Human Rights Foundation

[Kubrick]

Then our state shall wear your blacklist as a badge of honour. The opinions of the Kalistani leftist order you represent do not concern me, my father, nor his government. Perhaps it scared you that I personally call you out on the shenanigans you spout from your high moral horse, but alas, that is the way it is.

As for your accusations, the Saridani state and their legitimate government at that time requested our assistance. My brother was invited to become their King, to end the theocratic state. Under his benevolent rule liberal reforms have been made and more are to come. But alas, he is my brother so you can not approve. After all, all Vanukeans are evil plotters in the eyes of Kalistan.

It is clear you are simply a longer arm of Kalistan out to spread your leftist principles amongst the last free nations of the world. We urge nations in the same situation as Vanuku to wear this blackmailing blacklist as a badge of honour, a mark of pride. We dare to stand up against the global leftist horde that wishes to judge us for who we are.

Sincerely,

On behalf of His Royal Highness King Wrntukai III,
Crown Prince Juhn Banmek-Sntazed, Archduke of Banstill

[jamescfm]

Crown Prince Banmek-Sntazed,

You are free to react as you please to our blacklist. It is a factual statement of the existing legislation in Terra, whether you approve of its existence or not. I can assure you that the aims of the Human Rights Foundation do not include establishing personal friendships with the Vanukean royal family nor do they include involving ourselves in the global chess game between your nation, Istalia, Trigunia, the Esinsundu Empire, Kalistan and whoever else.

I had hoped that you would approach this issue in a manner which was more befitting of the matter we are discussing, the lives of citizens across Terra, but evidently that is not the case. If you do change your mind, or any other member of the Vanukean government holds a differing view to your own, they are welcome to contact me to discuss it further. Until then, I see no reason why I should continue to endure your attempts to distract from and mock those who are being persecuted and victimised across the world.

Regards,
Sophia Conti, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Foundation

[jamescfm]

The Human Rights Foundation is pleased to observe that the Republic of Beluzia has abolished capital punishment. Secretary-General Sophia Conti remarked that 'we have won a victory in our quest for a fairer, more just Terra. I congratulate Beluzia, in particular the Beluz Radical Revolutionary Party who sponsored the bill and the Labour Party, the Green Democrats, the Social-Liberal Party and People's Coutinho Party for supporting it. Our mission is far from over, however, so we must continue to pursue the cause of human rights'.

[matthewleitch]

"Baltusia would like to make it's position on this Organization very, very clear.


Firstly we thank both Trigunia and Vanuku for speaking out against this blacklist.

Baltusia allows the for the death penalty to be permitted upon criminals for 'Capital Crimes' such as 1st Degree Murder, multiple murders and terror offences.

By putting us on a 'blacklist' it psychologically makes us feel like Baltusia has done something wrong. We've done nothing wrong.

Those who killed my friends and family in terror shooting in the last century do not deserve to live. I need to feel justice. Baltusia needs to feel justice.

This ridiculous puppet organization of the Kalistani Labour party, which by the way tried to create a crazy one-party state system through 'Kalistani-Left', should not make anyone fear. As the honourable Crown Prince Juhn Banmek-Sntazed, Archduke of Banstill from Vanuku said, we should wear this blacklist as a badge of honour.

We must remain a nation of liberty and justice. We will not play into the hands of the longer arms of the Kalistani left. We will ensure that Baltusia remains one of the final free nations of the Terra

And finally, if Madame Conti would like to make the point that it is "the most fundamental and inalienable human right, the right to life", then why does her Labour Party not consider opposing the most extreme violation of this "most fundamental and inalienable human right" which is allowing for the institutionalized murder of innocent unborn children through the whole of pregnancy in her nation?"

Andrea Hernandez
Conservative Party of Baltusia UN Delegate
Baltusia's former delegate to the UN

[jamescfm]

Ms. Hernandez,

Firstly, let me make clear that, as I have already stated, the blacklist is a statement of fact. You can pretend that you do not permit capital punishment if you wish but the fact is that Baltusia is one of twenty-eight nations which allows its citizens to be murdered by the government, that is not up for debate. It is largely irrelevant what it 'make you feel like, psychologically', that is the truth. Whether or not you believe one person or another 'deserves to live' or not is also completely irrelevant to the judicial system. Justice is not based on the emotions of the victim or what 'Baltusia needs to feel', it is based on establishing a fair outcome.

That you regard Baltusia as a nation of liberty and justice is absolutely baffling to me. In Baltusia, the national flag may not be desecrated or dishonoured. In Baltusia, public nudity is illegal. In Baltusia, only certain types of weapons may be owned by the general public. That doesn't sound like liberty to me, Ms. Hernandez, it sounds like unnecessary government interference in an individual's personal life.

Finally, you would, if you knew anything me or the Human Rights Foundation, know that I resigned from the Labour Party before joining the HRF. When it comes to institutionalised murder, I consider only that 'those in glass houses should not throw stones'.

Regards,
Sophia Conti, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Foundation

[matthewleitch]

Dear Madame Conti,

I thank you for your quick response.

I would firstly like to inform you of a potential option proposed by our party regarding the death penalty. We have proposed that the case for the complete abolition of the death penalty is heard by our supreme court to ensure that the legalities of such a landmark proposition and court case are fully and efficiently dealt with.

In Baltusia, justice is based around the fact that if you commit a terror offence, such as storming the CpB headquarters and murdering dozens of innocent people, then justice must be seen by the victims of such an attack. The families.

Please don't try to patronise me about Classic Libertarianism. I and the majority of my party are for true, complete liberty. Regarding the dishonouring of our flag, our party have generally opposed such bills, and the original bill, if I remember correctly, served as a precautionary and temporary measure as part of a set of legislation to prevent violent terrorist uprisings. On my return to Baltusia I shall immediately lead a consultation with the hope of abolishing this bill, I thought it had been abolished when the temporary measures were removed.

About the fact you pointed to Baltusias gun laws. Our party have always supported citizens rights to own what ever weapons they wish. That is one of our principals. It, in fact, is the left in Baltusia who continue to use government interference in individuals lives to prevent them from owning a weapon. We will continue to stand strong against the threat of government authority in peoples right to own a weapon.

Regarding public nudity. Whilst I am a libertarian, I am not an anarchist. Society needs some kind of rules to live by. It would be truly tyrannical to have everyone running around naked. I and my party will continue to support this legislation which allows that the most basic of societal norms are ensured.

I do find it ironic that you refuse to comment on your previous parties position on abortion and right to life. Institutionalised murder of innocent citizens was what I said in my speech. Terrorists who kill dozens of my closest friends are certainly not innocent and in fact don't have to go through the horrendous pain of a day-before-birth abortion.

[jamescfm]

Ms. Hernandez,

I am glad to hear that you are considering, at least, the arguments against capital punishment. However, your interpretation of a justice system troubles me somewhat. According to your proposal, the least objective person to the crime is the one who should determine the punishment- that strikes me as backwards and wrong. I hope this was simply a miscommunication on your part. However even by your definition, the death penalty fails to be considered justice.

I ask you to consider the story of Fatemah Rostami. An eighty-three-year-old Kalistani woman, Mrs Rotami's son was killed in a shooting incident when he was only seventeen years old. In the time since his death, Mrs Rostami has met and befriended her son's murderer and even helped him find faith through the Society of Brethren. She believes strongly in the values of forgiveness and rehabilitation and says, 'the answer to violence is never more violence; no good ever comes from death'.

There are a myriad of other reasons to oppose capital punishment, far more than I could hope to explain to you here, but another poignant one is that it makes martyrs of terrorists. Paradoxically, what some believe to be 'the ultimate deterrent', actually increase increases the likelihood of further atrocities.

In response to the series of allegations and rebuttals you make, I wish to inform you that my point in bringing up Baltusian legislation was that you claimed it was a 'nation of liberty and justice'. I was simply illustrating that was not the case. A nation of liberty would not make arbitrary distinctions about what clothes an individual can wear, and where. Libertarians need not be anarchists. You betray your claim to being the former when you describe public nudity as 'truly tyrannical', in my mind the individual who believes the state should murder citizens and decide what clothes they can wear is not a libertarian. Alas, I find myself drawn into semantics.

I did not comment on my previous party's position on abortion because it is no way pertinent to my current position as Human Rights Foundation Secretary-General. My employer prior to Labour was a Kalistani law firm, you did not consider their stance on abortion, I note. If you take umbrage with the Labour Party's position on abortion, talk to them and not me about it. In this context, it is simply a red herring.

Regards,
Sophia Conti, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Foundation

[matthewleitch]

Madame Curti,

Thank you for your response. My interpretation of a justice system is perfectly sufficient. I have a degree in law with politics, so please don't lecture me about my so called 'interpretation of a justice system'. Apologies if I wasn't completely clear regarding our proposal for the case for the abolition of Capital Punishment to be heard in our supreme court. It would likely be that opposers of the death penalty in Baltusia would bring the case that it is unconstitutional under 'x' in Baltusia's constitution. Again the key reason for a Supreme Court case is to deal with the legalities of such a large change in Baltusian constitutional law.

Mrs Rostami's story is one of true inspiration and it is truly commendable that she could befriend and forgive him for such a heinous act. Although having said that, forgiveness cannot be possible with such horrendous acts such as ,again, the storming of the DcP headquarters. There are also a myriad of reasons to support capital punishment and I am sure that those shall come strongly across in the Supreme Court case.

I would recommend that this organisation ditched its leftist nature and instead worked towards the common goals of the vast majority of the Terra such as banning slavery. That should be your priority, not slamming nations by a blackmailing blacklist. It causes political confrontation not diplomatic negotiation.

Please reconsider the key objectives of this organization, because placing our nation on a 'blacklist' is only going to cause hostility and waste my time.

Yours,

Andrea Hernandez

[TheTsar]

A letter to the Secretary-General of the HRF and its members:

Most honourable General-Secretary and members of the HRF,

I am writing to you to inform that even though we have had arguments over the death penalty remaining legal in Trigunia, we hope that the relations between the nations of Trigunia and Kalistan will remain very warm, and even radical differences such as these will not stop cooperation between our governments. However, like my predecessor and the citizens of Trigunia remain strong on the fact that capital punishment is a necessary punishment for multiple murders, high-level treason and high-level corruption. Also, the last time someone was executed was Grigoriy Kuznetsov, in 4114, after the assassination of Duke Kirillov, may he rest in peace, on allegations of treason, where it was 100% committed by him. The triumvirate of judges (yes, yes, in Trigunia there are three judges in each court) voted unanimously for sentencing the man to death, and the Senate also unanimoulsy approved of the move. However, on a positive note, I repeat, I hope our nations remain friends.

Thank you for your understanding,

Colonel Baron Vladislav Rodionov

[jamescfm]

Ms. Hernandez,

Congratulations on your degree, though I am not entirely sure how it is relevant to the fact that your government murders its own citizens- perhaps I missed something. I cannot fathom a reason for supporting such action, perhaps you should enlighten me as to one of the 'myriad' that you so conveniently left out of your correspondence.

I do not understand what is 'leftist' about the Human Rights Foundation. Our goals are not especially related to economics, they are concerned with moral, ethical and social issues. Our members span the entire political spectrum, all the way from 'advocating for socialist, communist and libertarian values' to 'focusing on center-right policies across the board'.Furthermore, you may not have noticed (perhaps you were worrying about encountering a naked person) but slavery has been banned in every nation on Terra. I would expect an educated woman like yourself to be aware of this.

Finally, and this point is worth noting for all, the Human Rights Foundation is not interested in diplomatic relations between national governments. We have no reason to worry that Baltusia feels 'hostility' towards us. We will continue to push against them, as they are currently abusing human rights. Unlike governments, that is our sole concern.

Regards,
Sophia Conti, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Foundation

Colonel Baron Rodionov,

Please remember that the HRF is strictly apolitical and as such, I do not want to tie it to any nations. However, I also hope that our activities will not affect the relationship between Kalistan and Trigunia.

Regards,
Sophia Conti, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Foundation