Jeune Street

The obituaries of Alison Des Forges, a human rights chronicler who passed away this weekend, have been appearing in the last couple days. I had never heard of her before, but an article in Slate highlighted what an outstanding life she lived:

If the Rwandan genocide was one of the defining political crimes of the 20^th century-an event that made the international community rethink the way it did business-Alison was its most important Anglophone chronicler. Even today, as many of the genocide's perpetrators still face prosecution and others are being chased down here in Congo, she was one of the essential voices explaining this unfolding...

The most common criticism of Alison's work, particularly on Rwanda, is that it sometimes failed to take into account the unique political and security needs of a country just emerging from conflict. The criticism is not unfounded, but it misses the point. The job of a human rights worker is not the same as that of a politician who needs to make unenviable compromises between security and justice. A human rights worker is in the business of giving voice to the voiceless, uncovering injustice, and advocating for its redress. Alison Des Forges-brilliant, indefatigable, and, above all, passionate-reveled in this.

As our last conversation ended, Alison laughed. "Isn't it so much fun to talk about Rwanda?"

She asked me this almost every time we talked over the years, and it always surprised me. Each time she said it with genuine glee, as if Rwanda was her newest crush and not a country she'd been married to-faithfully-for more than 40 years.

This sentiment highlights so beautifully the spirit that often animates human rights advocacy. The work of people like Alison can appear bitter and antagonistic, but it  comes from a place of deep love for a country and its people.

I am continuing to think of the Iranian Baha'is and all of their allies around the world -- those who criticize Iran in the spirit of deeply wanting to see the country prosper and flourish.

*Photo Credit: Slate