Within the Walls of Hell by Taniform Martin Wanki Page A

was felt and my status of the giver and taker of life could not be challenged. I had to send him to go and meet the one he claimed was greater than me. What insubordination!
    Messenger : There were some three hundred people who ran away from a neighboring country into yours because they were being persecuted because of their minority status and religion. What happened to them?
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    Carlos : My eastern powerful and rich neighbor communicated me that the three hundred people you are referring to were criminals. They were a minority group quite alright but they tried to fight for their rights the wrong way. They instigated violence which resulted in the death of hundreds. They got involved in unholy acts of suicide bombing and planting of explosives which killed many.
    Messenger: Did you try to find out if what your neighbor said was true or why they had to resort to such ‘unholy acts’ as you call it?
    Carlos: I did not need to know because I was not at the scene of the action. If my rich neighbor said that they were criminals, I had to accept it as the whole truth. After all, there were criminals everywhere. They were using the wrong methods to make their voices heard. Do you think I should have tried to know?
    Messenger: That is the first thing any normal person would do. They resorted to violence because their lands were invaded and seized, their women and girls were raped, and they were discriminated against in almost all spheres of society because of their minority status and their religion. When they petitioned the government, nothing was done. Instead, those of them who took the steps to petition the government were arrested and jailed without trial. That happened on several occasions and that was what opened the road to violence. When someone is pushed to the wall that is what happens….he fights back with all the methods and weapons at his disposal.
    Carlos : Fighting against a government using violence was the worse thing they could do. There is no government that would tolerate uprising of that form or any other form. My neighbor told me that those that ran to my country for protection were criminals and that if I had them sent back to face justice, I would benefit from investments and financial aid. That was a very generous offer and I would have been insane to turn it down. So, I sent them back to go and answer for their crimes in exchange for what my rich neighbor promised.
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    Messenger: So, for investment and financial aid, you decided to sell people who ran to you because they were under the threat of being wiped out.
    Carlos : International relation is a game of interest. There are gains to be made and loses to be incurred. Either way, there is always a price to pay.
    Messenger : That was a very bad way of looking at things and sending them back was definitely the wrong thing to do. Your neighbor was reputed for extrajudicial killings and you knew that sending them back was sending them to their graves. How were you sure that those you sent back were part of the unholy acts you talked about? The reason you advanced for sending them back when faced with criticisms was that they entered your country illegally. Trading lives for money is the most disheartening thing any man can do. You considered them criminals simply because your neighbor called them so. The least thing you would have done would have been to give them the protection they came for and if you did not want to offer them the protection, you would have sent them to another country where the justice system was more human friendly. I will be back for us to continue this conversation. There is someone who is on his way here. See you soon.
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    (Exit Messenger)
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Act 3 Sc 4
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    Still in Carlos’ room
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    Carlos : ( Tries to rally the others against the messenger ) Look boys, that guy is just bluffing. He can’t do anything to anybody here. I had my popular slogan when I was still in my beautiful