Call for the Closure of Guantanamo [Urgent!]
For the past five years, the United States has held hundreds of men from over 45 countries in Guantanamo Bay. Not a single person has been convicted of a crime, and three men died of apparent suicides. Today marks five years since the US first transferred men to indefinite and arbitrary detention. Five years of lawlessness is enough – demand that the detention facilities at Guantanamo be closed.
Protect Civilians in Darfur: Fund African Union Peacekeepers
Take action to email your Senators to strongly encourage their support for an additional $60 million ($10 million/month) for African Union Mission (AMIS) funding for Darfur. Six months additional AMIS funding will ensure that civilians in Darfur will not be left unprotected after January—while we continue to push to get UN peacekeepers on the ground.
Blood diamonds have fueled wars across Africa, leading to the deaths of more than 4 million people and displacing many millions more. But blood diamonds are not just a problem of the past. Government controls in the United States and in other countries are not strong enough or enforced effectively to stop rebel groups from exploiting diamonds to fuel conflict. Also, the diamond industry has not taken sufficient steps to combat the trade in blood diamonds.
Support the International Criminal Court: Justice Now for the Women and Girls of Darfur
Thousands of girls and women have been raped and subjected to other forms of sexual violence in Darfur. Inquiries by the Prosecutor of the ICC identified “high numbers of…mass rapes and other forms of extremely serious gender violence”, and a UN Commission of Inquiry found that these abuses amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, authorities in Sudan have refused to comply with ICC requests or otherwise allow the Court to conduct investigations in Darfur.
End Limitations on Free Speech in Turkey
Turkey has limited free speech by prosecuting individuals for peacefully expressing their dissenting opinion. Under Article 301 of Turkey’s Penal Code, Turkey has criminalized views that are deemed to have insulted Turkishness or the government. Article 301 is being arbitrarily used to harass and threaten people with imprisonment and is severe threat to freedom of expression. It must be abolished immediately.
