Panel Discussion

Sunday, March 11 7:30 p.m.
First Unitarian Church of Ithaca
306 Aurora St.
(corner of Buffalo and Aurora Streets)
Ithaca, NY

Seeking Justice in Darfur: the United States and the International Criminal Court
For the first time, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has sought to prosecute a Sudanese government official for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, a significant step toward securing justice for millions of innocent victims in the war-torn region. The ICC also announced it is proceeding against Janjawid militia commander Ali Kushayb.
Ahmad Harun and Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman (aka Ali Kushayb) are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity including killings, destruction of property, pillage, forcible transfer of population, rape, deprivation of liberty, torture, outrages upon personal dignity and other inhumane acts. Ahmad Harun is the former State Minister of Interior and currently Minister of Humanitarian Affairs. Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman is a renowned Janjawid militia leader.
The scale of crimes committed in Darfur is enormous. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced, hundreds of thousands killed, and thousands of women raped since the conflict began.
The panel will address issues of impunity, how trials at the ICC can help lead to peace through justice, and suggest action steps to protect civilians in Darfur
    €       Moderated by Amnesty International Country Specialist Heidi Craig with:
€       John Washburn – Convener of the American non-governmental Organizations Coalition on the International Criminal Court (AMICC)
   €       Maxim Kogan, former staff at the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Contact: khb4@cornell.edu
For further information:
Sponsored by Cornell University Amnesty and AIUSA’s International Justice and Accountability program

Ithaca, New York
March 2006

Señor Presidente Alvaro Uribe Vélez
Presidente de la República
Palacio Nariño, Carrera 8 No. 7-2
Bogotá, COLOMBIA

Your Excellency,

We are aware of the work accomplished by your Government in carrying on dialogue with Colombian paramilitary forces and persuading them to disarm. Nevertheless some of these forces continue threatening violence against the legitimate work of trade unions, falsely identifying unionists with guerrilla fighters. I refer particularly to the situation in Barrancabermeja, Department of Santander, where self-identified members of “Comando Regional del Magdalena Medio” threatened on March 2 to kill union members who were candidates in the congressional elections. Unfortunately such threats must be taken seriously, since Héctor Díaz Serrano, a member of the oil workers’ union Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), was murdered on the same day, allegedly by a member of the paramilitary group with close ties to the military. I call on the authorities to publicly denounce all such threats as well as previous threats and attacks against unionists and social activists. I call on them to ensure that all members of unions and civil society groups in Colombia are protected by the police and local authorities. In addition, I urge the government to take strict and effective measures to halt the use of false characterizations and threats of violence against citizens. Finally, I urge the government to declare that no member of any group has the right to intimidate or persecute any citizen, and to bring those responsible for such incidents to justice.

Thank you for your kind attention to my requests. I would be grateful for a statement from your office, which I see as the most authoritative source of information about the present situation of the paramilitary forces in your country.

Sincerely,