Rapid Response Network (RRN)
Disappearance, Killing, Torture… are daily realities in Colombia, Mexico and Central America
Thousands have been "disappeared." They are labor & peasant organizers, teachers, students, church workers, lawyers and other community leaders. They promote indigenous & women's rights, food & land security, environmental protection, health and economic justice. Often their "crime" was to defend basic human rights by speaking out against government and death squad repression.
Make your voice heard. YOU CAN SAVE LIVES.
"To all of you who invested yourselves in the struggle for my freedom, thank you profoundly for your selfless action. If it weren't for the intervention of many people from the large global faith family and solidarity community my current situation would be entirely different."
— Ricardo Esquivia, Colombia
Ricardo Esquivia is the founding director of Justapaz, a Mennonite peace/nonviolent action organization in Colombia. After a plot was uncovered to arrest and charge him on false charges in early 2004, RRN members joined others around the world by faxing letters to expose the Colombian government's plot. As a result, Ricardo's life and liberty have been secured! Read more at www.justapaz.org
How Does the Rapid Response Network (RRN) Work?
Concerned people from Greater Cleveland and across the U.S. authorize IRTF's Rapid Response Network to send letters in their names.
- We receive an urgent alert: death threat, torture, assassination, or other abuse.
- Volunteers write a response letter to government officials in Latin America and the US, urging protection/justice for the victims.
- We attach RRN members' names and addresses.
- We send copies of the letters and case updates to RRN members and post them on our website.
How Does the RRN Make a Difference?
- PROTECTION for people living under death threats
- Criminal INVESTIGATIONS AND CONVICTIONS for those killed.
- VICTIMS AND FAMILIES ARE GRATEFUL that these abuses are not happening in the dark.
JOIN IRTF's RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK
to Defend Human Rights & Save Lives!
For just $2 a letter, you or your group can have faxes sent in your name. Sign up online or call 216.961.0003. If you are already a member, encourage a friend to join our growing network!
- Banner photograph by b.wu of Protest against Colombian President Uribe, May 27, 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwu/481700281/ - Other site acknowledgements