Members of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), the largest network of individual legislators from all regions of the world committed to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, deplore the unprecedented attacks on the US Congress that took place in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.
PGA expresses solidarity with Members of the US Congress and their staff for the threats and pressures that they suffered and applauds them for completing their constitutionally-mandated deliberations to certify the results of the US Presidential elections, regarding which all genuinely-democratic countries look to the United States as a model for democracy, the rule of law and the system of institutional checks and balances among powers of the State.
While PGA will respectfully wait for the outcome of any fact-finding process that the US Congress and other branches of Government will decide to apply to the tragic events of January 6, the organization calls for the prompt verification of any nexus of causality between incitement to violence and the actual violent conduct carried out by participants in the attacks on the US Congress, which reportedly led to the death of four persons, as reported by Law Enforcement authorities. If evidence will show that the escalation of violence could have been prevented, it is paramount to examine any act or omission that may have caused, and/or failed to prevent, the violence through proper accountability mechanisms. It is critical that any breach of the law will be appropriately sanctioned, and that effective measures will be adopted to avoid their repetition.
In June 2020, PGA joined with the major US political entities supporting democracy worldwide in “a Global Call to Defend Democracy”. These entities included the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Given the relevance of this statement to the tragic events at the US Capitol -- where democracy itself was under siege --, and in the face of the gross abuses against civil and political rights perpetrated by authoritarian or dictatorial regimes worldwide, we have decided to share it below.
As the Global Call stipulates, “democracies that perform poorly further weaken society and create openings for authoritarians. But the greatest strength of democracy is its capacity for self-correction.” We, therefore, call upon on all Members of the US Congress and all the other branches of the US Government to give effect to this vision that PGA shares with the IRI, NDI and NED, and implement, by any means necessary, measures that will effectively self-correct the breaches to the US Constitution and other laws that took place on January 6, 2021.
The siege of the US Capitol was a stark warning to democracies everywhere: democratic structures and institutions should not be taken for granted; they must be respected and supported with vigilance. PGA is committed to working with legislators in the United States and around the world to support this vision.
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and its Four Core Institutes Issued a Joint Statement on the Events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021
(These institutes are PGA partners within the World Movement for Democracy and the Global Call to Defend Democracy)
We are appalled by the violent and seditious assault at the United States Capitol today. Nonetheless, we are confident in the enduring strength of American institutions, and that any attempts to subvert our democracy will not succeed. Those involved in illegal activity today must be held to account.
A fundamental tenet of democracy is the peaceful contest of ideas among fellow citizens under law. After a free and fair election, when incumbents are defeated, a peaceful transfer of power must result. It is through such democratic processes that fundamental freedoms are protected, and opportunity and justice are possible for all. We know from decades of experience that the job of democracy is never done, and that democracy is fragile. But we also know it is resilient.
We have faith that our country will soon begin a period of national healing that will renew our democracy. As Americans continue on their difficult but historic journey to form a ‘more perfect union’ at home, we want to reaffirm our commitment to stand in solidarity with all those around the world who share democratic values and who continue to fight against all those who would subvert them. Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy
Derek Mitchell, President, National Democratic Institute
Dan Twining, President, International Republican Institute
Shawna Bader-Blau, Ex. Director, Solidarity Center
Andrew Wilson, Ex. Director, Center For International Private Enterprise
25 June 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens more than the lives and the livelihoods of people throughout the world. It is also a political crisis that threatens the future of liberal democracy.
Authoritarian regimes, not surprisingly, are using the crisis to silence critics and tighten their political grip. But even some democratically elected governments are fighting the pandemic by amassing emergency powers that restrict human rights and enhance state surveillance without regard to legal constraints, parliamentary oversight, or timeframes for the restoration of constitutional order. Parliaments are being sidelined, journalists are being arrested and harassed, minorities are being scapegoated, and the most vulnerable sectors of the population face alarming new dangers as the economic lockdowns ravage the very fabric of societies everywhere.
Repression will not help to control the pandemic. Silencing free speech, jailing peaceful dissenters, suppressing legislative oversight, and indefinitely canceling elections all do nothing to protect public health. On the contrary, these assaults on freedom, transparency, and democracy will make it more difficult for societies to respond quickly and effectively to the crisis through both government and civic action.
It is not a coincidence that the current pandemic began in a country where the free flow of information is stifled and where the government punished those warning about the dangers of the virus—warnings that were seen as spreading rumors harmful to the prestige of the state. When voices of responsible citizens are suppressed, the results can be deadly, not for just one country but for the entire world.
Democracy is not just a cherished ideal. It is the system of government best suited to addressing a crisis of the magnitude and complexity of COVID-19. In contrast to the self-serving claims of authoritarian propaganda, credible and free flows of information, fact-based debate about policy options, the voluntary self-organization of civil society, and open engagement between government and society are all vital assets in combating the pandemic. And they are all key elements of liberal democracy.
It is only through democracy that societies can build the social trust that enables them to persevere in a crisis, maintain national resilience in the face of hardship, heal deep societal divisions through inclusive participation and dialogue, and retain confidence that sacrifice will be shared and the rights of all citizens respected.
It is only through democracy that independent civil society, including women and young people, can be empowered to partner with public institutions, to assist in the delivery of services, to help citizens stay informed and engaged, and to bolster social morale and a sense of common purpose.
It is only though democracy that free media can play their role of informing people so that they can make sound personal and family decisions, scrutinize government and public institutions, and counter disinformation that seeks to tear societies apart.
It is only through democracy that society can strike a sustainable balance between competing needs and priorities – between combatting the spread of the virus and protecting economic security; and between implementing an effective response to the crisis and protecting people’s civil and political rights in accordance with constitutional norms and guarantees.
It is only in democracies that the rule of law can protect individual liberties from state intrusion and constraint well beyond what is necessary to contain a pandemic.
It is only in democracies that systems of public accountability can monitor and circumscribe emergency government powers, and terminate them when they are no longer needed.
It is only in democracies that government data on the scope and health-impact of the pandemic can be believed.
Democracy does not guarantee competent leadership and effective governance. While democracies predominate among the countries that have acted most effectively to contain the virus, other democracies have functioned poorly in responding to the pandemic and have paid a very high price in human life and economic security. Democracies that perform poorly further weaken society and create openings for authoritarians.
But the greatest strength of democracy is its capacity for self-correction. The COVID-19 crisis is an alarming wake-up call, an urgent warning that the freedoms we cherish are at risk and that we must not take them for granted. Through democracy, citizens and their elected leaders can learn and grow. Never has it been more important for them to do that.
The current pandemic represents a formidable global challenge to democracy. Authoritarians around the world see the COVID-19 crisis as a new political battleground in their fight to stigmatize democracy as feeble and reverse its dramatic gains of the past few decades. Democracy is under threat, and people who care about it must summon the will, the discipline, and the solidarity to defend it. At stake are the freedom, health, and dignity of people everywhere.
