追悼ビデオメッセージ Memorial video message (Tina Minkowitz)

 

Hello.  My name is Tina Minkowitz, and I’m currently the president of the Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry.  I’m also a former board member and co-chair of the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry.

I first met Mari when she was a board member of the World Network and when I was first starting to do the work on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.as a representative of the World Network, that was before I had become a board member myself.  I remember always valuing Mari’s contributions during that process, she was always very diligent and would always make sure to read materials I sent proposing a position or sharing a draft of a document and she would comment on it, her comments were always supportive and helpful.

I also remember Mari as being extremely principled in all areas of her life, being firmly and deeply against Japanese imperialism and taking positions in support of the countries that Japan had colonized and in support of the women who were known as the former ‘comfort women’ that were fighting for reparations for having been put into sexual slavery.  Mari was also a very staunch feminist in terms of strongly supporting women’s human rights and freedoms, and I know that even during this last period of her life that I had been able to send her some video messages along with another close colleague of mine and I was told that when she heard my messages she was happy to have been in solidarity with other female activists.

And I was happy to have had some small contact with her through those video messages during this period even though I was not able to speak with her directly, the time zones just never worked out.

I want to honor Mari for all of who she was, as an activist, as a principled freedom fighter and human rights defender, and for all that I heard of her, of her personal life that I know that she suffered greatly and I did not know all the details, and also that she was somebody who really liked to go out and have a good time.  And I hope and I’m sure that others of you will share different aspects of Mari that you knew, and that we can all share with her our love and let her go in love as someone who contributed and stood up for the right things in this world.  Thank you.

こんにちは。 私はティナ・ミンコウィッツと申します。現在、「精神医学の利用者と遺族の人権センター」の代表を務めています。 また、「精神医学の利用者と遺族の世界ネットワーク」の元理事であり、共同議長でもあります。

マリさんと初めてお会いしたのは、彼女が世界ネットワークの理事だった頃で、私が世界ネットワークの代表として障害者権利条約の活動を始めた頃でした。 彼女はいつもとても勤勉で、私がポジションを提案したり、文書の草案を共有したりするために送った資料を必ず読んで、それに対してコメントしてくれました。

日本帝国主義に断固として深く反対し、日本が植民地化した国々を支持する立場をとり、性的奴隷として扱われたことに対する賠償を求めて戦っていた元「慰安婦」と呼ばれる女性たちを支持していました。 マリはまた、女性の人権と自由を強く支持するという点で、非常に確固としたフェミニストでもありました。マリが最晩年を迎えたこの時期に、私はもう一人の親しい同僚と一緒に彼女にビデオメッセージを送ることができました。

時間帯が合わず、直接話すことはできなかったけれど、この期間、ビデオメッセージを通じて彼女と少しでも接触できたことをうれしく思います。

活動家として、原則的な自由の闘士として、人権擁護者として、そして私が聞いた彼女の私生活のすべてについて、彼女がとても苦しんでいたことは知っていますが、私はその詳細を知りませんでした。 そして、他のみなさんが、あなたが知っているマリのさまざまな面を分かち合ってくれることを願っていますし、そうすることで、私たち全員が彼女と愛を分かち合い、この世界で正しいことのために貢献し、立ち上がった人物として、彼女を愛のうちに見送ることができると確信しています。 ありがとうございました。