treaties and
conventions on environmental protection and animal.
5. After
consultation with the Federation for Animal Welfare and Environment,
Social-Liberal Union will submit the Romanian Parliament in the
legislative session in early 2012, a legislative initiative to the
European Union regarding management of stray dogs by banning euthanasia.
--------
During the conference from 21st of December, 2011, Victor Ponta said
that people should not think this collaboration protocol had been signed
to get the votes from the Romanian animals... No, no, they signed this
agreement out of concern for the country that they live in, and which is
far more important than any political interest, Ponta said.
Of course...
Fact is that they have got the votes from the Romanian animal lovers on
10th of June, 2013 during their latest local elections. Their deal with
FPAM, however, seems to have been forgotten!
On 10th September
the Lower House of the Romanian Parliament voted GEO 155/2001 to
legitimise a 'catch and kill' policy for all homeless animals. The
terminology used during the debate at the parliament was 'eradication'.
On 25th September, 2013 Constitutional Court judge Petre Lăzăroiu,
suggested that "the mass killing of stray dogs in Romania could
traumatize the population"... then the entire place ruled to cull all
dogs... and that the eradication of Romania's homeless animals -
although it had been ruled unconstitutional in January 2012 - was now
"constitutional"!
On 25th of September, the Romanian
Constitutional Court had an opportunity to define whether Romania is a
country worthy of being called civilized or whether it should be
consigned to popular perception of a country unworthy of being
considered anything other than barbaric, mismanaged, corrupt and
dangerous. They chose the latter.
FPAM FILLED LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE ANVSA
On 31st of January, 2014 FPAM introduced a formal complaint to the
Romanian Government which remained without response after the legal
period of 30 days was exhausted. On 13th of March, 2014 FPAM -
represented by their Honorary President, Mr Marius Marinescu - filed a
lawsuit against the Romanian Government and the ANVSA at the Romanian
Court of Appeal.
The goal of FPAM's action - according to the
text taken from their website - is to stop the mass euthanasia of dogs
by the authorities, and the cruelty which takes place in most cities in
Romania (poisonings, shooting, torturing, etc...) with the help from
representatives of DSVSA, ANSVSA implicitly, which from 2001 until now,
did not take any legal measures against the local administrations for
not solving the situation with stray dogs, neither against the trauma to
which these animals have been subjected to by the local
administrations, but instead, they managed to punish animal lovers and
owners.
On 13th of March, 2014, FPAM opened a legal action in
the Romanian Court of Appeal, against the Romanian Government, the
ANSVSA included, asking the Court to force the above mentioned to modify
or to void some articles from the Methodological Norms for Government
Emergency Ordinance OUG 155/2001 (which later became law 258/2013). FPAM
have also asked the Court to verify the legality of all the actions and
administrative procedure prior to the Norms and also to inform the
population about the measures they took from 2001 until now by the
representatives of the local administration and why they had no results
in stopping the phenomenon of the stray dogs over-population.
Furthermore, FPAM states that 80% of Romanian towns (cities, town,
communes) have not organized services for the management of the stray
dogs population - although the law obliged them to do so - and that they
do not have public shelters for stray dogs as required, not even NOW.
In the meantime, dogs die in these miserable public shelters all over
Romania all the while the ANSVSA representatives sleep in their chairs.
►►►► URGENT CALL FROM FPAM
FPAM calls on Romanian activists, rescuers and citizens who have
witnessed cruelty and neglect in public "shelters", to join them in
their lawsuit and to testify against the Romanian Government and the
ANVSA
Those from Romania who would like to show the
illegalities committed by the local authorities and want to become
material witnesses in this trial, are invited to sign up by filling in
the form at the right side of the following page on the FPAM website.
Europeans who have visited public shelters in Romania can also
participate in the trial in Romania as witnesses. What counts the most,
is the material proof a witness can bring and not necessarily their
presence in the trial.
All probative evidence, legalized at a
notary is welcomed. Ideally it would be to be sent by land mail, and
those who want to help in this manner should please contact:
Mihnea Columbeanu by sending and email at:
mihneacolumbeanu@yahoo.com
who is the legal representative of FPAM and who will advise you.
Thank you, in advance.
All information in English is compiled on our website, at:
http://www.occupyforanimals.org/romania---fpam-takes-legal-actions-against-the-romanian-government-and-anvsa.html
