[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruCjQ3onM_M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

For Immediate Release 03/04/09

Contact: Ann Brown, 202-478-6135, press@savedarfur.org

DARFUR, SUDANESE DIASPORA LEADERS WORLDWIDE ISSUE LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR BASHIR ARREST WARRANT, ACCOUNTABILITY IN DARFUR

In letter leaders commend U.N. Security Council, ICC support for pursuit of justice in Darfur

WASHINGTON – More than 100 Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora leaders worldwide today issued a letter of support for the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for Sudanese President al-Bashir, issued today in The Hague. Signatories commended U.N. Security Council and the International Criminal Court’s support for the pursuit of justice in Darfur. To arrange interviews with members of the Darfuri diaspora in the United States, please contact press@savedarfur.org.

The full text of the letter appears below. March 4, 2009 To: Member States of United Nations Security Council As concerned leaders of Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora organizations and communities, we would like to express our gratitude to the United Nations Security Council for authorizing and continuing to allow the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes in Darfur. Without the Council’s support, we could not today be welcoming the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for the president of the Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

We equally commend the ICC for its commitment to justice for our people who have waited too long to see their concerns addressed. Omar Hassan al-Bashir has used janjaweed militia and his Sudanese government forces to carry out a vicious campaign against our people. Hundreds of thousands of Darfuri civilians have died since 2003. Thousands of our sisters have been brutally raped and millions of our people must still seek refuge in displaced persons and refugee camps. While we are disappointed that the Court failed to charge al-Bashir with genocide, we applaud the judges’ decision to seek his arrest so that he may face trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Over the last several months, al-Bashir’s regime and his allies have tried to argue that allowing the ICC to continue its investigations in Darfur would hurt efforts to negotiate peace and improve security in the region. They called for the investigation into al-Bashir’s crimes to be suspended under Article 16 of the ICC statute. As Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora leaders, we were far too familiar with the manipulative tactics of the Khartoum government to believe its rhetoric.

We strongly rejected Khartoum’s arguments, and we called on the U.N. Security Council to support the pursuit of justice for Darfur. We are heartened that the Council heard our calls as the victims of the ongoing genocide and did not give in to al-Bashir’s campaign for impunity. We believe that the ICC sets an example for international institutions. It promotes global peace through the pursuit of justice and can prove that no one is above the law by holding al-Bashir accountable. Therefore, we urge the Council to support the ICC and to ensure that al-Bashir and other architects and perpetrators of the genocide against our people are arrested and brought to justice.

For us, the ICC’s work and the warrant for al-Bashir’s arrest represent a chance to finally end not only these crimes, but decades of injustice that the people of Darfur and the Sudanese at large have suffered. The Security Council must now send a strong signal that impunity for crimes in Darfur will no longer be tolerated. It must ensure that al-Bashir and others wanted by the ICC are turned over to the Court for trial. We believe this will not only yield justice in Darfur, but will also protect our brothers and sisters in other lands by deterring those who would follow in al-Bashir’s footsteps. As Darfuri and Sudanese diaspora leaders, we believe there will be no lasting peace in Sudan without justice and accountability. We again thank the U.N. Security Council for allowing the pursuit of justice in Darfur to begin.

We call upon all member states of the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council to continue to support efforts to ensure that al-Bashir and others who have sought to destroy our people are brought to justice.

Sincerely, Darfuri and Sudanese Representatives of Diaspora Organizations and Communities in North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East:

Faisal Abakar Libya, Tripoli Aballah Dawood Abaker Cairo, Egypt Omer Abdalaziz Houston, TX, USA Asmail Abdallah Houston, TX, USA Abdu Abdalla Darfur People’s Association of Iowa Des Moines, IA, USA Mahjob Abdalla Darfur Diaspora Association Toronto, Canada Adam Abdelgadir Houston, TX, USA Mohamed Abdelkarim Houston, TX, USA Abdelrahim Abdelmaolla Benghazi, Libya Mohamed Abdel Rahman Darfur Association of Illinois Chicago, IL, USA Bashir Gamous Abdelrasoul Darfur Association of Texas Dallas, TX, USA Thuria Adam Abdelshafee Benghazi, Libya Abdullah Idris Abdullah Cairo, Egypt Nuraddin Abdulmannan Rescue Nubia Washington, DC, USA Gamal Abdurrahman Ontario, Canada Elnour Adam Darfur Rehabilitation Project Newark, NJ, USA Ismail Adam Darfur Association of Canada Ontario, Canada Omer Abaker Adam Benghazi, Libya Salem Mohamed Adam Istanbul, Turkey Motasim Adem Darfur People’s Association of New York New York, NY, USA Saleh Musa Adam Benghazi, Libya Mohamed Adam Ontario, Canada Osman Adam Houston, TX, USA Hamid Adris Houston, TX, USA Mohamed Adris Houston, TX, USA Mohamed Ahmed Houston, TX, USA Deng Agot Portland, ME, USA Niemat Ahamdi At-Large Member of the Darfuri Leaders Network Washington, D.C., USA Ishag Ahmed Fur Association of North America Newark, NJ, USA Mansour Ahmed Fur Cultural Revival Portland, ME, USA Adam Ahmed Ontario, Canada Mutasem Ahmed Benghazi, Libya Amal Allagabo At-Large Member of the Darfuri Leaders Network Washington, D.C., USA Adam Ali Darfur Association of Colorado Denver, CO, USA Ali Almalla Houston, TX, USA Adnan Alsadati Toronto, Canada Mahoud Mohamed Arbab Cairo, Egypt Nameat Mohamed Arbab Cairo, Egypt Abdullelkarem Arbab Ontario, Canada Monib Mohamed Arbab Cairo, Egypt Suliman Awadalla Darfur Association of Texas (Houston) Houston, TX, USA Ibrahim Ayoub Rome, Italy Mohamed Babiker Houston, TX, USA Adam Babiker Houston, TX, USA Ibrahim Bahar Ontario, Canada Abrahim Zakria Basi Houston, TX, USA Hafiz Bassy Darfur Community Association of Australia Inc. Melbourne, Australia Mahmoud Braima Darfur Association in the United States Baton Rouge, LA, USA Hassan Musa Daldoum Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Rahama Deffallah Darfur People’s Association of New York New York, NY, USA Domins Dsuro Portland, ME, USA Ahmed Dawalbit Houston, TX, USA Marwa Salah Eddin At-Large Member of the Darfuri Leaders Network Portland, ME, USA Nureldin Edrees Ontario, Canada Adam Edrees Houston, TX, USA Khabeb Edrees Houston, TX, USA Zeinab Eiyga Sauti Yetu Center for African Women New York, NY, USA Elrashid Eldaw Houston, TX, USA Elfadil Elsharif Hamilton, Canada Omer Elsharif Newark, NJ, USA Elfadil Elhashmi Ontario, Canada Mazin Elhashmi Ontario, Canada Lomumba Emam Ontario, Canada Thani Fadlalla Houston, TX, USA Yagub Fasheir Houston, TX, USA Abdelbagi Jibril Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre Geneva, Switzerland Suliman Giddo Darfur Peace and Development Organization Washington, D.C., USA Abdalla Guma Houston, TX, USA Abdullelrahaman Hamed Canada, Ontario Ibrahim Hamid Darfur Alert Coalition Philadelphia, PA, USA Abdul-Aziz Hammed Benghazi, Libya Adam Abelakriem Haroon Benghazi, Libya Fatima Haroun At-Large Member of the Darfuri Leaders Network Philadelphia, PA, USA Mohamed Suleiman Hassaballa Tripoli, Libya Ismail Hassan Darfur Association of Canada Toronto, Canada Nawal Hassan, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Musa Ibrahim Halifax, CA, USA Musa Ikhlas Houston, TX, USA Mansour Isak Darfur Farmers Aid Memphis, TN, USA Bashir M. Ishag Darfur People’s Union Washington, D.C., USA Mohamadain Mohamed Ishag Darfur Peace and Justice Brussels, Belgium Lila Ismail Houston, TX, USA Samira Karar Manchester, NH, USA Mohamed Khalil Houston, TX, USA Abdalaziz Khamis Houston, TX, USA Emadeldin Khamis Darfur Association of Alabama Birmingham, AL, USA Yuhanus Kinning Ontario, Canada Suad Mansour At-Large Member of the Darfuri Leaders Network Philadelphia, PA, USA Ishag Mekki Darfur Union of the United Kingdom and Ireland London, UK Ahmed Mohamedain Darfur Call Amesterdam, The Netherlands Adam Mohamed Ontario, Canada Mohamed Arbab Mohamed Cairo, Egypt Yagoub Mohamed Ontario, Canada Jady Mossa Houston, TX, USA Justine Mukisi Portland, ME, USA Dense Netto Portland, ME, USA Mohamed Noureldain Houston, TX, USA Mohamed Baraka Nurain Slough, United Kingdom Angelo Okot Portland, ME, USA Adam Omer Darfur Association of Nebraska Lincoln, NE, USA Ahmed Omer Houston, TX, USA Badawi Osman Darfur Working Group Philadelphia, PA, USA Ismail Omer Darfur Renaissance Association Dallas, TX, USA Elgasim Salih World Relief Organization Philadelphia, PA, USA Samara Seddik Cairo, Egypt Bakheit Shata Darfur Community Organization Omaha, NE, USA Mohamed Shougar Refugee Friends Cairo, Egypt, USA Elrashid Suliman Ontario, Canada Mohamed Sulieman Darfur Self-Reliance Education Inc. San Francisco, CA, USA Issa Tahir Darfur Association of France Parise, France Abdalhadi Iesaa Tore Benghazi, Libya Adam Mohamed Yahya Western Sudan Aid Relief in the U.S.A. South Dakota, USA Mohamed Yahya Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy Charlottesville, VA, USA Elalim Yousif Houston, TX, USA

Tags: Bashir, Darfuri diaspora, ICC, letter, UN Security Council, warrant