Press Release
Humanists Uniting Against Sudanese Genocide
(Washington, D.C., August 25, 2004) Humanists across the nation are raising a call to action in the face of alarming atrocities in Darfur, Sudan, on this International Day of Conscience. "We are committed to protecting individual human rights everywhere, and the situation in Darfur demands immediate attention," stated Fred Edwords, editor of the Humanist magazine. "We can't ever allow ourselves to get used to tragedies so great and so preventable."
The American Humanist Association is engaged in multiple activities in order to raise a Humanist voice in response to this human rights crisis.
Today the AHA is issuing a plea to Secretary General Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Colin Powell urging an international response and stepped-up humanitarian aid--see attached. This statement includes endorsements from Africa Action, Equal Partners in Faith, the Humanist Society, the MK Gandhi Nonviolent Institute, and the Secular Student Alliance.
The AHA is also a member of the Save Darfur Coalition, as noted in today's Dallas Morning News, and is a financial sponsor of the United Nations Sudan Genocide rally to be held September 12 in New York City.
The AHA further joins Citizens for Global Solutions in urging President Bush to recommend that the International Criminal Court examine the Darfur situation.
"Our shared humanity calls on all of us to speak out for human rights in Sudan. We must work together to raise public consciousness about the Sudanese genocide and encourage an effective international response," concluded Edwords.
Letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Colin Powell:
We, the undersigned organizations, have come together to express our concern over the alarming situation in Darfur, Sudan. Like the United States Congress, we affirm that the crisis in Darfur constitutes genocide. All permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and more than 130 countries worldwide, as parties to the Genocide Convention, are obligated to "prevent and punish acts of genocide."
The situation in Darfur demands action and leadership. Reports indicate that as many as 30,000 people have already died as a result of the actions of the Janjaweed militia and over 1 million have been displaced. Estimates show that approximately 1,000 people are dying each day from starvation, disease, and physical violence. Additionally, alarming reports indicate that sexual violence, including rape is being used as a weapon of genocide.
We call upon the United Nations and the United States to conduct and support a formal multilateral peacekeeping operation of diplomacy and humanitarian intervention. Specifically, we ask that you lead the way to enforce the ceasefire, provide security and funding, staff programs assisting the displaced, and stop the widespread killings by all means available. In addition, we believe that genocide is a crime that warrants legal punishment for those who are responsible for its implementation. We encourage you to establish an international war crimes tribunal for Sudan in order to investigate this genocide and bring those who are responsible to justice.
The genocide occurring now in Darfur warrants swift and significant attention. Legal and moral imperatives demand that the United Nations and the United States take action to stop the genocide and aid in humanitarian efforts.
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The American Humanist Association is the oldest and largest Humanist
organization in the nation. The AHA is dedicated to ensuring a voice for
those with a positive nontheistic outlook, based on reason and experience,
which embraces all of humanity.
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