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	Desmond Tutu Reflects on Good and Evil by Alex Perry Time Magazine / The Elders South Africa   Cape Town, Oct. 2010   Even when it comes to religion, Archbishop Desmond Tutu can''t resist a joke. He begins his interview with a prayer then, asking an assistant for a milky cup of Milo, says: "If you put any water, you are not going to heaven." A day after announcing he will retire from public life on Oct. 7 — his 79th birthday — Tutu spoke to Time''s Africa bureau chief Alex Perry at St. George''s Cathedral in Cape Town.   Looking back over your career, what have you learned?   As human beings we have the most extraordinary capacity for evil. We can perpetrate some of the most horrendous atrocities. That would be awful if that was the end of the story. But, exhilaratingly, people also have an incredible capacity for good. People who should have been consumed by anger and bitterness and lust for revenge have shown in so many instances a remarkable magnanimity, a nobility of spirit. That''s the chief lesson I have learned. That in spite of all the horror of injustice and oppression, and the sense that those who perpetrate evil tend to appear invincible, the texture of our universe is one where there is no question at all but that good and laughter and justice will prevail. In the end, the perpetrators of injustice or oppression, the ones who strut the stage of the world often seemingly unbeatable — there is no doubt at all that they will bite the dust.   Where does your certainty come from?   I come from a tradition that knows of a biased God. People often speak of God being even-handed. God is not even-handed. God is biased, in favor of the weak, of the despised. In the Bible, we first encounter God when he sides with a bunch of slaves against a powerful Pharaoh, an act of grace freely given. The pattern continues until Jesus Christ comes and you see God must have very low standards, when you look at the company Jesus kept: prostitutes, all of the riff-raff of society. Some people say: "You should have been preaching the Gospel." But [what I preach]is the Gospel. A God who is on the side of those who do not deserve it.   In parts of the world, religion struggles for relevance. But you''ve been at the forefront of political struggle for decades.   It''s not just a political struggle. We''ve had controversies about the ordination of women. You have to ask: "What is God''s vision on this one?" And almost always you can bet your bottom dollar that God is going to be on the side of the one who is being clobbered. We need women. Then there''s the whole question of sexual orientation. I would not be able to worship a God who was homophobic. I wouldn''t understand how in this one instance, Jesus would be found supporting those who were oppressing others.   Do you worry about leaving a vacuum?   It would be so arrogant to think: "Oh, I am really indispensable. I am the cat''s whiskers. You are never going to ever have another like me!" Oh gee! That''s awful! Some people get the opportunity of the limelight, but when you think of something like Darfur, the people who really do the rough work and get into the trenches, those are the real stars. You stand out in the crowd only because you have these many, many carrying you on their shoulders.   How do you see the future   Anyone who was not thrilled by the World Cup needs to go see their psychiatrist. The pride. The amount of people flying the flag. It was just crazy! We have shown the world. We have shown ourselves. We can meet deadlines. We build state of the art stadiums. We can actually control crime. We have got the ability. We can make every South African proud and feel they matter. One has a great, great exhilaration about the possibilities. Then there are the young people in our country. They take your breath away. Man! They really can make this country hum. The sky is the limit now. So I am excited about that. Visit the related web page
	Human Rights Watch honors Human Rights Defenders by Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch   Oct 2010   Human Rights Watch Honors Human Rights Defenders Working to End Abuses in Cameroon, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and Russia.   Six relentless and courageous advocates of human rights will be honored in November 2010, with the prestigious Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism, Human Rights Watch said today. All six have faced substantial threats of violence or imprisonment, but they continue to speak out and to work to create a world in which people live free of violence, discrimination, and oppression.   The award is named after Dr. Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to Human Rights Watch"s Africa division for almost two decades, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in New York on February 12, 2009. Des Forges was the world''s leading expert on Rwanda, the 1994 genocide, and its aftermath. Human Rights Watch''s annual award honors her outstanding commitment to and defense of human rights. It celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others.   The six winners of Human Rights Watch''s 2010 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism are:   •Hossam Bahgat, executive director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights;   •Elena Milashina, an investigative journalist for Russia''s leading independent newspaper, Novaya Gazeta;   •Yoseph Mulugeta, former secretary general of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council;   •Steave Nemande, a medical doctor who is president of Alternatives-Cameroun, an organization that advocates decriminalization of homosexuality in Africa;   •Sussan Tahmasebi, a civil and women''s rights activist from Iran and founding member of the One Million Signatures Campaign; and   •Liu Xiaobo, a former university professor and Tiananmen Square activist currently in prison for his involvement with Charter 08, a pro-democracy petition.   "We''re inspired by the courage and commitment of these extraordinary activists," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "They confront discrimination and danger every day in their struggle to pressure their governments to uphold human rights for all."   Human Rights Watch staff work closely with the human rights defenders as part of the organization''s research on some 90 countries around the world. The defenders will be honored at the 2010 Human Rights Watch annual dinners in Amsterdam, Chicago, Geneva, Hamburg, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Oslo, Paris, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Toronto, and Zurich.   Hossam Bahgat, Egypt   As the founder and director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Hossam Bahgat defends civil rights and liberties in Egypt. He speaks out against the government''s violations of religious freedom and the right to privacy. Bahgat recently won a case against the Interior Ministry on behalf of Egyptian Baha''is and has played a prominent role in exposing sectarian violence against Coptic Christians - both minorities facing frequent discrimination. Human Rights Watch honors Hossam Bahgat for upholding the personal freedoms of all Egyptians.   Elena Milashina, Russia   As a leading investigative journalist for Novaya Gazeta, Russia''s most prominent independent newspaper, Elena Milashina exposes the truth about human rights abuses and widespread government corruption. Despite Russia''s attempts to silence its critics and hide abuses, Milashina remains outspoken, publishing accounts of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and torture. She is also conducting her own investigation into the brazen murder of a leading Chechen human rights defender, Natalia Estemirova, calling for accountability at the highest level. Human Rights Watch honors Elena Milashina for her courage in confronting Russia''s deeply problematic human rights record.   Yoseph Mulugeta, Ethiopia   Yoseph Mulugeta is the former secretary general of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council (EHRCO), Ethiopia''s leading rights monitoring organization, currently struggling to survive under a repressive new law that bans human rights work by organizations receiving foreign funding. When the EHRCO was threatened, Mulugeta applied for political asylum in the United States, where he continues to speak out about the realities behind the Ethiopian government''s democratic facade. Human Rights Watch honors Yoseph Mulugeta for his commitment to independent civil society in Ethiopia, where freedom of expression has been eviscerated.   Steave Nemande, Cameroon   Steave Nemande, medical doctor and president of the human rights organization Alternatives-Cameroun, speaks out against laws criminalizing homosexual conduct. In Africa, an overwhelming majority of countries still consider same-sex acts a crime, which in some cases is punishable by death. Nemande also runs a health care facility for people living with HIV/AIDS. Human Rights Watch honors Steave Nemande for his tireless work to promote and defend the human rights of gay people in Africa.   Sussan Tahmasebi, Iran   Sussan Tahmasebi, an activist for two decades, works to strengthen Iranian civil society with a focus on gender issues and women''s rights. She has conducted training in leadership and peace-building, continues to facilitate collaboration between Iranian and international civil society, and is a founding member of the award-winning One Million Signatures Campaign. The campaign rallies support for an end to Iran''s gender-biased laws. Tahmasebi has been harassed by security forces and was banned from traveling abroad for over two years because of her work. Human Rights Watch honors Sussan Tahmasebi for her dedication to promoting civil society and making women''s rights a national priority in Iran.   Liu Xiaobo, China   Liu Xiaobo, one of the most outspoken critics of the Chinese government, spent a year and a half in prison after the 1989 Tiananmen Square peaceful protests, and in 1996 was imprisoned for three years for criticizing China''s policy toward Taiwan and the Dalai Lama. Last year, he was sentenced to a further 11 years for co-authoring Charter 08, a petition to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A former university professor, Liu Xiaobo was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Human Rights Watch honors Liu Xiaobo for his fearless commitment to freedom of expression and assembly in China. Visit the related web page
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