Epilogue

Abstract

This chapter reflects on the meaning and implication of human rights work as a form of solidarity with the victims and their defence. This work is based on a sense of responsibility towards the lives and the dignified survival of victims, and on belief in the need to safeguard essential values of national coexistence. This solidarity was sustained by the recognition of victims as defenceless fellow human beings whose rights were trampled upon. Professional action focused on restoring personal rights in a context of state of constitutional exception. The chapter also reflects on the bonds of trust developed between victims and human rights organisations professionals, and the foundational role of those bonds in creating a space where suffering could be relieved. Finally, the chapter brings this reflection to bear on present-day developments, discussing the role and effects of victims’ stories, and the position fellow citizens took, and take, regarding this atrocity.