Obituaries

Omar Abbas

Dr. Jalal Nofal, born 1963 in Damascus to a working class family from as-Sweida’, is a prominent psychiatrist and activist who has been involved in politics and relief efforts throughout his lifetime.

Carol Thompson

The bright smile. Contagious laughter. Her sunshine drew others to her, to debate and argue, to learn and ponder. Energetic resolution, a passion for justice, for constant giving define Kayla Mueller; not her capture by ISIS, her torture and tragic death at age 26.

Funeral oration read by Mao Valpiana

(leader of Movimento nonviolento)

Florence, 16th April 2016

Today Pietro's death has called us together, pulled us together. He has done it many times, in 1962 with the foundation of Movimento nonviolento, in 1963 and 1964 with the creation of Azione nonviolenta group and magazine, from 1968 to 1975 with antimilitaristic marches, in 1978 with the second Perugia-Assisi1 March, in 1983 with Catania-Comiso2 march and again in 2000 with a specific nonviolent march in order to put together all the people that believe in Nonviolence as a political alternative. All of us have been really impressed by meeting him In some way getting to know him has changed all of us.

Last Monday Abraham passed away in Offenbach, Germany. For many years he had been engaged in the Eritrean Antimilitarist Initiative and recently translated the Handbook for Nonviolent Campaigns, as well as the book From Dictatorship to Democracy, into Tigrigna and spread them in the Eritrean community.

He was only ten years old when he suffered from consequences of the war in his country. Playing on the ground, a mine exploded in his hand. He lost his right arm and became practically blind. He was able to finish his High School and study law at the university in Asmara, the capital city of the newly founded state Eritrea.

WRI is sad to announce the death of Wolfgang Zucht, who died on 17 September 2015. Wolfgang was an activist, long-time member of WRI sections in Germany (the Federation of Nonviolent Action Groups and of IdK Berlin), and ran a libertarian-nonviolent publishing house, WeZuCo.

We are happy to pass on messages to Helga Weber, Wolfgang's partner, which you can send to info@wri-irg.org

See Wolfgang Zucht - Gedenkseite

We mourn with sadness the passing of Narayanbhai, former Chair of War Resisters' International, who has passed away last week at the Sampurna Kranti Vidyalaya (Institute for Total Revolution) in Veddchi, Surat. Anand Mazgaonkar, of WRI in India, wrote "Narayan Desai belonged to a small band of workers who had a mind and identity of his own. Few people are as blessed as Narayan Desai was".

Narayan Desai, 1924-2015

We mourn with sadness the passing of Narayanbhai - teacher, trainer, author, spinner: total revolutionary. We celebrate a long life rich in history though never in funds, Narayan grew up in Gandhi's ashram, the son of Gandhi's personal secretary and biographer, Mahadev Desai. A devotee of Jayaprakash (JP) Narayan's work and call for TOTAL REVOLUTION, Narayanbhai set up the Institute for Total Revolution after JP's passing in 1979. He was a founder of the World Peace Brigades and Peace Brigades International, a chairperson of the War Resisters International, and a leader of India's Shanti Sena (Peace Army) and many other organizations and movements. From 2007 until very recently, he held the post of Chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith, the Ahmedabad university founded by Gandhi in 1920.

By Bill Hetherington

Roy Prockter, who died suddenly on 18 June, aged 64, from a heart attack, was a chartered accountant and an active Quaker, who made both his professional skills and his commitment to nonviolence available to a number of radical pacifist groups and organisations.

One of his main concerns was the compulsory deduction of taxes contributing towards maintaining armed forces and providing lethal weapons.

WRI is sad to hear of the death, on 2nd April, of Arlo Tatum.

Before Arlo's post as General Secretary of WRI, he worked for Central Committee for COs in the US. After leaving WRI he was active in the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), compiling the PPU song book with Sybil Morrison, and singing at PPU events.

Arlo was a member of the  Emergency Committee for Direct Action against Nuclear War which supported Harold Steele's attempt in 1957 to sail to the British Nuclear Testing site at Christmas Island in the Pacific.

He served on PPU Council, including Chair of PPU, 1979-81.

His last public appearance was, with Polly, at the PPU 75th anniversary party in 2009.

He was well loved and will be well remembered.

Please find Arlo's obituary in The Guardian.

Our dear friend and comrade Howard Clark was a mainstay of Peace News since the 1970s and of War Resisters' International (WRI) since the 1980s. His sudden death has left us shocked and bereaved, and with an irrational sense of outrage that he has left us so unexpectedly. He was only 63 and in the middle of helping organise next summer’s WRI conference in South Africa. He leaves a gap which others must strive to fill. It will be difficult, and the following overview and appreciation of his life as a peace activist, organiser and researcher will give some indication of the scale of the challenge.

Bernadette Ridard

Ulla died rather suddenly on 30 September, and her close relatives and friends were all taken by surprise. Of course, she had grown older through the last years: she used a walker to move around and needed help in daily life. Nevertheless, she remained open-minded, interested and well informed about what was going on in Hamburg and in the world. She was still living in her little flat surrounded by many books, a lot of artistic pieces, as well as files and archives, including various WRI pottery mugs made by Devi Prasad.

Pedro Otaduy, who died on Sunday, 8 January, at the age of 53, was one of the historic figures of MOC in the State of Spain - specifically Navarra - and especially Objeción Fiscal a los Gastos Militares (war tax resistance).