This morning in Khartoum, “Riot police arrested two senior members of south Sudan’s main party and their supporters who turned out to demonstrate outside Sudan’s parliament on Monday in defiance of an official ban, a witness and officials said.”
Reports indicate that Yasir Arman, a senior member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) was beaten while in custody.
Jerry Fowler, President of the Save Darfur Coalition, said:
“The demonstrators were rallying peacefully to change laws in Sudan that currently prohibit them from speaking freely and expressing their opposition to the Bashir regime. The government’s thuggish response demonstrates why that change is necessary. The Obama administration has said little about the political environment necessary for free and fair elections in Sudan – choosing to focus on the technicalities of the process rather than the ongoing repressive environment in Sudan. These events make clear that, for all its rhetoric over the last few months, the Bashir government will not tolerate peaceful dissent in Sudan nor is it willing to create the conditions necessary for credible elections in April.”
Read the Save Darfur Coalition’s official statement
President Obama must condemn this repression by the Sudanese government. Call the White House at 202.456.1111 or 202.456.1414. A sample script is below.
Hi, I’m _(Name)_
I’m calling to ask that President Obama publically condemn the violent actions committed by the Bashir regime and his National Congress Party against the peaceful demonstrators in Sudan earlier today. Now is the time for President Obama to show that he does care about the people of Sudan and their human rights. Now is the time for the administration to call unequivocally for a dramatic change in the political environment in Sudan to allow for free and fair elections in April 2010.
I ask that President Obama turn his words into action. He recently described America as a nation that will “speak out on behalf of human rights” and “tend to the light of freedom” – this is on his watch now.
Thank you.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: demonstrations, Elections, Khartoum, SPLM, Sudanese elections, White House, Yasir Arman
