Why Peace Teams Risk Their Lives

[Briar]

Why Peace Teams Risk Their Lives
We are working to get the word out about how Iraqis are suffering and to exert pressure for due process and respect for international human rights.

by Lyn Adamson

...


There is a role that cannot be played by the military or police.

It is one of working with civil society organizations to develop the social infrastructure needed to rebuild a wartorn country, and it is one of showing international support for threatened individuals, organizations and communities.

This role has been recognized by Amnesty International, by human rights defenders and by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, including the Dalai Lama, Rigoberto Menchu Tum, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, and Oscar Arias Sanchez.

Anders Kompas, Director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, describes international presence as "extremely necessary and valuable in working to defend human rights."

...

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0329-28.htm

[MadMaddie]

1. Because it's the real Christian thing to do....

[Tom Joad]

2. These people go where others fear to tread. I have worked with CPT

(Christian Peacemaker Teams) and they do great work. They have long been involved in work in the Hebron, West Bank area, and have met the violence of the fanatical Israeli settlers in the region with courage and dignity. It is not uncommon for them to be met with physical violence, but their love of the people, their commitment to peace, takes precedence.

long live the Christian Peacemaking Teams!

Tom Fox, Presente!