In an era that is supposed to have reached the peak of civilization, progress, and awareness, we witness the collapse of the simplest principles that shaped the essence of humanity: dignity, values, and the institutional prestige that preserves the balance of societies and instills reassurance in the hearts of their people. It has become common for criminals to emerge with faces that know neither shame nor fear, boldly challenging the law, belittling people’s rights, and relentlessly attacking their dignity and the prestige of those who guard them.

What has brought us to this precipice? Is it merely the weakness of laws? Or has the audacity of the mischief-makers reached an unacceptable level? Or is it a long accumulation of leniency towards those who have been accustomed to usurping security, respect, and rights without any real deterrent?

How could it not be so, when a responsible official speaks to you with sorrow about the state of affairs, and another in a position of responsibility sincerely confides about the challenges and constraints that hinder their movement in certain situations, and a police officer dutifully performing his work speaks to you about the behaviors of some criminals who have not only committed crimes, but have also exceeded their limits and overstepped the law, prestige, and respect, with a condescension and arrogance that sadly challenge the honor of the profession and the dignity of those who perform their duties with a living conscience. If this reality continues, it will not only threaten people's trust in justice but may also undermine the spirit of discipline and mutual trust between society and its institutions.

History has been, throughout the ages, a clear record of countless lessons, in which entities and empires fell because they deluded themselves that their oppression or chaos was invincible. It is the same history that wrote the end of tyrants and corrupt individuals when they underestimated people's dignity, despised values, and emptied justice of its meaning. Yet, it is astonishing that today we are repeating the same tragedy with the same details.

The most dangerous thing that any society can face is for crime to become a usual scene that does not provoke anger nor call for confrontation. That the oppressor dares to disdain the system, that the corrupt believes he is above accountability, and that the criminal looks into the eyes of those who enforce the law with mockery and challenge.

And when institutions lose their ability to impose just order, and respect for the law weakens, the door is wide open to chaos, and thieves steal in broad daylight. When values become a negotiable commodity bought and sold at the tables of interests, the difference between right and wrong disappears, and people's lives turn into a scene of meaningless chaos that spares nothing and no one.

Nevertheless, we must not surrender to this decline. We must remind ourselves that civilizations are not built solely on technical modernity, nor on appearances and formalities, but are built when the prestige of justice is firmly rooted in the souls before institutions. When the law is respected because it is fair and just, not because it is arrogant. When dignity becomes a value no one dares to undermine, no matter how powerful they may be.

Every crime that goes unaccounted for, and every insult that is covered without deterrence, is an open invitation for more. And every silence we choose out of fear, justification, or despair is an unspoken partnership in this profound moral decline.

In our time, yes, values, dignities, and prestige are tested every day, but they still remain in the hearts of the honorable as a flame that does not extinguish: the belief that what has been lost is a right with claimants, and that all those who guard the law are the last line of defense for society and human dignity.

It is time for lawmakers and decision-makers to prove to the people that justice is not a rigid text in books, but a living weapon that protects the oppressed and deters anyone who dares to challenge the law, prestige, and dignity. It is time for men of law and justice to embody the spirit of firmness and courage, to raise the banner of truth high, and to ensure that our streets and squares do not become open spaces for those who know neither sanctity, nor value, nor respect.

There is no dignity, security, or peace without a real and firm confrontation of this challenge. Let everyone who dares to trifle with rights and safety know that the state, its institutions, and its dedicated men will not betray their trusts, nor will they allow their prestige, dignity, or the honor of their responsibilities to be compromised.