TheCOC

1. www.TheCOC.org

2. The Problem People use their power to achieve their own personal needs, and many times they do that causing a lot of harm to others. This is what is called “Misuse of Power”.

3. So What Must I Do? For a girl like me and in order to face others’ misuse of power I have to choose one of the following: 1- Become a billionaire 2- Become a politician 3- Become a protégée

4. Nothing lasts! None of them will work for me! So my situation forced me to search for another answer! “Only the Educated are free” Epictetus

5. Identifying the problems I came to identify the following problems: 1- I was defenseless before injustice because I didn’t know what my rights were. 2- When I knew some of my rights, I didn’t have the means to claim and defend those rights. 3- I faced police brutality, kidnapping by secret services, fake trials and corruption. 4- I did not find anyone I could resort to when my rights were violated.

6. Government? "Government should be set up so that no man need be afraid of another.“ Montesquieu “All Government of course, is against liberty” H.L. Mencken

7. OLD Solutions Powers should be separated, and monitored by other powers to prevent their misuse. • "Liberty has never come from government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of government.The history of liberty is the history of resistance." • Woodrow Wilson

8. Awarness! So life is a battlefield where more knowledgeable groups try to control less knowledgeable groups in order to achieve more power… Why don’t I form an elite, control the mass and gain more power?

9. You don’t have another option! Since human’s capacity to destroy is constantly increasing, using people as a mean has stopped being a “limited” problem and has become a major problem that faces all humanity.

10. Only ONE! I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. Albert Einstein

11. Imperialistic & Theological Aims! In countries like Lebanon, people are born in ignorance, and they remain in ignorance because the system is a big failure which makes them a tool that can be used by propaganda makers or ideologies’ manufacturers. Therefore, the major problem does not lie in tyranny and injustice alone, but also in the use of certain elites of people’s ignorance to take control of their resources in order to achieve their imperialistic and/or theological aims and believes.

12. Changing the reality … So how can we change this reality? How can we put an end to all kind of injustice? And how can I protect myself from others and at the same time protect others from me?

13. What is the power? “Understanding all the varieties of power is essential if one is to understand who has it, who doesn't, and how those who don't have it can get it”

14. The best solution! The COC will put an end to all problems related to the misuse of power, whether this misuse is carried out by national, regional or international forces, without entering into the well known dilemma of the suppressed becoming the suppressor. It observes and treats the reasons and the results of human rights violations by:

15. 1- The Human Rights Force 2- The Citizens' Protector 3- The Human Rights Academy 4- The Human Rights Media

16. May The Force Be With You The Human Rights Force

17. 25 persons 25 persons will be selected between the Lebanese youth. University students, graduated or undergraduate from different fields, 13 female and 12 male students: - Law (5 persons) - Political Science (5 persons) - Art (painters, designers, musicians) (5 persons) - Sociology (5 persons) - Journalism (5 persons)

18. Training The group of 25 will be trained and instructed for 25 days by university professors and international trainers on the following: • Constitutional law (5 days) • Human rights (reporting, monitoring and teaching) (6 days) • Citizen rights and Street law (In Lebanon) (2 days) • Nonviolent Struggle and Civilian Based Defense (6 days) • Advocacy and leadership skills (2 days) • Human Psychology and Critical Thinking (4 days)

19. Task The group of 25 will be divided to 5 Groups: And they will be forming the Constituent Assembly of the HRF (The Human Rights Force), where they will be asked to put a Bylaw, rules and procedures, mission statement, and to prepare for the BIG Camp. Every group of 5 persons will train 25 new persons for one month in a BIG Camp.

20. The BIG Camp • Communication withinternational organizations specializedin Nonviolent Struggle (Albert Einstein institute for example) and with local human rights organizations to organize TOT workshops for the core group of 25 • When those workshops finish, the Human Rights Force will be working to achieve its mission statement and the General Allotment will take place.

21. The General Allotment Once every 6 months a general Sortition, also known as allotment will take place where the leadership will be partially replaced and a new leadership appointed in its place. Those who wishes to be part of the leadership will be registered and an allotment will take place. With each selection for the leaders a parallel selection will be taking place for a shadow leadership and the shadow leadership will be similar in responsibilities for the real leadership.

22. The COC The HRF will be responsible for establishing the Human Rights Academy, the Citizen’s protector office, the Human Rights Media, and most of all the mother umbrella institution: The Council of Citizens

23. The Citizens Protector

24. Legal Protection & Consultancy The Citizen Protector (either male or female) is the president of the Council of Citizens and has offices for his representatives in every Lebanese caza. He offers to help victims of human rights violations and he uses the litigation strategies as a method of working.

25. Legal Protection & Consultancy He is elected by the General Assembly of the Council of Citizens for five years. Every five years, he renews for himself or he appoints a substitute. He can be dismissed by 85% of the General Assembly’s votes. He must be a lawyer for more than 15 years, holding a doctorate in law, and he must be known for defending human rights.

26. Legal Protection & Consultancy He appoints representatives for him in every caza to help him carry out his tasks. Those representatives can be dismissed by 85% of the General Assembly’s votes if the “Citizen Protector” does not approve of that dismissal and by the absolute majority of the General Assembly’s votes if he does not object. He follows any Human Rights Violation or major Citizens’ rights violation and he offer suggestions to improve the Lebanese Judicial system and integrity in the judicial system. A special training for lawyers will be essential for all lawyers who are going to work with the CP.

27. Salary He will work for free the first two years. After this period, he will be entitled to ask for any salary he sees suitable for him and for his representatives.

28. The Academy of Human Rights and Nonviolent struggle

29. Reforming Culture Once established it will train volunteers through series of workshops that allow them to join the HRF. It uses workshops as a teaching method. It will develop trainings for different sectors of the society: Police officers Lawyers Civil Servants Students etc…

30. The Human Rights Media

31. The Human Rights Media It is a media network specialized in human rights, run by a board of 3 trustees appointed by the CP. The objective is to have a TV station that broadcasts in all regions and reaches every house in Lebanon and abroad teaching human rights and Nonviolent Action skills, in addition to a website, a newspaper and a radio. It publishes annual and quarterly reports in cooperation with the Academy and the HRF, and that contain their recommendations for the competent administrations and ministries in order to put an end to human rights violations, corruption and offer suggestions for improvements in the delivery of government services to citizens.

32. Who appoints who? Allotment 55% The CP The COC Allotment HR Force Appoints HR Academy HR Media

33. Who Dismisses who? HR Academy Allotment 85% HR Force Allotment 55% The CP The COC 55% HR Media 85%

34. Funds Funds are very essential to the establishing and progress of this project. Funds shall be gathered by the Local Lebanese society. However, until we arrive to that point, funds will be requested from International and local donors for specific predefined projects.

35. First Predefined Project The Training Of Trainers for the first 25 selected youth. Along with the First “BIG Camp” will be our First Predefined Project.

36. Volunteerism Vs Full-timer The only solution we found was one similar to the Red Cross. The Red Cross, exists everywhere, their main power are volunteers who dedicate 12 hours of their time per week. Red Cross volunteers get extensive training in First aid techniques before they are allowed to become members.

37. Volunteerism Vs Full-timer But similar to any organization, they also got full timers, those whose jobs are crucial. The Human Rights Force will be adopting a similar process to the Red Cross.

38. Good Governance? Thanks to the work of the Council of Citizens, the people of Lebanon will be ready to face dictatorships, coups d’état, invasions, occupation, corruption, segregation, and to build a state in which almost every citizen knows his rights, how to defend them, and where any person can find other people ready to offer him support when his rights are violated. • The Council of Citizens will lead to an actual improvement in people’s lives. • It will increase people’s confidence in themselves.Itwill build permanent, solid and popular institutions that will change the balance of powers in favor of the civil society, the human rights community and the citizens. • It will increase people’s awareness on the relationships between the different powers and on their democratic rights. • It will provide opportunities for individuals to experience and participate in the political life. • It will lead to building a leadership that can be called to account and will teach people how to bring authorities to account. • It puts a permanent end to corruption in public administrations and to torture and inhuman behavior in police stations and arrest centers.

39. The power of ideas! It takes Swiss people to make a Switzerland! People would die for an idea … People would kill for an idea … Our fight is a fight of ideas!

40. Any question? The politic of the rightwants to make menlive moral lives. The politic of the leftwants to help menlive moral lives. Where is the politic thatwants to let menlive moral lives? American Freedom Fighter

41. www.TheCOC.org