RESPONSE FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBER, REGINA SUNWHISPER AMBASSADOR
To the Committee for Review of the Amnesty Act,
It has been with my immense pleasure that I have had the opportunity to speak with some of you, but not all of you. In having spoken with the few of you that I have been able, it has come to my attention that the language in this act is not only confounding, but that some of it does not truly help the reader understand its purpose. During the meeting in which it was presented, it seemed there was a frightening split between those who understand what amnesty and asylum are and what they are not. Even more frighteningly so, it was a split between those who should know and those who are meant to act upon it.
First and foremost, the act itself in the preamble should clearly define what is amnesty and what is asylum. The two are not always one and the same, and should not be treated as such. AMNESTY is an official pardoning of someone who has created an offense against the crown. Not all who are seeking to have shelter under the umbrella of Stormwind, and the Alliance as a whole, are guilty of a crime. Unless there has been a law presented that makes having been made a Sin’dorei a crime, then forcing those who were simple merchants or those who were forced to comply through abuses -- which there is plenty of evidence to support -- can truly be accused of having assisted the Horde through military action against the Alliance. Ergo, not all should be filed under amnesty.
ASYLUM is the protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their home nation as a political refugee. For many at the meeting the concept of a refugee seemed entirely implausible, but let us review what a refugee is: an innocent who was otherwise forced to leave everything they have known behind in order to seek a better life.
I believe with these words clearly defined, it will assist in those who may not know the difference between the two or the reasoning why one would seek asylum over amnesty and vice versa.
In TITLE I as well, you note that those of Sin’dorei or Quel’dorei descent -- but not those of any other foreign governing body. While I am the Ambassador within Stormwind City, specifically for the Thalassian people, the act itself is simply called ‘the Amnesty Act,’ but does not seem to embody those who may come from foreign governments outside of the Grand Alliance who are not Sin’dorei or Quel’dorei.
What do I mean? Quite simply: There are many groups and governments who -- not unlike my own -- are not sworn entirely to the Grand Alliance and through their own government may force their people who are non-elfkin to establish a need for amnesty and asylum from these governments. This would mean that the act itself should consider a broader term that is inclusive of any human or non-human may come to declare amnesty or asylum through the proper channels (or established embassy should they have one), those who are deemed absolute enemies of the Grand Alliance notwithstanding. I have significant doubts that a Forsaken nor an Orc would truly come to Stormwind seeking asylum or amnesty, for that matter.
TITLE II is where things begin to become sorely lacking in details. First of all, the provisions of TITLE II only mention if the person is seeking AMNESTY, but not much if they are seeking ASYLUM. This is incorrect as if you view the definitions above in my letter, a person who is seeking asylum is not always seeking amnesty, either, unless there is a provision that states implicitly what defines an “act of aggression toward the Grand Alliance.”
The provisions themselves should be clarified into steps that a person seeking amnesty, asylum, citizenship and benefits thereof should be able to follow. Here are the provisions that I have crafted for review:
- All persons seeking amnesty, asylum and/or citizenship with the benefits therein should first present themselves before their proper embassy for primary investigation. During a process of no less than 30 days, they may be granted temporary visas that allow them to go between the office of the embassy, their place of work and their provided shelter. All of this will be done under the supervision of a provided sponsor.
- All persons seeking AMNESTY or ASYLUM shall, within the 30 days, entirely submit themselves to of the Office of the Lord Prosecutor in conjunction with a committee chaired by a magistrate of Stormwind appointed by the Lord High Chancellor, a sitting Lord of the House of Nobles appointed by the Lord Speaker, and an experienced representative of Thalassian Embassy for the purposes of legal investigation into any potential espionage.
- All persons who claim SANCTUARY from the church through the Enylitical of Quel’Thalas will be ineligible to claim AMNESTY or ASYLUM through their prospective embassies to prevent a conflict of interest as the Enylitical does not provide provisions for submission to any secular authority.
- All persons seeking AMNESTY and CITIZENSHIP may swear an oath to the Crown of Stormwind as part of their reconciliation with the Grand Alliance. In mind of this, should they resist swearing fealty to the Crown, they will receive no benefits therein of a citizen and will lose their temporary visas through the embassy.
- All persons seeking ASYLUM and CITIZENSHIP may swear an oath to the Crown of Stormwind or to the Grand Alliance as a whole. Those persons seeking ASYLUM without CITIZENSHIP who do not make the oath to the Crown of Stormwind will not be granted the benefits of citizenship but may continue to live and work within Stormwind as a member of the Grand Alliance, under all laws and provisions afforded to non-citizens. Those who do not make an oath to either will have their benefits of a temporary visa revoked through the embassy.
- All persons seeking AMNESTY or ASYLUM shall be subject to a sentence no less than Capital Punishment if convicted of High Treason, Espionage, or any such treasonous activity that would tend to prove the accused betrayed the trust provided under this act.
While these provisions are a touch more verbose than the previous version, I believe that in placing them in a specific order and by declaring that certain aspects can be separated from one or the other, it will help those who may be seeking something that was not defined before. As you can see, I also included the aspect of SANCTUARY, which had become a point of contention months ago during the attempt of providing citizenship to one who had claimed such. While I believe the church carries with it a certain necessity to the protection of those who seek to be part of the church, the idea of sanctuary should not be something that the embassy nor any secular office should have to contend with as they would have no true ability where the canonical laws of the church are concerned.
Lastly in TITLE III, I believe that there is something that was entirely overlooked in terms of how best to ensure that those who are granted CITIZENSHIP (as you can grant amnesty without it, as you can grant asylum without it as well) should be employed to the following:
- Those who have been granted full AMNESTY shall be required to submit themselves to no less than one year and one day of military service or one year and one day of civil service under a pre-approved sponsor, where they will be required to pay 10% of their wages to the Crown as payment for their benefits until they are given full CITIZENSHIP status.
- Those who have been granted full ASYLUM shall be required to submit themselves to no less than one year and one day of civil service or under the apprenticeship of a local trade where they will be required to pay 10% of their wages to the Crown as payment for their benefits until they are given full CITIZENSHIP. Should they forego CITIZENSHIP under Stormwind, they will be required to pay 10% of their yearly pay in their trade as professed under the Office of the Exchequer to pay for the benefits they had sustained while under the protection of the Crown of Stormwind.
These are the corrections that I believe should be in place. While the original was understandably written to ensure the protection of the people of Stormwind, and the Grand Alliance as a whole, it is in my personal belief that this is an opportunity for the ability of all people to gain something from a mutual accord. I trust that these words will not seek out blind eyes and my words will not fall upon deaf ears. If it is necessary that I be contacted before this is deemed even partially worthy, then my office is always open.
Signed and Sealed,
R. A. Sunwhisper
Regina of Quel’Athillien / Ambassador of the Thalassian Embassy
