PENA DE MORTE -- «Murderer executed in Utah» - AFP

Estou a acabar de ler L'Abolition de Robert Badinter. À superfície está toda a minha repugnância pela pena de morte.

Com grande espanto - ainda que devesse saber melhor - leio a execução de Ronnie Lee Gardner.

Há uma necessária contradição entre "somos defensores dos direitos humanos" e "aplicamos a pena de morte", mais do que contradição é paradoxo! São absolutamente incompatíveis, inconjugáveis tais afirmações.

Quando penso a pena de morte tantos argumentos saltam que se torna difícil começar a proferi-los. Porém, há um que devia vencer mesmo os seus adeptos: a morte de inocentes. Outro que deveria vencer os 'governantes', é o Estado que executa! Se o Estado mata, a lei mata, e se a lei permite o homicídio como executa quem o comete? Poderá haver homicídio legítimo (excluindo naturalmente a legítima defesa)? De forma alguma poderemos qualificar a execução do condenado como exercício da legítima defesa por parte do Estado (mesmo que preventiva)! A morte com a morte? - mesmo em caso de certeza absolutamente absoluta de que aquela pessoa matou aquela outra pessoa (dando o exemplo do homicídio).

Tem de repugnar a pena de morte. Contudo, a muitos não repugna. Passando os olhos por algumas imagens que completam as reportagens à volta da execução de Lee Gardner, não foi a da cadeira onde foi amarrado com um alvo branco no peito que mais me impressionou, foi a de familiares das suas vítimas a sorrirem, a exultarem, quando rejeitado um seu recurso.

Será um sentimento de vingança daqueles que pereceram nas suas mãos? O que importa?

Não há justiça, contrariamente ao que afirma o Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff - que anunciu no Twitter "I just gave the go ahead to the Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner's execution. (...)"!

No meio dos próximos das vítimas de Lee Gardner, Donna Nu, disse à CNN:

"Michael was a gentle soul. And he loved people and he loved life. And he would not have wanted Ronnie Lee to be killed, especially in his name." E acrescenta: "I think that we as a human race - - all the brilliant minds we have on this planet - - we could com up maybe with something better."

Como se pode banalizar a vida humana? - interrogação dirigida a todos, incluindo o Estado, que matam e que acham bem que se mate.

O artigo da AFP

«SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AFP) - A double-murderer became the first American prisoner in 14 years to be executed by firing squad here Friday, shot through the heart by a five-member team of sharpshooters.

Shackled to a chair and with a black hood covering his head, Ronnie Lee Gardner, 49, was gunned down at approximately 12.15 am (0620 GMT) local time in a brightly lit execution chamber at Utah State Prison.

Asked if he had any last words, Gardner replied: "I do not. No."

Utah Department of Corrections director Thomas Patterson told reporters Gardner was pronounced dead two minutes after being shot.

"This is an unusual task but one we have done professionally," Patterson said. "It has been done with absolute dignity and reverence for human life.

"It's been a balancing act of being sensitive to the families who lost loved ones and the family who lost a loved one tonight."

Journalists who witnessed the execution reported seeing Gardner's arm twitch up and down after the firing squad had blasted their 30/30 caliber Winchester rifles at at a small target placed over Gardner's heart.

"It was so sudden, so quick. Boom, boom, just like that. We didn't get a countdown. It happened so quickly," added Marcos Ortiz of KTVX TV.

Gardner's gruesome death was billed as a bloody throwback to the days of Old West justice, the first execution of its kind in the United States for more than a decade and possibly the last ever.

But there was an unmistakably 21st century twist to his final minutes of life when Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff used micro-blogging site Twitter to announce he had given the final approval for the execution.

"I just gave the go-ahead to Corrections Department to proceed with Gardner's execution," Shurtleff tweeted shortly before Gardner was shot. "May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims."

Firing squads were outlawed by Utah in 2004 but the ban was not retroactive, allowing Gardner the freedom to opt for the gruesome method instead of lethal injection during a hearing in April.

Gardner had spent 25 years on death row for gunning down an attorney in a failed bid to escape from a court room in 1985 during a murder trial. His case had renewed debate about use of the death penalty in the United States and divided family and friends of his victims.

Loved ones of lawyer Michael Burdell, shot dead by Gardner in his botched escape attempt, have said they were against his execution because Burdell opposed the death penalty.

"Michael was a gentle soul. And he loved people and he loved life. And he would not have wanted Ronnie Lee to be killed, especially in his name," Donna Nu, Burdell's fiance told CNN earlier Thursday.

"I think that we as a human race -- all the brilliant minds we have on this planet -- we could come up maybe with something better."

Gardner's death came after a day which saw his lawyers fail with multiple appeals to have the execution stayed, lobbying Utah Governor Gary Herbert, a federal court in Denver and the US Supreme Court. All three bids were rejected.

"Upon careful review, there is nothing in the materials provided this morning that has not already been considered and decided by the Board of Pardons and Parole or numerous courts," Herbert wrote.

"Mr Gardner has had a full and fair opportunity to have his case considered by numerous tribunals."

The Utah Department of Corrections said Gardner was "relaxed" Thursday, spending the day reading a David Baldacci novel -- "Divine Justice" -- while watching "The Lord of the Rings" fantasy trilogy.

He was served his final meal -- steak, lobster, apple pie, vanilla ice cream and 7-Up -- on Tuesday before choosing to commence a 48-hour fast before his execution for undisclosed reasons.

He met his attorney during the morning, after saying goodbye to his brother and daughter on Wednesday through prison bars.

Gardner requested none of his family members be present at his execution, which was witnessed by a small group of state officials, relatives of Gardner's victims and journalists from local media outlets.»

IRAN - - UN nuclear sanctions vote

Tanto as (eventuais) sanções como a reacção de Ahmadinejad estão na ordem do dia.

Ahmadinejad alerta Putin para não se colocar do lado dos inimigos do Irão (alegada e nomeadamente dos Estados Unidos da América)

«Mr. Ahmadinejad, speaking on Tuesday in Istanbul where he is attendig a regional summit, said that if the US did not change its position "the first ones to lose would be President Obama and the people of the United States". 

Mr. Ahmadinejad also urged Russia to be "careful not to be beside the enemies of the Iranian people".»

e alerta o Mundo: não são as sanções que nos levarão a debater a questão do armamento nuclear. 

«" I have said that if the American government and its allies think that they can raise a baton called a resolution and then sit and talk to us, they are strongly mistaken."»

Não me parece que o meio mais apropriado para atingir o fim do desarmamento nuclear seja o da "sanção", porém alguma coisa tem de ser feita, e as negociações têm de (pros)seguir! No entanto, ainda que na prática o possa ser, não podemos depender da boa vontade do Irão, nem nos podemos subjugar às suas condições sem mais! Ameaças?

Obama foi prémio nobel da paz sobretudo pela sua política de desarmamento nuclear, há que a pôr em prática real. 

Leio na Reuters: "The United States and other powers have rejected the deal and submitted extended sanctions to the Security Council last month for approval. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes". 

Como é possível a conjugação de tais termos numa mesma frase? Ingenuamente ou não, não consigo perceber que "peaceful purposes" podem ser alcançados através de armamento nuclear! 

A política de desarmamento tem de ser efectiva em todos os países, inclusivamente no Estados Unidos. Nenhum pais, mas sobretudo um país como o Irão, admitirá abdicar do seu poder - designadamente do poder de aterrorizar - se o 'outro' não fizer o mesmo! 

É chocante o poder que o Irão tem, não só sobre si próprio como também sobre os demais países...

A afirmação Rússia/Estados Unidos (que, para o Irão, seria o mesmo que dizer amigo/inimigo) fez-me lembrar o tempo em que o mundo era bipolar. Não queremos isso. Queremos que diplomaticamente a situação tenha um bom desfecho quer imediato quer a longo prazo. 

@ BBC - - Ahmadinejad defiant ahead of UN nuclear sanctions vote 

@ Reuters - - Sanctions against Iran agreed: Russian official

Blockade

A União Europeia tem de intervir! A ONU tem de intervir! Não podem ficar de braços cruzados à espera! E ainda por cima de sobreaviso, já que Israel preveniu: "Nous serons (...) prêts pour le Rachel-Corrie”!! Vão as forças internacionais deixar que “Rachel Corrie” seja interceptado(a)?

Excertos de um artigo da Reuters e o artigo publicado hoje no Le Monde.

«(...)

Israel said it would deport 682 activists from more than 35 countries detained after the assault in international waters on Monday on six aid ships bound for Gaza, where Hamas Islamists opposed to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hold sway.

By midday on Wednesday, about 200 activists had been transferred from a holding centre to Ben-Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, a Prisons Service spokesman said, and 123 passed through a border crossing into neighbouring Jordan.

The remaining activists would be released throughout the day, the spokesman said. All have been held incommunicado by Israeli authorities.

Praising naval commandos for an operation that Israeli military affairs commentators have described as bungled, Barak said at the marines' base near the port of Haifa that they had carried out their mission under difficult circumstances.

(...)

INVESTIGATION APPEAL

In an appeal echoed by Washington, the U.N. Security Council called for an impartial investigation of the deaths.

(...)

Another attempt to bust the blockade loomed on the horizon: The MV Rachel Corrie, a converted merchant ship bought by pro-Palestinian activists and named after an American woman killed in the Gaza Strip in 2003, set off on Monday from Malta.

It is carrying 15 activists, including a Northern Irish Nobel Peace laureate, and expects to be at the point of Monday's interception between Friday evening and Saturday morning, crew member Derek Graham told Irish state broadcaster RTE.

Asked how Israel planned to deal with any new attempt to steam into Gaza, Tzachi Hanegbi, head of parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, said: "We cannot let them blur the red line Israel has set. Letting them in to help Hamas is not an option."

(...)» @ Reuters, by Jeffrey Heller

«Le "Rachel-Corrie" vient défier le blocus naval de Gaza

L’opération sanglante de l'armée israélienne contre la flottille se rendant à Gaza ne les a pas dissuadés : les militants pro-palestiniens à bord du Rachel-Corrie qui se sont jurés de briser le blocus de la bande de Gaza, malgré les avertissements de la marine israélienne et l'assaut de lundi, approchent du territoire palestinien. Le navire devrait arriver devant Gaza mercredi 2 juin vers 15 heures. Le Rachel-Corrie, navire de commerce qui porte le nom d'une Américaine tuée dans la bande de Gaza en 2003, a appareillé lundi de Malte avec quinze militants à son bord, dont l'Irlandaise Maired Corrigan-Maguire, lauréate du prix Nobel de la paix en 1976.

Le premier ministre irlandais, Brian Cowen, a indiqué que le navire était propriété irlandaise et estimé qu'il devait être autorisé à terminer sa mission. "Le gouvernement a formellement demandé au gouvernement israélien de permettre au navire, de propriété irlandaise, d'être autorisé à terminer son trajet sans obstacle et à décharger sa cargaison à Gaza", a dit le chef du gouvernement devant les parlementaires. "Notre initiative vise à briser le blocus israélien imposé aux 1,5 million de Gazaouis. Notre mission n'a pas changé et ce ne sera pas la dernière flottille", a déclaré Greta Berlin, membre du mouvement Gaza libre, situé à Chypre.

LA MARINE ISRAÉLIENNE PRÊTE À INTERCEPTER LE NAVIRE

A New York, les Nations unies ont invité mardi toutes les parties concernées à la prudence au large de Gaza. "Nous suivons de près les événements. Et au vu de ce qui s'est passé[hier], nous réitérons notre appel à toutes les parties concernées pour qu'elles agissent avec prudence et responsabilité, en vue d'une solution satisfaisante", a déclaré Marie Okabe, porte-parole de l'ONU. "Toutes les parties doivent agir en conformité avec le droit international et éviter les provocations, à ce stade délicat de la situation", a-t-elle continué.

La marine israélienne est prête à intercepter le navire, a assuré un officier, signalant que l'assaut de lundi, dans lequel neuf militants pro-palestiniens ont été tués, n'aurait pas d'incidence immédiate sur les décisions militaires. "Nous serons (...) prêts pour le Rachel-Corrie", a-t-il prévenu. La radio a confirmé que le bateau était attendu mercredi dans les eaux de la bande de Gaza. Greta Berlin a toutefois indiqué qu'il pourrait ne pas arriver à destination avant le début de la semaine prochaine.

Le bateau appartient à la flottille arraisonnée lundi, mais sa faible vitesse l'a laissé loin derrière les autres, explique Mark Daly, un parlementaire irlandais qui devait être du voyage mais n'a pas obtenu l'autorisation de quitter Chypre. "Après une discussion entre eux sur la marche à suivre, ils ont décidé de continuer, et le dernier contact (...) remonte à hier soir 18 heures", a dit l'élu. LeRachel-Corrie transporte 1 200 tonnes de matériel médical, de chaises roulantes, de fournitures scolaires et de ciment, matériau dont les autorités israéliennes interdisent la livraison dans la bande de Gaza, selon les organisateurs. Outre Maired Corrigan-Maguire, l'ancien diplomate irlandais Denis Hallyday, qui a officié aux Nations unies, fait partie de l'équipage.»

@Le Monde 

DIA DA CRIANÇA!

Hoje é um dia muito importante, reservado a às crianças.

Associamos, as mais das vezes de uma forma quase intuitiva, o dia da criança a "quero um presente", não podíamos estar mais enganados...é muitíssimo mais.

Fiquei a saber, desconhecia por completo, que este dia é "originário" da Turquia.

«Official discourse in Turkey argues that Children's Day had its origin in Turkey. The Grand National Assembly of Turkey was established on 1920, April 23, and to commemorate the event, April 23 was proclaimed a national holiday in 1921. Since 1927 it has also become Children's Day (Turkish: Çocuk Bayramı), an official holiday dedicated to the children of Turkey and the world. The day is celebrated annually in Turkey with spectacular activities.

This national day (23 April National Sovereignty and Children's Day) is a unique event. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, dedicated April 23 to the children of the country to emphasize that they are the future of the new nation and entrusted in their hands the protection of this sovereignty and independence.

Every year, the children in Turkey celebrate this "Sovereignty and Children's Day" as a national holiday. (...)

Over the last two decades, the Turkish officials have been working hard to internationalize this important day. Their efforts resulted in large number of world states' sending groups of children to Turkey to participate in the above stated festivities. During their stay in Turkey, the foreign children are housed in Turkish homes which provides opportunities for cultural exchange for all participants. They also participate in the GNA special session which results to be a truly "International Assembly", where children pledge their commitment to international peace and brotherhood.» (@ wikipedia).

E fiquei também a saber que há o dia internacional da criança e o dia universal da criança, este último criado pelas Nações Unidas, pela resolução 836 (IX) de 1954.

«836 (IX). Universal Children’s Day

The General Assembly

Considering that the obligations of the United Nations to succeeding generations can only be fulfilled by increased efforts on behalf of the children of the world, who are the citizens of tomorrow and that the world-wide observance of a children’s day would contribute to human solidarity and co-operation between nations,

Believing that the objectives of the Charter can best be realized if they inspired and are shared by the children of the world,

Recalling  the increased interest  in the work  of and the support given in the United Nations Children’s Fund and its acceptance as an integral part of the United Nations, and that various resolutions relating to children adopted by the General Assembly have shown the Organization’s concern for children in all parts of the world,

Considering the increasing attention given by States and peoples to a better observance of the rights of mothers and children, as well as the action of civic, social, professional and cultural institutions, national, international and regional, on behalf of children,

Expressing its appreciation of the work done by governmental and voluntary organizations for the children of the world, including the observance in a certain number of countries of a Universal Children’s Day, 

Considering that the observance of Universal Children’s Day should be used for a concrete and effective expression of the support of Governments for the purposes of UNICEF,

1. Recommends that, with effect form, 1956, a Universal Children’s Day shall be instituted by all countries, to be observed as a day of world-wide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity devoted to the promotion of the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world, and to the strengthening and broadening of the efforts made by the United Nations in favour and on behalf of all the children in the world;

2. Suggests to the Governments of all Sates that Universal Children’s Day be observed on the date in the way which each considers appropriate;

3. Also invites the cultural, professional, trade union workers’ and social welfare organizations, for men and women, to support and co-operate actively in the observance of Universal Children’s Day;

4. Requests the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund, in co-operation with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organizations, to take steps in accordance with the present resolution and to include in its annual reports a report on progress achieved in accordance with the above recommendations.

512th plenary meeting,

14 December 1954.»

São mais que muitos os movimentos pelas crianças, são mais do que muitas as iniciativas - às mais diversas escalas - que procuram promover a protecção e bem estar das crianças.

A fome, a guerra, os maus tratos, a pedofilia são temas incessantemente abordados... Como é sequer imaginável que crianças passem fome? Como é sequer imaginável que não se protejam, em palcos de guerra, as crianças? Como é sequer imaginável que se maltratem as crianças? Violência, com o ser mais inocente do mundo, como?

As mais da vezes as crianças nem sabem porque lhes acontece o que lhes está a acontecer e a quem caberia dar-lhes tal explicação também não a tem! Claro que não tem! Não se explica porque não há motivo para tamanhas atrocidades.

Custa-me a compreender que, com a quantidade de recursos que há no mundo, crianças passem fome, vivam na mais perfeita e pura das misérias.

Se cada um de nós ajudar fará diferença! Não podemos encostar-nos só porque não vemos a diferença, porque ajudamos hoje, mas amanhã, 'aquela' criança poderá não receber a ajuda de que necessita. Porque ainda que hoje denunciemos a violência, "provavelmente" não adiantará... FAZ DIFERENÇA! ADIANTA SIM!

Como diz o nosso fantástico Fernando Pessoa "o melhor do mundo são as crianças". Façamos todos e cada um de nós alguma coisa pelo que de melhor há no mundo!

"El Poder Judicial suspende a Baltasar Garzón por investigar los crímenes del franquismo"

O mundo democrático parou quando suspenderam Baltasar Garzón e acompanha-o de forma expectante.

A justiça condena a Justiça e impede que se faça Justiça. 

Estamos perante um duplo caso de atentado contra os direitos humanos.

Crimes terríveis foram cometidos com Franco, finalmente largos passos se estavam a dar para que Justiça fosse feita, o problema surge quando um juiz abre inquérito, juiz que por aquela lutava. 

Lamentavelmente, por unanimidade Baltasar Garzón é retirado das suas funções. A impunidade do crime e a inerente injustiça para as vítimas permanecerá ad aeternum.... 

Alguns artigos:

@ El País: El Poder Judicial suspende a Baltasar Garzón por investigar los crímenes del franquismo

@ Le Monde: Espagne : le juge Baltasar Garzon suspendu de ses fonctions

@ BBC: Crusading Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon is suspended

@ Aljazeera:  Spanish judge Garzon suspended

@ Ny Times: Spain: Noted Judge Suspended

@ Reuters: Spain protests against Franco-era immunity

@ O Globo: Juiz Baltasar Garzón é suspenso pela Justiça da Espanha

'Top New York Judge Urges Legal Rights for the Poor'

Em 1963, o Supremo Tribunal dos Estados Unidos estabeleceu, para os processos-crime, em que o acusado arrisca uma pena de prisão e a sua liberade futura dependente pois fortemente da defesa que puder opor, o direito a um advogado, quando o acusado não pode pagá-lo do seu bolso. 
Em 2010, o Presidente do Supremo de Nova York propõe alargar este mesmo direito ao processo civil. 
A igualdade perante a lei só pode ser real se todos tiverem, em igualdade de circunstâncias, e independentemente da sua situação económica, igual acesso ao direito. Embora sem arriscar a perda da liberdade, o réu (num processo civil) pode ver coarctados direitos basilares e posto em causa o acesso a necessidades básicas, como a habitação ou a saúde.
A liberdade é muito mais do que a estrita liberdade de movimentar-se no espaço de que a prisão, pena reservada ao crime, priva. É também, no sentido do exercício pleno dos direitos, poder discutir a guarda dos filhos, assegurar o direito de estar com os filhos e intervir na sua educação. É poder receber aquilo a que se tem direito, a retribuição justa do trabalho, por exemplo, e não ser obrigado a pagar aquilo que realmente não se deve... É também, ainda, não ser despejado sem motivo, e receber cuidados de saúde diligentes e não negligentes. Todos estes exemplos, e muitos outros haveria, pertencem à esfera do direito civil.... 

A garantia da igualdade entre os cidadãos (perante a lei), independentemente da natureza da causa tem de 'ser' e não pode, de forma alguma, depender da capacidade económico-financeira de quem pretende exercer um direito inalienável tanto em matéria civil como criminal: o de defesa.
«New York’s chief judge called on Monday for a new guarantee of a lawyer for poor people in civil cases, like suits over eviction and other disputes where basic needs are at stake, pushing the state to the forefront of a national effort to expand the right to representation for the indigent.
Jonathan Lippman, said his proposal, the first such plan by a top court official in New York, reflected a commitment by the state’s courts “to bring us closer to the ideal of equal access to civil justice” that he described as one of the foundations of the legal system.
“I am not talking about a single initiative, pilot project or temporary program,” Judge Lippman said, “but what I believe must be a comprehensive, multifaceted, systemic approach to providing counsel to the indigent in civil cases.”
There was no price tag on the proposal, which could cost many millions of dollars. But Judge Lippman sought to avoid having it fall victim to the politics of the recession by announcing that he would hold hearings before pushing a detailed plan forward next year.
The government has been required to provide lawyers for people facing jail because of criminal charges since a landmark ruling by the United States Supreme Court in 1963, Gideon v. Wainwright.
But that protection has never included civil cases. Lawyers for the poor argue that it should because civil courts are where people who cannot afford lawyers often face the loss of the necessities of life in lopsided legal battles. Opponents say more government-paid lawyers for the poor will paralyze the courts with needless disputes.
(...)
Advocates for the right to a lawyer in civil cases — some of them call it a “civil Gideon” right, referring to the 1963 ruling for criminal cases — said Monday that Judge Lippman’s speech was one of the most notable steps in their efforts.
(...)
In his speech, Judge Lippman said the recession had swelled the ranks of New Yorkers who could not afford lawyers facing civil legal problems to more than two million a year.
(...)
Steven Banks, the attorney in chief of the Legal Aid Society in the city, called it “a huge step” for the leader of the court system to endorse the idea that poor people had a right to a lawyer, whether they found themselves in criminal or civil court.»
@ NY Times

«Jean Ferrat 'c'était ma jeunesse'»

Em homenagem transcrevo um artigo do Le Monde e deixo a sugestão para ouvirem La Montagne, música que ainda este domingo foi cantada por tantos que na rua estavam, na Rue Mouffetard.

A voz permanecerá…

 «Chaude et grave, la voix de Jean Ferrat était entrée dans les foyers français en 1964 avec "La Montagne". Les internautes du Monde.fr rendent hommage au chanteur mort le 13 mars.

Disparition par Isabelle Kotchian

Papa m'a dit: "c'était ma jeunesse". J'ai répondu : "c'était mon enfance". Après Reggiani, Brel, Ferré... C'était le dernier artiste résistant à l'absurdité de notre monde. Son décès m'a touché, et mes parents aussi. La peur de les perdre s'est faite soudain plus intense.

La première fois par Pascal C

La première fois, j'avais 13 ans. J'étais assis devant la chaine hi-fi et je découvrais le 33 toursFerrat chante Aragon. Un vrai choc ! Ma toute première émotion artistique ! La voie et la musique de Ferrat avec les mots d'Aragon, c'était tellement beau que j'ai pleuré tout le long du disque. Après, j'ai découvert Brassens, puis plus tard Ferré. Mais lui, Jean Ferrat, c'était l'exemple, le monument de la grâce, de l'engagement et de l'intégrité réunis. Lui, c'était ma première fois. Impossible d'oublier.

Modulation d'émotion par Jacques Lavani

En 1966, il était passé au Palmarès des chansons. Mes parents n'avaient pas la télévision. Je me rappelle avoir écouté la retransmission de l'émission sur les ondes de France-Inter, à partir d'un transistor Radiola des années 50, en modulation d'amplitude. Pourquoi diable n'ai-je le souvenir, à propos de cette soirée, que de "Potemkine" et de "Nuit et Brouillard" ?

Jean de ma jeunesse par Françoise Oignet

Des souvenirs de ma jeunesse militante me reviennent. J'avais 15 ans en 1964, je venais de perdre mon père. J'ai tout de suite aimé cet artiste qui avait le don de mettre des mots justes sur le devoir de mémoire, sa lutte contre toutes les formes d'exclusions, son combat contre l'oppression politique quelle qu'elle soit. Sa voix chantait aussi bien la liberté que l'amour.

Vu d'Alger par Nora Kaci

J'ai ecouté Jean Ferrat la première fois à l'age de 13 ans dans un collège d'Alger en Algerie. Mon prof à l'époque s'appellait M. Paulus René. Il nous a ouvert la porte de la culture française et de la poésie avec "La Montagne" et j'ai aimé cette chanson. Un vrai coup de foudre. Je l'ai apprise par coeur et transmise à mes filles. Il avait une façon si belle de chanter les femmes, les paysans et ceux qui souffrent. Il nous manquera.

Une lumière dans la longue nuit de pierre par Perfecto Conde

À Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, la ville où j'ai fait mes études universitaires et dans la quelle a eu un fort mouvement des étudiants en 1968, Jean Ferrat a été une veritable lumière dans la longue nuit de pierre du fanquisme. Il restera toujours avec nous. Comme Brassens, Leo Ferré, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Edith Piaf, Juliette Greco, Charles Aznavour, Georges Moustaki, Fabrizzio de André, José Afonso, Carlos do Carmos, etc.

Dans la salle Atlas par Omar Zelig

Dans les années 1970, la salle Atalas de Bab el-Oued recevait Reggiani, Moustaki, Ferré ou Ferrat, avec Isabelle Aubret en première partie. Les communistes du parti de l'avant-garde socialiste étaient là, en famille, et Jean Ferrat faisait reprendre en choeur à la salle "hou hou méfions nous les flics sont partout". On aurait peut-être dû l'écouter.

"On ne voit pas le temps passer" par Sophie.

Petite fille dans les années 1960, j'ai été bercée par ses chansons sans trop les comprendre. Je me souviens de ma mère écoutant en boucle sur notre électrophone "On ne voit pas le temps passer" qui était la musique du film La vieille dame indigne. Je ne comprenais pas trop cet engouement : moi, je préférais mille fois écouter Joe Dassin! Plus tard, alors que j'étais étudiante, j'ai redécouvert ses textes, notamment "Nuit et Brouillard" et "Potemkine". J'ai acheté à mon tour mon premier vinyl. Encore aujourd'hui, je ne peux pas écouter sa voix sans être remplie de frissons.

Potemkine et les yéyés par Bernadette Houssiere

Au temps des yéyés, quand mes copains se régalaient de Johnny et compagnie, du haut de mes 16 ans, je me démarquais en aimant la chanson poétique. Je découvrais Jean Ferrat et l'amour de ses chansons ne m'a jamais quittée. Je suis toujours émue en écoutant "Nuit et brouillard", "Potemkine" ou "Ma France". Je n'ai malheureusement jamais eu la chance de le voir sur scène. Ses apparitions télé étaient bien rares. Je m'étais promis de lui écrire pour lui dire mon admiration. Il est parti avant que j'ai pu le faire.

Une sorte de "père ideal" par Frederic Bertolino

Je suis né en 1970. Ce sont mes parents qui m'ont fait decouvrir Ferrat. J'adorais "Sacre Felicien". J'ai decouvert ses chansons engagees, ou celles plus poetiques en grandissant. Mes parents qui n'allaient jamais à des concerts s'étaient rendus à Montbéliard pour le voir avant ma naissance. Ils m'en parlaient comme d'un évènement extraordinaire. Il y avait une certaine ressemblance entre mon père et Ferrat. Sa disparitionme donne cette impression d'avoir perdu quelqu'un de proche comme s'il était de ma propre famille.

Une modestie naturelle par Chantal Delpech

Jean Ferrat, pour moi, c'est plus de 45 ans d'admiration et je dirai d'amour au sens large du terme. Me reviennent au coeur toutes ses chansons, bien sûr "Nuit et brouillard", "Potemkine", "Ma France", mais d'autres moins connues et moins engagées, mais aussi belles, "La matinée", en duo avec Christine Sèvres, sa première épouse, "Oural, Ouralou" en souvenir de son chien tant aimé... J'ai eu la chance de le voir sur scène à Bordeaux, en 1970, avec Isabelle Aubret. Ce fut un grand moment de partage, même si son allure dégingandée le rendait assez gauche sur scène. Mais quels textes, quelle voix, et puis la chance de l'approcher, de lui parler, après le récital, comme on disait alors, en toute simplicité, il semblait presque, avec sa modestie naturelle, plus intimidé que moi!» (sic)