Category Archives: Human Rights

September 15, 2012 · 9:10 am

So simple, so profound

“Sit with us,” they asked.
I sat. I sit.
So simple, so profound.

“Listen to us,” they asked.
I listened. I listen.
So simple, so profound.

“Grieve with us,” they asked.
I grieved. I grieve.
So simple, so profound.

“Weep with us,” they asked.
I wept. I weep.
“So simple, so profound.

“Remember us,” they asked.
I remember. I remembered.
So simple, so profound.

“Stand with us, they asked.
I stood. I will stand.
So simple, so profound.

Everything they asked
I did, I will do.
So simple, so profound.

Yet as I did, I wondered.
As I do, I wonder still.
Is it enough?

15 September 2012
Shire on the Hudson

 

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September 13, 2012 · 7:49 pm

Sometimes we sit in witness

The country matters. Context always matters. Each situation plays out in unique ways due to the specific circumstances in which the people find themselves and place helps shape those circumstances.

The country matters not.  What my sisters and brother told me could happen – happen exactly as they described it or happen as variations on a theme – in too many countries of the world.

We sat in our conference room and they told me of human rights abuses in their country of birth. Each of them had fled for various reasons. And while they each fled to different countries first, they all ended up in New York.

At first they told horrible, but generic stories. Stories of torture, disappearance, deprivation, separation, violation. Such stories prove hard for me to read; they prove harder still to hear – to hear from sisters and a brother who know the people, the children of God, who are ill-used and abused. But out of respect for God’s children, I refuse to turn away from such stories. I read and sit in witness. Out of respect for God’s children, I refused to turn away this afternoon. I sat in witness.

Then they told the stories of their family …

… of cousins tortured …

… of brothers killed …

… of a sister repeatedly raped and finally shot …

… one bullet to the brain.

“I have two sons,” F. said as tears dribbled down her cheeks. “I do not know where my sons are. Do you know what it is like for a mother not to know where her sons are? Not to know if they are safe? Not to know what might be happe … ?” She could not finish, did not need to finish. I do not know. I can never know. I can only imagine what it might be like for a father. I can never know her pain, her grief, her anguish. I can only sit in witness, honored that she would share it with me.

Tears flowed from eight eyes.

The stories continued until they had spent their need to talk. Pain and heartache filled the silence surrounding us.

Finally, B. spoke, “But we have hope.”

And my heart cracked again. Unconquerable love breaks our hearts as surely as does unspeakable evil.

“We have hope. And we will continue to work to change things in our country.”

More tears flowed into the silence that followed but, at least for me, hope and courage and grace now danced amid the moisture on my cheeks. I wiped away the snot that clogged my nose. And somehow I had the good sense to say nothing, but simply to sit in witness.

M. broke the silence by asking me to look for ways to support them and to pray for them, for those they love, and for their country.

I did. I will. They stood to leave. We shook hands. We hugged. They left. And I remember. I pray. I write in witness. And I wonder what more I will do. To be continued …

See you along the Trail.

As I was writing this entry, a friend posted a link on Facebook to a story that spoke to me in similar ways: ‘Comfort Woman’ Activist Still Going Strong at 89. Ms. Kim Bok-dong was forced to serve as a “comfort woman” during World War II. For years, she and other survivors lived silently with their scars. But in 1991, things changed when a Japanese government official blamed the system of “comfort women” on civilians, denying any government culpability, the women broke their silence and told their stories seeking an acknowledgement of the truth in an effort to “help other victims who go through the same atrocities.” In March 2012, Ms. Kim Bok-dong founded the Butterfly Fund to aid victims of sexual violence in Congo, Afghanistan and Uganda.

Unspeakable evil and unconquerable love break my heart once again. Thank you, Yena, for sharing this story at this time and for our brief virtual chat.

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September 10, 2012 · 11:27 pm

Call for clemency in Pennsylvania

Terrance Williams is scheduled to be executed by the people of Pennsylvania on October 3, 2012 for his role in the murder of Amos Norwood.

People of Faith Against the Death Penalty and Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty are partnering to ask Pennsylvania religious leaders to endorse a letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons appealing for clemency for Mr. Williams.

Time is of the essence. If you are a religious leader living in Pennsylvania, please support this call for clemency by endorsing the letter here.

If you know religious leaders who live in Pennsylvania, please encourage them to take immediate action.

See you along the Trail.

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September 9, 2012 · 11:46 pm

Act on behalf of Palestinian hunger strikers

Samidoun has issued a call to action on behalf of Palestinian hunger strikers:

Samer al-Barq has now been on hunger strike for 105 days, in addition to 30 days prior on hunger strike with the mass prisoners’ hunger strike in April-May 2012, and is now the longest serving hunger striker anywhere in the world, having taken over this title from fellow Palestinian prisoner Akram Rikhawi.

He is joined on hunger strike by Hassan Safadi, who has now been on hunger strike for 75 days, on top of a 71-day long-term hunger strike including the April-May 2012 period, and Ayman Sharawna, who has now been refusing food for 65 days. All three are suffering from serious medical conditions, including major kidney problems, unconsciousness, and suppressed immune systems, as confirmed by Addameer, Physicians for Human Rights and al-Haq.

1. Sign a letter demanding the Israeli state transfer Samer al-Barq, Hassan Safadi and Ayman Sharawna immediately to hospitals and release them. Tell the Israeli Prison Services that the world is watching! 

2. Sign a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross and demand it uphold its responsibilities to Palestinian prisoners and act to save the lives of Samer al-Barq, Hassan Safadi and Ayman Sharawna. 

I have taken both actions.

See you along the Trail.

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August 19, 2012 · 11:48 pm

Making the most of our time: Roberto Clemente

I had not planned to make this post. It is an excerpt from a sermon I preached today. However, thanks to a friend, I learned that yesterday would have been Roberto Clemente’s 78th birthday and posting seemed important. The text is Ephesians 5:15-20.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) met in Pittsburgh this summer. For some of those who attending, this marked the first time they had journeyed to the city built around three rivers. For me, it marked something of a homecoming. As I child, my family lived for about eight years on Neville Island about five or six miles from where the Ohio River begins in Pittsburgh.

Much has changed over the years since my family lived there. But when I walked into the Westin Hotel, I knew that I had returned home. There on the wall hung a picture of Roberto Clemente—the hero of my childhood who has remained my hero through the years.

Clemente hailed from Puerto Rico and played right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 18 years. One of the first Hispanic players, he played in the face of prejudice—he faced jeers and slurs. People who had only one language mocked him for speaking English—his second language—poorly. Because of the prejudice against Hispanic players and because he played in the small market town of Pittsburgh, Clemente never received the acclaim as a player that he deserved until late in his career.

And he deserved acclaim because he could play. He won twelve Golden Gloves for his defense. He had one of the strongest throwing arms that has ever been seen. He ended his career with 3,000 hits.

The people of Puerto Rico and Pittsburgh admired Clemente for his athletic ability but even more we admired him and we admire him for the way he lived his life off the field. In the words of Ephesians, he “made the most of his time.”

Clemente engaged in humanitarian work in Puerto Rico and in Pittsburgh alike. He demanded respect for himself and the people of Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. He worked for people who lived in poverty and responded to the needs of his sisters and brothers. He reached out to children and provided them with opportunities to develop their own athletic talents. In 1973, Clemente was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the first Presidential Citizens Medal. In 2002, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Baseball has named its annual award for community involvement after Clemente.

A massive earthquake hit Managua, Nicaragua on December 21, 1972. The quake devastated the city, with thousands either dead or left homeless. Clemente organized relief efforts in Puerto Rico. When he learned that some of the aid had ended up in the pockets of the leaders and had not reached the people of Nicaragua, Clemente decided to deliver the next shipment personally. On New Year’s Eve, he stepped into a DC-7 plane along with the supplies and headed for Nicaragua. Not long after takeoff the plane suddenly lost altitude and crashed somewhere into the waters off Puerto Rico. Clemente’s body was never found.

I tell his story this morning, because the United Nations has designated today, August 19, as World Humanitarian Day. The day marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. That bombing killed 22 people present to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Iraq. The UN chose the day to pay tribute to Sergio Vieira de Mello and the other individuals who died in Iraq and others who gave their lives while seeking to serve sisters and brothers in need.

It is also a day to give thanks for those individuals and groups who continue to help people around the world, regardless of who they are and where they are. It is a day when we remember that we all can make a difference when we show that we care and do something for someone else. In the language of the church, this is a day to invite, to challenge us all to make the most of our time by loving others as God in Jesus Christ loves us. Of course that is not just a task for a day—it is a calling for a lifetime.

On this World Humanitarian Day, I give thanks for the life and witness of Roberto Clemente. I advocated for an end to violence against women and for the strong regulations on minerals that fuel conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places. And I made a financial gift to efforts to address leukemia. Tomorrow I will need to find other actions.

See you along the Trail.

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July 25, 2012 · 4:15 pm

End violence against women, says Orange Day

I originally posted a version of this on my work blog.

Today was the first Orange Day.

The UNiTE campaign has proclaimed every 25th of the month as Orange Day, to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women and girls, not only once a year on 25 November (the International Day to End Violence against Women), but every month!

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.

UNiTE brings together a host of UN agencies and offices to galvanize action across the UN system to prevent and punish violence against women.

Through UNiTE, the UN is joining forces with individuals, civil society and governments to put an end to violence against women in all its forms.

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July 18, 2012 · 10:51 pm

Execution in Texas, postponement in Georgia

Texas executed Yokamon Hearn today. Hearn had been convicted of the 1998 murder of Dallas stockbroker Frank Meziere following a carjacking. Hearn had appealed his sentence on the grounds of his mental disabilities and inadequate legal advice early in his case. Courts denied those appeals.

I grieve for the family and friends of Frank Meziere. I recognize that Hearn had a previous criminal record. But imprisoning Hearn for life would have protected society from him.

Today in Georgia, the Department of Corrections postponed the execution of Warren Hill (who was convicted of the murder of Joseph Handspike). They did not do so because of concerns related to his mental abilities. The State Board of Pardons and Parole denied his appeal for clemency on those grounds. His lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to stay his execution on those grounds.

The postponement came because Georgia is changing its execution protocol to use only one drug, pentobarbital. Interestingly enough, Texas used the same drug to execute Hearn.

I grieve for the family and friends of Joseph Handspike. Again, however, imprisoning Hill for life would protect society from him.

Executions do not reverse horrible crimes. Violence begets violence. We have alternatives.

See you along the Trail.

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July 16, 2012 · 6:16 pm

Speak for Palestinian hunger strikers

An agreement with Israeli authorities ended this spring’s mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. Mahmoud Sarsak has been released and returned to Gaza.

But three Palestinian prisoners continue the nonviolent protest of hunger strike. Contact Israeli officials on their behalf.

Akram al-Rikhawi has now been on hunger strike for 95 days. The longest hunger striker, he suffers from numerous medical conditions, including diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, glaucoma, kidney problems and immune deficiency. He remained on strike after the May 14 agreement because it did not address his unique situation of early release on medical grounds.

From Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

It is urgent that Israeli officials hear that the ongoing hunger strikes of Palestinian prisoners, Akram Rikhawi, Samer al-Barq, and Hassan Safadi are being followed around the world. Rikhawi – in poor health – is on his 95th day of hunger strike! Tell the Israelis that people around the world are demanding their freedom and are monitoring the situation of Palestinian prisoners and hold the Israeli officials responsible for their lives. Use this form to send a letter of protest to Israeli officials.

Samidoun reports that:

Samer al-Barq has now been on hunger strike since May 22, for 55 days, protesting Israeli violations of the agreement with the prisoners – after his own administrative detention, rather than expiring as agreed by the Israelis at the end of the strike, was renewed for an additional three months. Samer al-Barq is now on hunger strike until his release is secured.
Hassan Safadi, a long-term hunger striker who had been striking for 71 days at the time the May 14 agreement was concluded, had his administrative detention order renewed by the Israelis on June 21, despite the explicit agreement that the long-term hunger strikers such as Safadi serving in administrative detention without charge or trial would not have those orders renewed. Safadi is now on his 25th day of hunger strike and plans to continue until he is released.

Contact Israeli officials on behalf of these three hunger strikers. They should be charged and tried or released.

See you along the Trail.

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July 14, 2012 · 7:44 pm

Thank you, Governor Kasich

Again, I find myself thanking Governor John Kasich of Ohio. In early June, the governor issued a reprieve for Abdul Awkal. The Ohio Supreme Court, on June 18,  indefinitely postponed the Awkal’s execution following a “lower court’s ruling last week that he could not be executed because he is mentally incompetent.”

This time, I thank Governor Kasich for granting clemency to John Jeffrey Eley and commuting his sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

An editorial appearing in The Plain Dealer of Cleveland notes:

… a former prosecutor, detective and judge had all raised questions about the extent to which Eley was manipulated in the 1986 murder by alleged accomplice Melvin Green taking advantage of Eley’s “borderline intelligence.” Eley used Green’s gun to rob and shoot to death 28-year-old grocer Ihsan Aydah while Green waited outside

The Plain Dealer editorial affirms its opposition to the death penalty and closes with the observation that:

A just society cannot ignore such mitigating factors. Kasich acted appropriately.

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty provides an opportunity to thank Governor Kasich and to ask him to “impose a moratorium on future executions pending the outcome of the Ohio Supreme Court study and the implementation of its recommendations.”

I grieve at the death of Ishan Aydah. My heart goes out to those who mourn for him.

But executing Eley is not the appropriate answer. I have sent my thanks – and request for a moratorium on executions – to Governor Kasich.

See you along the Trail.

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July 13, 2012 · 7:23 am

Stop the Execution of Warren Hill in Georgia

Amnesty International USA provides this introduction to the situation and an opportunity to send a message to the Georgia Board of Pardon and Paroles:

Warren Hill is scheduled to be executed in Georgia on July 18, despite having been ruled “mentally retarded” by a preponderance of the evidence by a Georgia state judge. Executing persons with intellectual disabilities is unconstitutional, and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has the opportunity and the responsibility to do what courts have been unable to do – prevent this execution and preserve the integrity of Georgia justice.

To learn more about this case, read or print AIUSA’s full Urgent Action sheet: PDF format

Warren Hill is to be executed for the 1990 murder of a fellow prisoner, Joseph Handspike. He has a mental disability the seriousness of which leaves the constitutionality of his pending execution in real doubt. However, Amnesty International USA reports that Georgia requires defendants to prove their mental disability to “the enormously high ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ standard.” AIUSA suggests that in most other states, Hill would not face execution.

I grieve for the family and friends of Joseph Handspike. There is no justification for his death.

But I oppose Warren Hill’s execution and I have signed AIUSA’s call to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles because of questions about Hill’s mental capacities, because it will not bring Joseph Handspike back, because it will be an act of vengeance, because imprisonment without parole is an option, and because state violence diminishes us all.

See you along the Trail.

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