BAKU: The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) is preparing to host a press conference on October 25 to unveil a report focusing on human rights abuses in territories overseas controlled by France. The event aims to increase global awareness of significant violations occurring in these regions.

According to Trend News Agency, the press conference will cover a range of critical issues, including environmental disasters, the erosion of cultural heritage, the disappearance of local languages, and educational rights violations. The report highlights concerns such as nuclear testing impacts in French Polynesia, nickel mining in New Caledonia, and eco-terrorism in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Mayotte. It also addresses health rights violations, discrimination in education, access to information, electoral rights, and infringements on cultural and religious freedoms. A notable point is France’s suspension of reporting to the United Nations on these territories, which has stalled international discussions on human rights conc
erns.

The conference will feature testimonies from witnesses and victims of human rights violations, who will share their experiences and the challenges faced by their communities, including struggles against French cultural and political dominance. The report includes statements from Eric Simoni of the Nazione party and Herve Pinto, president of the “Collective for Justice” in Martinique, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Officials from New Caledonia claim that France imprisons them as political prisoners, further supporting allegations of French aggression.

This event is part of BIG’s broader project titled “Strengthening Global Initiatives Against Neocolonialism and Colonialism,” carried out with the support of the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.