CPTnet
29 November 2005
IRAQ: Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq releases "Statement of Conviction"
International violence-reduction organization Christian Peacemaker Teams
(CPT) confirmed today that the four human rights workers missing in Baghdad
on 26 November are associated with their organization. One of the missing
persons is Norman Kember, a member of the current CPT delegation to Iraq.
The British Foreign office confirmed Mr. Kember's name on Sunday.
CPT has been present in Iraq since October 2002. The Team's work has focused
on documenting and focusing public attention on detainee abuses and
connecting citizens of Iraq to local and international human rights
organizations. Iraqi friends and human rights workers have welcomed the
team as a nonviolent, independent presence and asked that the team tell the
their stories.
In a "Statement of Conviction," the long-term Team members stated that they
"are aware of the many risks both Iraqis and internationals currently face,"
and affirmed that the risks did not outweigh their purpose in remaining.
They express the hope that "in loving both friends and enemies and by
intervening non-violently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we
can contribute in some small way to transforming this volatile situation."
CPT does not advocate the use of violent force to save lives of its workers
should they be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of a
conflict situation.
Christian Peacemaker Teams places teams of trained peacemakers in crisis
situations and militarized areas around the world. These teams host regular
delegations of committed peace and human rights activists to conflict zones,
who join teams in working with civilians to document abuses and develop
nonviolent alternatives to armed conflict. The CPT Iraq Team has hosted a
total of 120 people on sixteen delegations over the last three years.
In addition to the Iraq Team, teams of CPT workers are currently serving in
Barrancabermeja, Colombia; Hebron and At-Tuwani, Palestine; Kenora, Ontario,
Canada; and on the Mexico-United States border. For more on the four kidnapped CPTers, including photographs and personal profiles, see www.cpt.org
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