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5 Congress Members Arrested for Protesting Against the Crisis in Darfur
May 4, 2009 at 6:19 pm (Uncategorized)
Five Congress members were arrested on April 27, 2009 for civil disobedience after protesting against the crisis in Darfur in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C.
Congress members Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma), John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Donna Edwards (D-Md.)- crossed a yellow police tape line and refused to leave the demonstration prior to their arrest.
The lawmakers were upset with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir’s decision to discontinue 16 nongovernmental aid organizations that could be vital in helping the crisis and urged him to reinstate the organizations. Bashir shut down these groups after the International Criminal Court issues a warrant for his arrest.
“I hope that is very clear to our administration and to international communities that violence in Darfur must end,” Woolsey said.
The protesters, along with three activists, were handcuffed by Secret Service officers and taken into custody by local police officers. They were released a few hours after paying a $100 fine.
Among the arrested activists was Jerry Fowler, the president of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Fowler said that in his travels to Darfur, he observed how critical the situation had become. “They are at a tremendous risk,” he said of the civilians.
Fowler also aimed his message towards President Obama, urging him to promote peace and pressure the international community to find a solution to the violence in Darfur. “American leadership can make a difference,” he said, “but it will take a tenacious and determined effort.”
In a written statement, Ellison said, “We implore all countries to demand that the government of Sudan respect and protect human rights and put an end to the acts of atrocities and crimes against humanity in Darfur.”
Source: The Los Angeles Times- www.latimes.com
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