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USA: \"Not in our son's name\" - voice of WTC victim's parents

September 18, 2001

URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION <br>
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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM <br>
<br>
19 September 2001 <br>
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UA-34-2001: \&quot;Not in our son's name\&quot; - voice of WTC victim's parents <br>
<br>
USA: Call for respect for right to life in response to Sept 11 tragedy <br>
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Dear Friends <br>
<br>
The shocking events of September 11 in USA are so fresh in our minds - surely we will never forget the image of the hijacked planes destroying the World Trade Centre buildings and the Pentagon, nor the screams of those seeing the horror with their own eyes. It seems, however, that there has been little opportunity for the loved ones of those who are still missing to grieve before the world leaders jumped to announce a 'war on terrorism' and on the states where terrorists reside. To many in Asia, this has created a sense of dread at the potential for an enormous number of civilian deaths - so-called 'collateral damage' - as the US and other world powers seek to avenge this devastating, wanton and inexcusable destruction of life and security in America. <br>
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AHRC believes that at such a time it is vital for the voices of the victims to be heard. Their voices must be even louder than the sound of those who purport to be speaking and acting on their behalf. As such, we are sending to you a statement and letter written by the parents of one of the persons missing amongst the rubble of the World Trade Center. Please read their thoughts and feelings. Feel free to pass their words on to others who have not heard these voices so far. We also urge you to sign an on-line petition calling for military restraint at this time, in line with the thoughts of these parents. The petition is pasted below and can be signed at: <br>
http://home.uchicago.edu/~dhpicker/petition <br>
and at: <br>
http://www.9-11peace.org/petition.php3 <br>
<br>
Thank you <br>
<br>
Urgent Appeals Desk <br>
Asian Human Rights Commission <br>
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NOT IN OUR SON'S NAME <br>
Saturday, Sep 15, 2001 8:35pm <br>
<br>
[Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez's son Greg is one of the World Trade Center victims. They have asked that people share this copy of letter sent to NY Times as widely as possible.] <br>
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Our son Greg is among the many missing from the World Trade Center attack. Since we first heard the news, we have shared moments of grief, comfort, hope, despair, fond memories with his wife, the two families, our friends and neighbors, his loving colleagues at Cantor Fitzgerald / ESpeed, and all the grieving families that daily meet at the Pierre Hotel. <br>
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We see our hurt and anger reflected among everybody we meet. We cannot pay attention to the daily flow of news about this disaster. But we read enough of the news to sense that our government is heading in the direction of violent revenge, with the prospect of sons, daughters, parents, friends in distant lands dying, suffering, and nursing further grievances against us. It is not the way to go. It will not avenge our son's death. Not in our son's name. <br>
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Our son died a victim of an inhuman ideology. Our actions should not serve the same purpose. Let us grieve. Let us reflect and pray. Let us think about a rational response that brings real peace and justice to our world. But let us not as a nation add to the inhumanity of our times. <br>
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Copy of letter to White House: <br>
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Dear President Bush <br>
<br>
Our son is one of the victims of Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center. We read about your response in the last few days and about the resolutions from both Houses, giving you undefined power to respond to the <br>
terror attacks. <br>
<br>
Your response to this attack does not make us feel better about our son's death. It makes us feel worse. It makes us feel that our government is using our son's memory as a justification to cause suffering for other <br>
sons and parents in other lands. <br>
<br>
It is not the first time that a person in your position has been given unlimited power and came to regret it. This is not the time for empty gestures to make us feel better. It is not the time to act like bullies. We urge you to think about how our governement can develop peaceful, rational solutions to terrorism, solutions that do not sink us to the inhuman level of terrorists. <br>
<br>
Sincerely, <br>
<br>
Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez <br>
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SUGGESTED ACTION <br>
<br>
THE PETITION <br>
(around 175,000 signatures so far) <br>
<br>
What follows is a petition that will be forwarded to President Bush, and other world leaders, urging them to avoid war as a response to the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon this week. Please read it, sign below, and forward the link to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. <br>
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We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of the United States of America and of countries around the world, appeal to the President of The United States, George W. Bush; to the NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson; to the President of the European Union, Romano Prodi; and to all leaders internationally to use moderation and restraint in responding to the recent terrorist attacks against the United States. <br>
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We implore the powers that be to use, wherever possible, international judicial institutions and international human rights law to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks, rather than the instruments of war, violence or destruction. <br>
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Furthermore, we assert that the government of a nation must be presumed separate and distinct from any terrorist group that may operate within its borders, and therefore cannot be held unduly accountable for the latter's crimes. It follows that the government of a particular nation should not be condemned for the recent attack without compelling evidence of its cooperation and complicity with those individuals who actually committed the crimes in question. <br>
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Innocent civilians living within any nation that may be found responsible, in part or in full, for the crimes recently perpetrated against the United States, must not bear any responsibility for the actions of their government, and must therefore be guaranteed safety and immunity from any military or judicial action taken against the state in which they reside. <br>
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Lastly and most emphatically, we demand that there be no recourse to nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, or any weapons of indiscriminate destruction, and feel that it is our inalienable human right to live in a world free of such arms. <br>
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To sign the petition please go to: <br>
http://home.uchicago.edu/~dhpicker/petition <br>
or <br>
http://www.9-11peace.org/petition.php3 <br>
<br>
There are also a number of other action suggestions provided by 9-11peace available after you sign the petition. <br>
<br>
[If you cannot access the internet, you may send your name, email address and city, state and country of residence to AHRC Urgent Appeals at ua@ahrchk.org - in the 'subject', write the words \&quot;Bush Petition\&quot; and we will sign the petition for you.] <br>
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<br>
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*** Please send a copy of your letter to AHRC Urgent Appeals: <br>
Email: <br>
Fax: +(852) - 26986367 <br>
<br>
Please contact the Urgent Appeals coordinator if you require more <br>
information or wish to report human rights violations. <br>
=========================================================== <br>
AHRC Urgent Appeals Programme <br>
Asian Human Rights Commission <br>
Unit D, 7th Floor, Mongkok Commercial Centre, <br>
16 - 16B Argyle Street, Kowloon, HONGKONG <br>
Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 <br>
Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367 <br>
E-mail: ua@ahrchk.org <br>
<br>
Please contact the AHRC Urgent Appeals Coordinator if you require <br>
further information or to make requests for further appeals. <br>
<br>
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<br>
<br>

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
UA-34-2001
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.