Excuses zijn geen aanleiding voor herstelbetalingen
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Het Vlaams Belang is het volmondig eens met de Leuvense professor Stephan Parmentier dat excuses voor wandaden in de voormalige kolonies niet automatisch leiden tot herstelbetalingen. “Het koloniaal verleden van België hield vóór 1960 internationaalrechtelijk geen schending in van het toenmalige internationaal recht”, zegt Kamerlid Kurt Ravyts. “Het kan dus ook geen bron zijn van juridische verantwoordelijkheid of aansprakelijkheid op internationaal niveau.”
“Uiteraard zijn we niet blind voor de historische verantwoordelijkheden van leden van het Belgisch Koningshuis en van de Belgische Staat in een koloniaal systeem dat gestoeld was op segregatie, economische uitbuiting, paternalisme en ontmenselijking”, aldus Ravyts. “De snelle ontmanteling van Congo Vrijstaat is onweerlegbaar mede bepaald door een aantal internationale rapporten rond het schandaal van verminkingen en onmenselijke arbeidsvoorwaarden bij de exploitatie van rubber. En de eindverantwoordelijkheid ligt hier onmiskenbaar bij Koning Leopold II.”
“Eventuele excuses staan op zichzelf als vorm van herstel, herstelbetalingen hoeven daar niet op te volgen”
“Maar de omvang van de schade aangericht door de arbeidsvoorwaarden bij de rubberexploitatie valt zeer moeilijk vast te leggen”, vervolgt Ravyts. “Wie zijn de rechthebbenden van de slachtoffers van toen? De Democratische Republiek Congo kan voor de gebeurtenissen die dateren van voor het VN Mensenrechtenverdrag van 1948 het Internationaal Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens niet unilateraal vatten.”
“Het Vlaams Belang zal zich blijven verzetten tegen elke vorm van herstelbetalingen, zowel in algemene zin als vanuit het bedrijfsleven”, besluit Ravyts. “Er treft de Vlaming van vandaag uiteraard geen enkele schuld en van herstelbetalingen omwille van een koloniaal verleden kan absoluut geen sprake zijn.”