Simon Wiesenthal, one of the most important contributors to the modern human rights movement, passed away on September 20, 2005. Although known mainly for his work in exposing perpetrators of the Nazi holocaust, he and his colleagues developed working methods–and from these theoretical understandings–which had a significant effect on how human rights are perceived and approached throughout the world.
Wiesenthal and his colleagues held, among other things, that
Human rights violations should not be allowed to be forgotten: Practical methods are needed to preserve memories of violations, including collection of information, building of documentation centres, analysis of information, and the pursuit of justice despite all difficulties.
Private citizens should preserve the memory of human rights violations without expecting the state to take the initiative: Wiesenthal and his colleagues, who spread to many parts of the world, were essentially volunteers. Their mandate came from a moral obligation to those who had perished or otherwise been damaged by gross human rights violations. They did not wait for approval from any state, religious organization or other established authority, but committed themselves to their work because of their convictions.
Publicity and expressions of outrage are the most important weapons in the fight for human rights: No reliance can be placed on state responses to human rights violations unless there are strong citizens’ lobbies to fight for accountability and justice. Even in the most difficult circumstances justice can finally triumph if work is kept up relentlessly and vigorously.
No human pursuit, whether for freedom, peace, progress or happiness, can be complete without justice: The triumph of one party against another in war is not the end of conflict. The concerns for justice that arise at such times need to be comprehensively addressed in order to avoid further tragedy. Justice is what gives meaning to human endeavors, and makes them genuine achievements.
Justice is not vengeance; justice denies vengeance: Justice is what prevents one party from seeking revenge against the other. It is a firm endeavor in which the truth about violence and cruelty is brought to the surface and collectively recognised. It reveals ugly truths and heals wounds that would otherwise have lasting negative effects.
This is the legacy of Simon Wiesenthal. It is a legacy that is shared by the Asian Human Rights Commission together with all other groups and persons who love and stand for human rights and justice, including a great many in Asia.
It is also a legacy that is being carried beyond its original mandate. Today a new generation that is pursuing justice and upholding human rights is expanding Wiesenthal’s principles and responding to new challenges. For example, Wiesenthal and his colleagues gathered information on the holocaust with the assurance that there existed avenues for justice along which they could take the perpetrators. However, in many countries in the world today no such avenues can be found. Amid widespread and gross human rights abuses, basic justice systems have collapsed. No courts or tribunals exist where painstakingly-gathered evidence may be presented and suspects brought in search of justice. This is the situation throughout much of Asia. Therefore, while vigorously pursuing the orientation and methods introduced by Wiesenthal and his associates it is also necessary not to adapt them and make them relevant to our time and circumstances. The intellectual and humanist legacy that Wiesenthal built through his life’s work gives us a strong foundation upon which to build strong movements for the protection of human rights into the future, both in our own image as well as his.
