We are asking everyone who is outraged at the recent conviction of No More Deaths volunteers on federal charges to sign onto the below statement.
We, the undersigned, declare our steadfast support for non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees in the US borderlands and globally. We decry the criminal prosecutions of volunteer aid workers by governments everywhere.
The Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement and NGO’s in Disaster Relief states that “the right to receive humanitarian assistance, and to offer it, is a fundamental humanitarian principle which should be enjoyed by all citizens of all countries….Governments should recognize and respect the independent humanitarian and impartial actions of non-governmental humanitarian agencies.”
As people of conscience, we too would offer water to a person dying of thirst, or put water in a desert where thousands are known to have lost their lives. We stand in solidarity with No More Deaths and with all those impacted by border militarization and the criminalization of migration. Humanitarian aid is never a crime!