Real Security = Human Rights for All

author : Erin Genia topic : civil liberties | immigration | torture

by Erin Genia

On March 11, 150 people participated in the "Real Security for All" demonstration in Tacoma, which linked the injustices of US immigration and deportation policies with our aggressive foreign policy, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participants marched from the Northwest Detention Center to the Pacific Northwest National Security Forum, a military conference focused on the future of the armed forces. Erin Genia, the coordinator of Olympia Amnesty International and one of the event's organizers, gave the following speech at the demonstration.-- Alice Zillah, an organizer of "Real Security for All"

Thank you to all who came out today to lend your voices to the struggle for human rights and peace.

The "war on terror" has, in the name of security, eroded basic human rights. Human rights are our birthright, and no state can take them away from us, even during times of national emergency.

Real security is a product of a world where all the people of the earth enjoy human rights to the fullest extent. How can we get to a place of security when so many inequities exist for so many all over? There is no security when a person fears to practice their religion; when someone cannot petition their government without fear of retribution; when a person is arbitrarily detained for the color of their skin; or when people don't feel free to nonviolently express who they are.

There is no real security when corporations hold sway over our democracy, when governments restrict freedom of information in the media, when an uncountable number of mothers, children, families, and individuals struggle to survive -- while our leaders feed off the greed of too much wealth and plenty.

Why is it so easy for so many of those in power to ignore human rights for all? Their power has blinded them. But we must remind them of their responsibility to the rest of humanity.

Since September 11, in the so-called "global struggle against violent extremism," serious violations to these rights have occurred. They have been justified in the name of fighting terrorism.

The US leads by example, and in this "war on terror," we have reversed the trend of promoting human rights all over the world, by perpetrating detentions without trial, discriminatory legislation, and harsher conditions of detainment which deny access to lawyers and family.

Unfair trials are commonplace. Where the presumption of innocence no longer exists, many civilians have been tried by military courts or in secret hearings. Secrecy within our government has flourished. The death penalty has been expanded. Rights of asylum-seekers have been denied. Mass deportations have ensued, sometimes to countries which practice torture. Racial profiling and discrimination are routine.

Now, citizens of the US and the world face restrictions on freedom of assembly and association, restrictions on freedom of expression and religion, increased power of security forces to conduct surveillance and searches. Torture with impunity is a matter of policy from Afghanistan to Iraq to Guantanamo to many other facilities worldwide, including secret CIA "Black Sites" in which US officials can handle detainees with their "gloves off" outside of the public eye. Confessions extracted under torture are used as evidence. Extraordinary rendition, where suspects are sent to countries that torture, is happening right now.

All of these injustices make no progress towards true security. They have made us less secure. Citizens are fearful, terrified even -- not just of terrorists -- but also of our government which has dismantled the rule of law.

The "war on terror" has become a war of terror.

When I think of all these things occurring in the name of security or freedom, it makes me realize that we have a lot of work to do to let people know that the reality of this so-called "secure" world, has actually made us less free, and in fact, we lose more basic rights everyday.

If security is measured by our freedom, what freedoms will we be left with once this long war, this war without end, this so-called "war on terror" is done?

Things are changing fast. It's dangerous when our country acts unilaterally without the support of the rest of the world, and in violation of international laws. It's dangerous when our country allies with countries that unapologetically violate human rights.

If we truly respect human dignity, let us embrace all the people of the world, and make people our priority. Let us start with a just, peaceful resolution of these conflicts.

Despite the anxiety of living in a world which has become a whirlwind of devastating and crushing events, I am heartened to see regular folks speak out and actively work together to help each other. There are so many amazing people who have given their lives to make human rights a reality for future generations, and people who continue to inspire more and more folks to do the right thing -- stand up for our fellow human beings.

We've got to keep working to end torture, end arbitrary detention, end attacks against all civilians by armed groups, support objectors to this war, challenge the USA Patriot Act, support political asylum for refugees, oppose sending suspects to nations that torture, uphold trials for war crimes and the international criminal court structure, and reaffirm our obligation to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

I'd like to end with the words of Chief Joseph (Hinmatoyalatkekt) of the Nez Perce. He said:

"Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit, they are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it... Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade ...where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty."