Hello, my name is Jeffrey Imm, and I am with the coalition human rights group Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

It is always a good day to be responsible for equality and liberty.

Today, we come together to condemn the use of torture and inhumanity against our fellow human beings on this International Day of the Disappeared.

As other speakers will address, there have been numerous reports of torture and disappearances on individuals who have sought freedom for people in Balochistan, and the 60+ years of struggle of the Baloch people to achieve the freedom that they seek.  We have heard of 5,000 forced disappearances in Balochistan and the tragedies of violence, torture, and death there must sicken the hearts of any human being.

The challenge that Balochistan activists face finds its roots in the same challenge that people in other parts of the world have faced, and also in what we view as “western” nations, including my home and country, the United States of America.  That challenge is oppression over others based on the willingness to dehumanize others and even to hate our fellow human beings.  If the problem is hate and contempt, then I say the answer must be found in love and respect.

We speak today to give those struggling in Balochistan or anywhere in the world the knowledge that we know and we remember their struggle.  We speak today to pray for COURAGE for those who seek human freedom and dignity.

We challenge the Pakistan authorities to show mercy, dignity, and human rights to Balochistan activists.  However, from my perspective, I do not make this challenge merely by pointing a finger of condemnation, but also by looking in the mirror and sharing my own flaws, as well as the flaws in other nations, including the land I love, the United States of America.

I grew up in an America where there were police officers in some parts of this great nation who allowed torture of others based on the color of their skin.  That is the America I was born into, and I have lived my life to see much of America to put such dark days and shame behind them and grow as human beings.  America is not perfect and our leaders have made mistakes and continue to need to grow.  We CAN change. I know. I have seen it myself.

The true root cause of inhuman torture against others is not political, not ethnic, not based on religion or race.  The root cause of such torture comes from turning our back on our shared humanity, and choosing hate over love for our fellow human beings.  Hate is never the answer.  Not in Balochistan, not in Pakistan, not in the United States, not anywhere.  When we think of these issues, we must also feel on these issues.  Our endless logical arguments will not change those whose hearts and souls are corrupted by hate and violence.  We must reach out not just for the oppressed, but also to oppressors to urge them to join us in a revolution of change.  We urge them to find respect and dignity in their hearts for the Baloch people and for all people as our common brothers and sisters in humanity.  Moreover, we must not only believe that answers can be found merely in finger-pointing and assigning blame.  We must also realize that true answers and true hope for human rights change must be found in reaching out our hands in brotherhood and sisterhood to all, and call for shared dignity, respect, and human rights for all — not based on our differences, but based on our shared humanity and universal human rights.

So when I speak to leaders of Pakistan on the issue of Balochistan, I do not speak with condescending superiority. I speak to the leaders of Pakistan by humbly offering the vision of hope, based on my own humility and the imperfections of our nation.  I speak to the leaders of Pakistan by looking honestly in the mirror of our history.  I speak to the leaders of Pakistan by offering our common bond as fellow human beings – one of shared human dignity, shared human rights, and shared human HOPE.

Americans well know the struggles of those who seek hope and who have fought for freedom.  We will always remember those who had the courage to hope and to fight for freedom.  But we know the struggle for freedom did not end there, nor did it end with America’s Civil War and the end of slavery, nor did it end with the war on racism, and that struggle continues to today for some.

The struggle for freedom anywhere is the struggle for freedom everywhere.  It is not just the challenge for activists in Balochistan, but these struggles are the common bond that all human beings have together, everywhere around the world.  There can only be one “free world” and it is here on our shared planet Earth, our shared home.

Some may wonder what our speeches and words accomplish.  They may wonder what will change by our efforts.

But we do not speak simply to ourselves or for ourselves.

We speak on behalf of the power of hope and the victory that love will have over hate.

We speak, as we always speak, on human rights issues, to offer hope.  The power of hope is the greatest gift that we can give each other – victim and oppressor alike.  We must have a vision of human dignity where both can see a better day, a future where we do not need to live either as victims or oppressors, but as common brothers and sisters in humanity.

We must choose HOPE, not hate.  Love Will win.

Keep Hope Alive.