Planetary Citizen Honoree: Jaqueline Moudeina—Restoring Dignity in Chad
by Alternative Voice Staff
Jacqueline Moudeina's father fell to a politically-motivated
assassination when she was young, and in her adulthood she has also
found herself to be the target of death threats due to her ongoing
fight for human rights. In 2001 she helped organize a peaceful women's
demonstration at the French Embassy in Chad (in central Africa) to
protest the supposedly fraudulent elections. There, a policeman threw a
grenade at her, shattering her leg. Evacuated to Paris by the
intervention of various international human rights groups, she
underwent three rounds of reconstructive surgery and spent fifteen
months of bed rest recovering. "The fact that I didn't die makes me
think I have work to do. I want to see the fruits of my labor," she
said.
What is happening in Chad that
places Moudeina at the heart of such danger? One of just four women
lawyers there, she has taken bold steps and dangerous risks in
confronting the former dictator of Chad, Hissene Habre, and his
accomplices. She is one of the lawyers for the victims of his regime
(1982-1990), during which a reported 40,000 citizens were killed in the
politically-motivated violence, along with hundreds of thousands who
were imprisoned, tortured, raped, and forced into exile. As the
president of the Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of
Human Rights, she has also filed complaints against many of Habre's
accomplices (some of whom are in the current government).
Oil problems in Chad too? A multinational group of oil companies have
staked out an agreement for oil extraction and transport, financed by
the World Bank, which provides the companies with 82% of the revenues,
while leaving the country a meager 12%. Here is a woman who has had
enough of the degrading and inhumane treatment of her people who have
gotten the "short end of the stick."
More than ever, human rights defenders are qualified as enemies of the state....[In] spite of the growing repression against human rights defenders, one must retain the advances made and successes obtained. The very fact that in certain countries [human rights defenders] have to pay a heavy price is evidence of the impact of their actions and the fear they install in dictators. It is by breaking the silence that civil society will impose its demands for peace and respect for fundamental human rights. I want a country where there is rule of law so that victims can have their dignity restored. I feel I can be a voice for people who don't have one. ~Jacqueline Moudeina
We, at Aquarian Concepts Community, wish to express our support for this servant of humanity, who has put the welfare of others before her own safety and comfort. In these times our world calls out for any and all willing to give their lives for the benefit and sake of those in need. Thank you Jacqueline Moudeina for rising to the occasion.