The Amistad Declaration on Slavery and the Rights of Man

[Berlin Military Administration]

No. Intervention is only when a country takes steps to actually do something. Like declaration of war, or sending aid and supplies, something like that.

You're just asking to be militarily occupied by us and the other signatories. We suggest you stand down or else.

We do not stand down. Our nation is already a few months away from being militarily occupied by a bunch of foreign superpowers anyway, so at this point we no longer care how many nations we get into a conflict with.

[Kyundao]

We do not stand down. Our nation is already a few months away from being militarily occupied by a bunch of foreign superpowers anyway, so at this point we no longer care how many nations we get into a conflict with.

Well, sucks to be you then. That's not our problem.

[New Visayan Islands]

TO: Open Letter
FROM: Department of Foreign Affairs, Confederation of the New Visayan Islands
RE: The Confederation's duties as an Amistad signatory

In a speech made on May 5th by President Francis Cui, the Confederation laid out the moral principle behind her support of those who seek the eradication of slavery. Attached to this letter are key excerpts form that speech:

...when the opposition is considered an enemy of all mankind, by default, the fight is guaranteed to be a fight we must get involved in. This is the case in the fight against slavery: by his actions, the slaver wages war against all nations, and as a signatory to the Amistad Declaration, this is a war the Confederation can ill afford to sit out, contrary to the cries of those who still abide by strict Westphalian interpretations of sovereignty which deny others to right to criticize certain actions as barbaric when said actions are the internal policies of a nation-state.

...

Think about this: the notion that no one has the right to criticize what it sees as a practice beyond the pale because said practice is the policy of a nation-state was put paid in the Nuremberg Trials; gone are the days where one can get away with being party to the Holocaust. Gone are the days where people simply submitted to unjust laws; St. Augustine once said that such laws are not laws at all.

That being said, the Confederation wishes to reiterate several key points:

1. By the actions of those regimes that are party to slavery, they are legally considered hostis humani generis, shorn of all but the most basic of legal protections; no declaration of war is necessary, for the actions committed by those same regimes are proof positive that they are in a state of war against all decent nations.
2. The Confederation stands alongside fellow Amistad signatories against the slaver and all who aid and abet him.
3. The Visayan International Criminal Code prescribes a minimum of forty years' imprisonment for the crime of slavery, a crime that may even be considered a capital offense; slavers executed as a result shall be buried at sea.

Sincerely,


Dr. Jack Castro, PhD (International Relations)
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Confederation of the New Visayan Islands

[Newark Aristocracy]

TO: Open Letter
FROM: Department of Foreign Affairs, Confederation of the New Visayan Islands
RE: The Confederation's duties as an Amistad signatory

In a speech made on May 5th by President Francis Cui, the Confederation laid out the moral principle behind her support of those who seek the eradication of slavery. Attached to this letter are key excerpts form that speech:

...when the opposition is considered an enemy of all mankind, by default, the fight is guaranteed to be a fight we must get involved in. This is the case in the fight against slavery: by his actions, the slaver wages war against all nations, and as a signatory to the Amistad Declaration, this is a war the Confederation can ill afford to sit out, contrary to the cries of those who still abide by strict Westphalian interpretations of sovereignty which deny others to right to criticize certain actions as barbaric when said actions are the internal policies of a nation-state.

...

Think about this: the notion that no one has the right to criticize what it sees as a practice beyond the pale because said practice is the policy of a nation-state was put paid in the Nuremberg Trials; gone are the days where one can get away with being party to the Holocaust. Gone are the days where people simply submitted to unjust laws; St. Augustine once said that such laws are not laws at all.

That being said, the Confederation wishes to reiterate several key points:

1. By the actions of those regimes that are party to slavery, they are legally considered hostis humani generis, shorn of all but the most basic of legal protections; no declaration of war is necessary, for the actions committed by those same regimes are proof positive that they are in a state of war against all decent nations.
2. The Confederation stands alongside fellow Amistad signatories against the slaver and all who aid and abet him.
3. The Visayan International Criminal Code prescribes a minimum of forty years' imprisonment for the crime of slavery, a crime that may even be considered a capital offense; slavers executed as a result shall be buried at sea.

Sincerely,

(Image)
Dr. Jack Castro, PhD (International Relations)
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Confederation of the New Visayan Islands

Attack any of our ships,and there will be bullets flying,possibly even nukes if necessary.

[Kyundao]

OOC: Newark Aristocracy can you NOT send me unwanted telegrams? That is really uncalled for.

[Newark Aristocracy]

OOC: Newark Aristocracy can you NOT send me unwanted telegrams?

OOC:yes

[Picairn]

Attack any of our ships,and there will be bullets flying,possibly even nukes if necessary.

Your threat has been noted. Do you think we don't have nukes and ICBMs as well? Some of us even possess spaceship fleets.

[Kyundao]

OOC: Newark Aristocracy can you NOT send me unwanted telegrams?

OOC:yes

OOC: That was a fucking demand dude.

[Newark Aristocracy]

Attack any of our ships,and there will be bullets flying,possibly even nukes if necessary.

Your threat has been noted. Do you think we don't have nukes and ICBMs as well? Some of us even possess spaceship fleets.

Same here,boy.

[Newark Aristocracy]

OOC:yes

OOC: That was a fucking demand dude.

YES DAMMIT.

[Berlin Military Administration]

In response to growing international aggression against the nation of Newark, the Berlin Military Administration has ratified the Newark Citizen Protection Act of 1946.

Newark Citizen Protection Act of 1946

Passed by General Claus Von Stauffenberg with approval from the Berlin Executive Committee

The following act has 2 sections, first regarding the reasons for the passing of such an act, second for the clauses within the act itself.

Reasons for The Act

i. That the citizens of Newark, in particular a certain class of businessmen, face the threat of unjustified persecution from international aggressors.

ii. That the Berlin Military Administration, itself at possible risk of being the victim of such wanton aggression in the future, has the duty to ensure that fellow nation states do not have to face the threat alone.

Clauses of the Act

i. That all citizens of Newark wishing to seek refuge from this international aggression be allowed to remain for an indefinite period of time in Berlin, with the guarantee of safe shelter, adequate food and water, and protection from aggression due to Berlin's neutrality in this matter.

ii. That all businessmen from Newark, particularly those involved in the buying and selling of criminal slaves, are allowed to bring shipments of their cargo to Berlin, without fear of persecution. The cargo shall be stored safely and without being tampered with in one of the many underground warehouses and storage facilities in Berlin.

iii. That Newark citizens be also free to leave Berlin at any point in time.


iv. That if Newark capitulates to foreign aggression in this war, and undergoes a forced change of government, all Newarkian politicians, officials and diplomats that have seeked refuged in Berlin will be recognised as the true government of Newark.

Signed,
Siegfried Schultz
Minister for Foreign Affairs

[Picairn]

Same here,boy.

K, child.

[Kyundao]

OOC: That was a fucking demand dude.

YES DAMMIT.

OOC: So you're going to ignore my demands?

[Newark Aristocracy]

YES DAMMIT.

OOC: So you're going to ignore my demands?

No,I was saying yes to then,you bloody fool.

[Berlin Military Administration]

So will there be a war?

[Kyundao]

OOC: So you're going to ignore my demands?

No,I was saying yes to then,you bloody fool.

OOC: If you're going to agree to something, FUCKING WORD IT DIFFERENTLY. A simple word can be taken the wrong way.

[Berlin Military Administration]

No,I was saying yes to then,you bloody fool.

OOC: If you're going to agree to something, FUCKING WORD IT DIFFERENTLY. A simple word can be taken the wrong way.

OOC: Jeez, chill it with the vulgarities mate

[Picairn]

So will there be a war?

Provided that this isn't gonna devolve into a trollfest inviting divine intervention from the mods.

[Kyoki Chudoku]

From: Tokiko Suou, Intermittent Head of Diplomacy

---

On behalf of the Supreme Ultimate Country of Kyoki Chudoku, I have been asked to put forth several questions regarding the Amistad Declaration, its nature, and its intentions.

1. Regarding the matter of slavery, by which metric is “chattel slavery” defined according to the Declaration? This is especially intended to clarify the Declaration’s official position on the use of uncompensated penal labour as punishment for treacherous elements. How is one determined as a slave, and how is one determined as a slaver? What degree of inaction is considered impermissible on an individual basis- for example, if one is aware of a slavery ring but does not report it, are they thus a criminal accomplice?

2. How does the Amistad Declaration intend to handle civilisations that are relatively historical- that is to say, in the past? Most ancient, medieval and classical societies did not necessarily consider the concept of slavery abhorrent. Are these civilisations to be uprooted and annihilated by likely superior technology for the sake of upholding this particular set of morals?

3. How does the Amistad Declaration regard cases in which alien biology is involved? Are examples of eusociality, genetically-determined caste systems or syncretic evolution considered analogous to slavery? Is the moral basis of the Declaration intended to extend to all species across all times regardless of cultural, economic and biological circumstances? If so, what moral justification can be afforded that supersedes both sovereignty and the nature of exotic culture and indeed biology?

4. What is the Amistad Declaration’s position on a lack of freedom caused by magical or technological mental manipulation? Is the use of such capabilities considered a form of slavery?

5. The Declaration proclaims it will use any necessary means to achieve its aims, yet the liberation of slaves appears to be less essential than the eradication of slavers. Is the Declaration willing to utilise weapons of mass destruction to eradicate slavers, even if this results the mass annihilation of innocent slaves in the process? If so, upon what moral basis does the Declaration stand that renders such an act any more excusable for its aims than for the preservation of national sovereignty?

6. Does the Declaration intend to violate the sovereignty of unaligned nations in this conflict if it will expedite its aims? If so, will such transgressions still result in collective conflict against the defender if action is taken to hinder these transgressions?

[Berlin Military Administration]

The government in Berlin would like to, at this point in time, state expressly that it has not legalized slavery within the nation, and have no future plans to. While forced labor from captured Prisoners Of War, imprisoned criminals, and debt defaulters is often used, this should not be counted within the realms of chattel slavery.

[Santheres]

No,I was saying yes to then,you bloody fool.

OOC: If you're going to agree to something, FUCKING WORD IT DIFFERENTLY. A simple word can be taken the wrong way.

You need to chill. Ask nicely, report via GHR if you think they're harassing you via TG. There is no reason to disrupt a thread like this.

OOC: So you're going to ignore my demands?

No,I was saying yes to then,you bloody fool.

Consider this an unofficial warning for flaming. Leave them alone if they want to be left alone. There is no reason to respond, certainly not like that no matter how frustrated you might be. You should also chill.

Thanks!

[Picairn]

So someone went full Heel; there's even a message for Allanea in their slave market that can be summed up in two words: bring it.

Almost forgot: they really meant it.

Since Newark essentially godmodded in his thread, can we nuke him with trillions of antimatter ICBMs?

[Berlin Military Administration]

So someone went full Heel; there's even a message for Allanea in their slave market that can be summed up in two words: bring it.

Almost forgot: they really meant it.

Since Newark essentially godmodded in his thread, can we nuke him with trillions of antimatter ICBMs?

Ok. You guys uh, just keep the bombs flying, while I accept some billions of refugees...

[Santheres]

So someone went full Heel; there's even a message for Allanea in their slave market that can be summed up in two words: bring it.

Almost forgot: they really meant it.

Since Newark essentially godmodded in his thread, can we nuke him with trillions of antimatter ICBMs?

OOC: As a mentor, I would remind you that you do not have control over anyone else's nation. If you do not wish to RP with someone, then simply stop RPing with them. "Destroying" their nation in your own canon is a bad look at best, and has devolved into actionable harassment in the past. I recommend steering clear of such things.

I will also note to everyone that this thread does have a topic, and you seem to be straying pretty far from it, especially as it is an IC thread. Get back to the IC please.

[Allanea]

OOC: I'd just like to note I have no idea what happened here and probably will need a few hours to figure out what went on in my absence.