Massena Announces the Safe Harbors Act. (All Techs!)

[Massena]

OOC:

This is simply a declaration by the government and people of the Republic of Massena.

IC:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

By a majority vote of the Continental Congress, the Republic of Massena declares the following.

Having witnessed the cruel, inhumane, barbaric, and all too often completely unwarranted treatment which is meted out to Neko, Kitsune, Elves, Ponies, Centaurs, Naga, and many other, sentient non-human species, this Republic announces the Safe Harbors Act. Under this Act, any person who belongs to any non-human species may seek, and be freely granted refuge in the Republic's territories.

No special legal subservient position shall be applied to such beings as decide to seek asylum in the Commonwealth, and any escaped slaves may rest assured that they shall not be returned into bondage, torture, or any other servitude.

That is all. Thank you.

Signed by,
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State

[Aethrys]

To: The Government of the Republic of Massena
From: Artyom Chen, Aetherian minister of civil justice
Subject: Safe Harbors act

On Behalf of the police forces of the People's Republic of Aethrys, I hereby express concern over the passage of the "Safe Harbors" act. We are concerned that the open wording of the legislation leaves a dangerous opening for wanted criminals to escape justice by fleeing to Massena simply by capitalizing on their status as non human. Be warned that should it be discovered that any fugitive has fled to your nation, our expectations will remain the same as they are for all other countries: a demand for extradition will be issued, and MCJ officers will be dispatched to take such individuals into custody.


Minister of Civil Justice

[Massena]

To: The Government of the Republic of Massena
From: Artyom Chen, Aetherian minister of civil justice
Subject: Safe Harbors act

On Behalf of the police forces of the People's Republic of Aethrys, I hereby express concern over the passage of the "Safe Harbors" act. We are concerned that the open wording of the legislation leaves a dangerous opening for wanted criminals to escape justice by fleeing to Massena simply by capitalizing on their status as non human. Be warned that should it be discovered that any fugitive has fled to your nation, our expectations will remain the same as they are for all other countries: a demand for extradition will be issued, and MCJ officers will be dispatched to take such individuals into custody.

(Image)
Minister of Civil Justice

Minister,

I am writing you to issue both a reassurance, and a warning.

Please understand that any person who is classified as an infamous criminal who flees here will, regardless of species, be open to possible extradition to the country in which their crime has taken place, provided we are certain they will not face unduly harsh punishment or persecution.

Crimes which were commited by individuals engaged in the act of resisting unjust persecution may not apply.

Further, please note that Massena does not recognize the rights of foreign law enforcement agencies to operate on our soil. MCJ officers would themselves be subject to arrest if they made any effort to enforce their authority on our soil.

Finally, this Republic does not hold any extradition agreements with your nation. Please keep this in mind.

Signed by,
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State

[Knootoss]

No bullshit. Just KNN.

---

“It's completely ridiculous. These pony-loving surrender monkeys are practically inviting an invasion,” TV pundit Ben Gleck thundered, “Take the Republic of Massena, a piddling nation in the West Pacific, completely insignificant except that it has a 'progressive'...” - Gleck made air quotes here - “... government, like over here with Vologdov. It just declared that it would allow any non-human species to seek refuge in their nation and be accepted without precondition. Any number of them! Haven't they seen what happened in Hippostania? In all these other nations where millions of ponies just showed up, declared themselves citizens, and imposed a race-based dictatorship? How naive can you be?”

Ben Gleck shook his head and sighed, looking into a camera which zoomed in on his face, to the point where his nose almost seemed to press against the television. “Those damned ponies are spoiling it for all the rest of the non-humans, though. Neko's and elves have come to Knootoss to escape prosecution for years, and we all know that they can be trusted not to take over the government. When is the last time we had some racially supremacist neko party? Or an elf party? That wants to take over? I'm telling you, if we don't act now, these ponies are going to be marching up and down the boulevards of Hartstad soon enough.”

[Xekliv]

Unwarranted treatment?! Do you have ANY idea of the scale of the misery and bloodshed that the elves have caused the empire? Before we were even smart enough to use wooden spears, they had slaughtered and enslaved us, believing that we were just some race of impure beasts!

The genocide they committed against us nearly lead to our extinction! They didn't stop with the soldiers, they went after civilians! Women, children, the elderly! All because their so-called God told them to!

Take elves out of the act. The other races are fine with us, but the elves deserve to suffer and repent for the atrocities they committed, not just against our species, but all races they deemed unfit to coexist with.

[Massena]

IC:

Concerned Parties,

It is perhaps unknown to you at the present, but the Republic is not in the habit of enacting changes to law and state policy based on the demands of foreign states, particularly when the demand is intended to facilitate genocide.

Elves will not be removed from consideration by this Act, barring further action by Congress, which is very unlikely.

Signed by,
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State

[Auzkhia]

"On behalf of His Imperial and Royal Majesty, we approve of the Safe Harbors Act. We are happy to see that many other nations truly respect sapient rights. All sapient beings such as ponies and elves deserve a safe realm to reside in."
-Lord Boris Hugo von Bach, minister of foreign affairs.

[The Federation of Zera]

The Federation of Zera, supports this act. Although we do not have a problem with racism, we will see to it that a similar act be passed in our legislation in order to formally protect foreign immigrants.


-- Smith Harris, Head Chairmen of Foreign Affairs

[Xekliv]

IC:

Concerned Parties,

It is perhaps unknown to you at the present, but the Republic is not in the habit of enacting changes to law and state policy based on the demands of foreign states, particularly when the demand is intended to facilitate genocide.

Elves will not be removed from consideration by this Act, barring further action by Congress, which is very unlikely.

Signed by,
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State,
(Image)

OOC: Might as well start using my sick letter thingy.

IC:

To:
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State of The Republic of Massena
From:
The Galactic Empire

Interesting. You seem to care very much for the genocide of Elves, which wasn't even mentioned in our previous message, but when it comes to the near-extinction and enslavement and species-wide torture of the Xeklivians you barely bat an eye. I thought this act was to stop racism and specieism, not create more. You're probably fascists like them, too.

The Galactic Empire demands that the The Republic of Massena stops this madness immediately. If it has to come to it, the Empire will send several fleets to blockade refugees from accessing The Republic of Massena's space.

We hope you do the right thing. Not just on behalf of us, but on behalf of all sentient races.

Sincerely,

Legatus Jol Feron
Imperial Head of Foreign Relations

[Massena]

IC:

Legatus,

In my time in politics, I have learned that asking somebody to "do the right thing" is basically saying "give me what I want."

The purpose of this Act is, in reality, quite simple. It is to prevent oppression; specifically, the oppression of sapient non-humans who are sadly still treated as little more than garbage in many a nation-state. That list would include yours, it would seem.

We do not deny that certain Elves have inflicted harm upon you in the past, but this does not entitle you to enact vengeance upon a whole species, nor shall we permit you to do so as long as it is within our power to stop you.

Signed by,
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State

[Zaeus]

To: The Republic of Massena
From: The Confederacy of Zaeus

Being a non-human majority nation ourselves, and the former victim of severe human aggression, we applaud this law as a step towards non-human sentient beings recieving the respect that they deserve in the international community

Signed,
Dominator Ova of the Confederacy of Zaeus

[Massena]

IC:

Dominator,

Thank you for the kind words and the support. Massena has always struggled to be a land of free, morally upright people where all people, regardless, of race, gender, creed, species, and the rest have full equality before the law. We like to think we have been mostly successful, but many places are not the same, and do not care to be.

Non-human sapient peoples have often been especially targeted by less morally scrupulous nations, and we seek to give them some measure of refuge, a port in the storm, if you like, in the world.

Now, as you can see, at least one nation has decided to attempt to force us to abandon this stance, and to look the other way as they gleefully oppress and destroy an entire species. This shall not be allowed to stand. We refuse to yield. For as long as we have the power, and the means, we shall persist.

Signed by,
Mary Jane Tobin, Secretary of State