New York, February 24, 2011 – In response to the ongoing unrest in Libya, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism issued the following statement:

As we witness the citizens of yet another nation demand the right to peaceful assembly, free speech, and democracy, we raise our voice in concern over the reports of the killing of innocent civilians by the Qaddafi regime.  It is imperative that Libyans are able to exercise their rights without fear of retribution from their government, including the flagrant violations of basic human rights that have already occurred or the threat of future violence. If this violence continues to escalate, the world will face an alarming humanitarian crisis.  

We support President Obama in his calls for an end to violence and demand that the Qaddafi regime be held accountable for any loss of life in which it is complicit. We call upon the world community to condemn unequivocally the Qaddafi regime's brutal use of deadly force against those protesting and take the necessary steps to put pressure on the regime to stop all killing of civilians. We pray for the families of those whose lives have been lost in the struggle for freedom, and call for a new beginning for the people of Libya, rooted in the principles of liberty and democracy.

The events we have seen in the past month in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere make clear that the human desire for freedom is unquenchable.  Even as we welcome the end of unrepresentative and oppressive regimes, we recognize the dangers of one oppressive regime being replaced with another and that true liberation will only come through the establishment of representative democracies committed to peace and prosperity at home and with their neighbors – including Israel.