Galatea Treaty Amendments of 2669

IV. Sentient Rights (APPROVED!) Upon the presence of sentience, any entity shall be considered a full citizen of the polity in which they have emerged, and shall be granted full rights and privileges of citizenship without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, place of birth, or organic/artificial status.   No sentient being may be sold, indentured or otherwise placed into involuntary servitude. All such arrangements currently existing in any member organization controlled area are hereby cancelled, to be immediately replaced with a standard wage and backpay for years of service performed.   No sentient being may be denied freedom of speech.   No sentient being may be denied freedom of religion.   No sentient being shall have their life ended by another sentient being, except in cases of self defense or defense of life.   No civilian sentient being may be imprisoned without a prompt, fair and impartial trial.   All member organizations shall respect the universal right of all sentient workers to organize labor unions and collectively bargain as such. No member organization nor any of their agents shall interfere with the right to organize labor unions and collectively bargain. All member organizations agree to bargain in good faith with any and all relevant labor unions representing workers with whom the member organization conducts business; including but not limited to production of goods, construction and maintenance of ships and/or other vehicles, and routine services.   No sentient being may be refused the right to unconditionally surrender during a state of war.   No sentient being may be killed or injured while a prisoner or a prisoner of war, except where necessary for the health and safety of civilians, member organization or allied military personnel, or other prisoners.   No sentient being may be tortured.   Member organizations acknowledge and respect the right of all sentient beings to resist the control of despotic regimes, including by means of the reasonable use of armed struggle. This Subsection K of Article IV shall not be construed to negate member organizations’ ability to maintain stabilizing and/or peacekeeping forces within their own polity controlled spaces, nor shall it be construed to negate legitimate expansion efforts by a member organization. For a member organization to provide material aid and/or assistance to any such movement, or participate in any way, said movement must be in compliance with the whole of this Section IV. Any such movement in full compliance with Section IV has the right to attend a council meeting as an observer in order to petition the Galatean Council for material aid. Said movement may also petition individual member organizations for assistance. Provided that compliance with this Article IV is appropriately met, the member organization may provide that assistance, and may also petition additional member organizations to assist as well.   Any Member organization found to be in violation of this Article IV of the Treaty shall be subject to a suspension of all trading rights for no less than one month on a first offense. Subsequent offenses shall be subject to penalty up to and including permanent trade embargo, and/or expulsion from the Council and immediate termination of all privileges and protections afforded by membership.   V. Non-Aggression And Mutual Defense (APPROVED!):   Non-Aggression: Member organizations hereby agree to a non-aggression pact. Military action conducted by a member organization against another shall be a violation of this treaty. No member organization or their agent(s) will conduct military exercises, incursions, or other deployments of any kind in areas controlled by any other member organization without that member organization’s expressed prior authorization. No member organization shall provide military aid or assistance of any kind to any entity engaged in armed conflict with any member organization. Legitimate resistance movements as described in Art.IV(K) located within member organization controlled areas shall have the right to address the full Council to petition for redress of grievances, however, individual member organizations may not provide aid in such instances without full Council permission. This Article V(A)(ii) does not prevent a member organization from providing non-military humanitarian or medical assistance, provided that proper notice is given. Movement, refueling, and peaceful interaction of any member organization vessels within Treaty space is acceptable. Peaceful movement would include active self defense if threatened or fired upon by any other vessel.   Mutual Defense: Any direct or indirect military action taken against a member organization will be treated as though it was taken against the Council as a whole. In the event of such an attack, all member organizations hereby agree to participate to the best of their ability in all necessary defensive action, and to provide whatever aid they are able to any necessary peacekeeping and/or stabilization efforts that result from said attacks. Member organizations shall also have the right to petition the Council for aid and assistance in any foreign or internal operations that comply with Article IV above.   Any Member organization found to be in violation of this Article V of the Treaty shall be subject to penalty, up to and including expulsion from the Council and immediate termination of all privileges and protections afforded by membership, including but not limited to subsections A and B of this Article V. Violations of this Article V may also trigger the defensive response obligations as described in Subsection B.   VI. Interstellar Trade (APPROVED!):   In the interest of fostering a prosperous future for all across the Iron Stars, Member organizations agree to grant favored nation status to all other member organizations, reducing the cost and penalty for interstellar trade between all member organizations.   Nothing in this Article VI shall be construed as to prevent any member organization from forming independent trade relationships with any other entity, provided that said entity is in compliance with the standards set forth above in Article IV.   VII. Dispute Resolution (APPROVED!)   Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this treaty, or the breach thereof, shall be determined by arbitration administered by the Lamplighter Foundation. The parties further agree to accept the arbitrator’s award as final and binding on them.