Malath's Stance on Targeting Civilians

 In moments like these, it is not enough to ask: What happened?
There is another question equally important: How do we protect people?

At Malath, we believe that some events demand more than news coverage or fact-recording.
They require us to clarify the principles we stand by—and to define what must remain constant when people's lives, safety, and dignity are threatened.

People First
No human life should ever be the price of a doctrine, an identity, or a political project.
When belief, identity, or politics becomes a justification for taking human life, the problem is no longer difference—it is the collapse of the very value that makes the human being an end in itself, rather than a means.

Intellectual, religious, and political differences are part of human life. In themselves, they cannot justify violence or the violation of others' lives.
When ideas become tools to justify killing civilians, terrorizing them, or violating their safety, we are not facing a mere disagreement.
We are facing the collapse of a fundamental value: the right of every person to be human—before any other affiliation.

Targeting Civilians Is Not Just a Security Incident
Every attack that targets civilians does not only harm individuals.
It also targets people's sense of safety, the trust between them, and their ability to go about their daily lives without fear.
Its impact can extend beyond the moment of the explosion itself—into homes, streets, and the memory of those who lived through the event,
lost someone, were injured, or were forced to confront fear once again.
That is why protecting people does not begin only after harm has been done.
It begins with refusing to turn people's lives into an open space for violence.

Beyond Numbers, There Is a Human Being
In crises, casualty figures become an essential part of the picture, and people have the right to know what happened accurately.
But behind every number is a person.
Behind every injury is someone with a life, a family, and a memory.
Behind every death is a family that will carry its weight.
That is why the handling of victims should not become a mere tally that changes with the news. It must remain tied to respect, responsibility, and dignity.

The first victim of extremism is the human being.
Before the numbers.
Before the politics.
Before the statements.
Before the affiliations.
Truth Is Part of Protecting People
In times of crisis, responsibility does not stop at rescuing the wounded and protecting people from immediate danger. It must also extend to protecting the truth.
Accurate information is not a media detail.
It is part of people's right to know. Part of their ability to make decisions. Part of restoring the trust that can quickly fracture in the face of contradictions, rumors, and unverified information.
It is natural for initial casualty figures in major incidents to change as new information emerges or as medical and legal assessments are completed.
But responsibility requires that any update be clear, attributed to its source, and explained when the information changes.
A false report does not necessarily lose its impact after correction—especially when it concerns people's lives and safety.

No Justification for Violence Against People
At Malath, we reject the targeting of civilians, regardless of the perpetrator, the doctrine, the identity, or the political justifications used to explain violence.
We do not see religious, political, or intellectual difference as justification for taking human life.
Nor do we believe that any project can gain legitimacy from the fear it imposes on people, the blood it sheds, or the dignity it violates.

A person is not a means to deliver a message.
Not a tool to achieve victory.
Not a number in a tally.
A person is the starting point.

Why Does Malath Issue This Position?
Because defending people does not end with documenting what happened after it occurs.
At Malath, we work to preserve memory, listen to human experiences, and provide space for voices that might otherwise be lost amid major events.
But preserving memory alone is not enough.
We also need to be clear about the principles through which we read these events.

That is why "Malath's Stances" exists—as a space where we declare our ethical and human rights positions on issues that affect people and their dignity.
These stances are not statements tied to a fleeting moment, nor reactions to a single event.
They are an attempt to build a reference that can be returned to, developed, and through which we can hold ourselves accountable as contexts and events evolve.

What We Believe
We believe that:

• Every person has the right to life, safety, and dignity.
•  Targeting civilians is unacceptable, regardless of the perpetrator or justification.
• Religious, political, and intellectual difference does not justify violence. 
• A person should never become a means to achieve other goals.
•  Truth and accuracy are part of our responsibility toward people—especially in times of crisis.
• Protecting memory and protecting people are connected responsibilities.
• Human dignity is indivisible, regardless of identity, affiliation, or political position.

Contexts may differ.
Parties may differ.
Political narratives may differ.
But some things, we believe, should not change with them:
That human life is not negotiable.
That safety is not a privilege for some over others.
That dignity is not tied to affiliation.
That truth is not a luxury in times of crisis.

At Malath, we want these principles to remain clear—not only when it is easy to say them, but especially when holding to them becomes harder.

Compassion to the victims, healing to the wounded, and peace to all who live under the weight of fear.