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March 6th, 2009
The Chronicle Herald has an article today about Stand Dalhousie’s divestment campaign. The chapter has been working to find out whether the university holds investments that are supporting the Government of Sudan and have met quite a few administrative roadblocks along the way. The article has stirred up a lot of emotions over whether or not the students are entitled to this information. Chime in with your viewpoint here.
Great work to Kate, Tara and their awesome team!
Posted in The Activist | 1 Comment »
March 5th, 2009
So the ICC made it’s announcement…and now the fallout.
Apparently, 10 humanitarian groups have already been asked to leave, including Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, and Doctors Without Borders. These groups are responsible for millions of lives in Darfur.
Additionally, the Justice and Equality Movement has just announced that it is pulling out of peace talks with the government. This is unacceptable.
I’ve said before that the ICC announcement will be what we do with it. Now it has happened and it is up to us to ensure that it is a positive development rather than a negative. So get calling or writing and tell the government that it is unacceptable that Sudan is kicking out aid groups, that it is unacceptable that the peace process doesn’t continue, that it is unacceptable that the violence continues.
PS. Go sign the IRC petition to let them back in.
Posted in The Reporter | 1 Comment »
March 5th, 2009
Stand Canada Action Alert
Attention Stand supporters!
Today, the ICC announced that it has issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. This is a remarkable development: the international community has just taken a bold stance against a murderous regime.
But this announcement also carries grave risk in the short-term. Bashir may respond with violent backlash against civilians or aid workers. We must be vigilant to ensure that this does not occur. It would be a travesty for an unprecedented step forward for justice to be followed by ten steps backward for those already suffering in Darfur.
Friends, this is a pivotal moment for Darfur. The world’s attention will be focused on Sudan as the ICC announcement is publicized. This is an opportunity for Canada to assert its commitment to Darfur. And it is an opportunity for us to push our leaders to act!
Join us in calling on our government to:
1) Express support for an ICC process against Bashir that is robust, efficient, and sensitive to its short-term impacts on civilians.
2) Honour our commitments to UNAMID, and advocate for the Mission’s full deployment. For the ICC’s work to be effective, it must be supported by a robust peace process.
How can you do this? It’s EASY:
1) Call 1-800-GENOCIDE and leave a message for Prime Minister Harper.
2) Email Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon at Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca. A few lines will suffice – the important thing will be to get as many emails as possible flooding his inbox over the next few days! Here’s a template:
Dear Honorable Minister Lawrence Cannon,
Thank you for for your statement acknowledging Canada’s commitment to Sudan and support for the ICC process. In light of this important development, I would request that the Government of Canada: 1) Commit to ongoing support for an ICC process against Bashir that is robust, efficient, and sensitive to its short-term impacts on civilians. 2) Honour its commitments to UNAMID, and advocate for the Mission’s full deployment. For the ICC’s work to be effective, it must be supported by a robust peace process. This is Canada’s Forte.
Many thanks for your time.
Kind Regards,
xxx
3) Write a Letter to the Editor of a local or national newspaper. Let them know what you think about the ICC process, what Canada can do, why they should be covering the story more prominently … whatever you feel is important!
4) Spread the word! Forward this message to friends, or post a link to the Stand blog on your Facebook profile (http://standcanada.blogspot.com/).
Many, many thanks for your ongoing support. Our work is making a difference!
In solidarity,
Jackie Bonisteel
Stand Canada Advocacy Director
jbonisteel@standcanada.org
Posted in The Activist | No Comments »
March 4th, 2009
Nicholas Kristof has a Q & A on the ICC arrest warrants over at the New York Times website that are worth taking a look at.
Posted in The Reporter | No Comments »
March 3rd, 2009
Today is a great day for justice. One of the world’s greatest perpetrators of human rights abuses, a man who presided over a civil war in which 2 million of his countrymen were killed, and today presides over the 21st century’s first genocide, stymieing international efforts to quell it, was brought one step closer to justice.
Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, has been charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC). As you read this, the answer to the big mystery will be known, whether or not al-Bashir was charged with genocide. Regardless, the charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and/or genocide signify one thing, since they cannot be reversed, for the rest of his life, President al-Bashir will be a wanted man.
Not everybody, including Darfur advocates, is happy about this. The uncertainty and complications that will follow leave some feeling more harm than good will come of this, but that is simply not true. Two areas of concern warrant responses.
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
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