Does this include the journalists of Sudan, Mr President? Just yesterday the Government of Sudan shut down a newspaper and arrested three journalists after the paper reported an unverified claim that Iran had a weapons-producing plant operating in Sudan.

The above story is just one example of many abuses committed against journalists by the Bashir Regime in recent times — especially during the recent fraudulent elections.

Today you commented:

All around the world there are enormously courageous journalists and bloggers who, at great risk to themselves, are trying to shine a light on the critical issues that the people of their country face; who are the frontlines against tyranny and oppression.

Sounds like Sudan.

Additionally, you said:

What this act does is it sends a strong message from the United States government and from the State Department that we are paying attention to how other governments are operating when it comes to the press.

Will you?

Mr. President, I have to ask, will your Special Envoy, Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, heed your call and protect journalists and condemn those that seek to silence and stymie a free press?

On 15 May, national security forces in three armed cars arrested Dr. Hassan Al Turabi, the leader of the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP), from his home in the Manshya area of Khartoum at 11:30 PM. His family indicated that they were unaware of the reason for his arrest, but his son Sidiq speculated that it might have been sparked by an interview with Akhbar Alyoum newspaper in which Turabi accused the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of rigging the elections and corruption, and threatened to publish information proving these allegations.

Turabi’s PCP was one of the few opposition parties taking part in all levels of the April polls. Turabi had, nonetheless, been critical of the lack of elections preparations and the ruling party’s monopoly of the media. Turabi rejected the election results in a press conference on 17 April, saying that his party would refuse to recognise the results even if they were shown to win in some constituencies. He accused the National Elections Commission (NEC) of poorly managing the polls and refused the NCP’s offer of participation in the new government.

Turabi remains in detention as of early 17 May. He was reportedly transferred to Kober prison after being taken to an unknown location. The same NISS agents that arrested Turabi later invaded and occupied the premises of Rai Alshaab newspaper, seen as aligned with the Popular Congress Party.

This operation was carried out under the orders of NISS Director General Mohamed Atta, under Articles 25(d) of the National Security Act of 2010 and Articles 26 (a and b) of the Press and Publications Act of 2009. NISS agents broke down the doors, closed the building, confiscated materials and prevented journalists from entering. Security agents arrested Alnagi Dahab, Rai Alshaab’s executive manager, and editors Ashraf Abd Alaziz, Abazer Ali Alamin, and Abo Bakr Alsamani. These four have not been charged, and remain detained in an unknown location. In addition, General Atta issued a decree to the NISS to seize the property and liquidate the assets of Alnawda for Media and Press Company, the publisher of Rai Alshaab. Kamal Omer, political secretary of the PCP, confirmed that all of Rai Alshaab’s assets had indeed been seized. On the morning of 16 May, the newspaper’s staff was not allowed to enter their offices and Sunday’s paper was not published.

The reasons for the closure of the newspaper and the arrest of the journalists remain unclear. A senior security source stated that the newspaper was “misrepresenting the opinions of the people and damaging the national security of the country…they have spread sedition and abuse over Sudan’s relationship with its citizens, neighbours, and the international community”. The Secretary General of the National Press Council, Obaid Ahmed Marawah, stated that the Council denounced the decision to shut down the paper “in principle” but added that “it has come to our attention more than once that the press should pay attention to their predecessors that have stirred up the community. This is an issue related to the abuse of the state and its government figures”. A statement issued by the Ministry of Media and Information suggested that Rai Alshaab had published two front cover stories about the collaboration between the Iranian revolutionary guard and the government and a the upsurge in the alleged conflict between Sudan and Egypt, respectively. Others speculated that this might have been linked to Turabi’s threat to publish incriminating information about the government. Some government sources stated that the closure of Rai Alshaab had no link to Turabi.

The NISS, Ministry of Information and Communications, National Press Council, and Ministry of Media and Information all stated that the closure would not affect the liberties accorded by the Interim National Constitution and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which are respected by the NISS.

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies urges the government of Sudan to promptly and publicly charge Turabi and the arrested journalists with an internationally recognised crime or to release them immediately from detention, and notes that the legal framework under which they were arrested is contradictory to the Interim National Constitution. In addition, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies urges the government of Sudan to respect the right of the journalists, editors and other staff to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 39 of the Sudanese Interim National Constitution.

Background:

Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi became one of Sudan’s key opposition leaders after the NCP fractured in 2000, and Turabi assumed control of a splinter faction of the NCP, the PCP. The rift developed in the late 90’s when Turabi, then the Speaker of the Parliament, introduced a bill to reduce President Bashir’s power. Since 2000, Turabi has been arrested five times, and spent 2000 – 2003 and much of 2004 – 2005 in prison. Reasons for his arrests have ranged from public statements he has made against the policies of the National Congress Party and calling for Bashir to turn himself over to the International Criminal Court for the sake of the country.

It was cold, lines were long, and crowds were thick but people all over the city treated each other with patience and kindness. Many people already knew of the unimaginable suffering in Darfur and were eager to sign our petition to President Obama. For others, we were able to increase awareness about a situation new to them. Amanda Tyson, Joan Marshall, and I made our way through the streets of D.C. with a large Darfur postcard. People actually stopped us to sign it which prompted others passing by to do the same. School-aged children explained what they knew about Darfur to their parents and vice versa. A man from New York said he had participated in a fashion show there and the proceeds went to Darfur. People waiting in lines would talk to others in their group about Darfur. Because of the volunteer effort, people like those I met from Mozambique, Australia, U.K., Iceland, Puerto Rico, and countless other parts of the world heard about Darfur that day. Hope for Darfur is renewed with every person that knows and chooses to get involved even in the smallest of ways.

By the end of the day, I looked and felt every day of my almost 50 years but if that bus was leaving again tomorrow I would enthusiastically be on it. To experience hope not only for tomorrow in America but also for people living in Darfur was nothing short of a gift.

To all of my new friends at PDEC, it was an honor to “serve” the people of Darfur with you on Inauguration Day. Individually and collectively let’s keep doing what we can to secure peace in Darfur

I’ve recently spread the word using the video below. A quick email, blog posting, or note on Facebook with a link to the video encourages friends and family to “Be a Voice for Darfur” – as part of Save Darfur Coalition’s campaign to collect and deliver 1 million signed postcards to the next president.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTSaD-XLuBk

We’ve set a goal of collecting 20,000 new postcards for the next president before Election Day.

A stack of urgent messages from Darfur activists will be waiting for him when he sits down in the Oval Office in January. Make sure yours is among them. Send your postcard, and be one of 20,000 new voices for peace.

We’ve come such a long way with your help. People are alive today in Darfur because we raised our voices together. And your consistent work has sparked strong words on Darfur from our nation’s leaders. Look at what we’ve accomplished just this year:

May 28: The three presidential candidates issue an unprecedented joint statement pledging to pursue peace in Darfur with “unstinting resolve.”

October 2: In their debate, both vice presidential candidates express their plans for U.S. leadership on Darfur.

October 7: In the presidential town hall debate, Sens. McCain and Obama discuss how to end the genocide.
Your actions have spurred strong words on Darfur. Now we have to take the next critical step together: ensure that strong words in debates become strong actions in the Oval Office.

Thousands and thousands of voices speaking together can compel the next president to keep the promise he made to Darfuris. Will you be a voice for Darfur?

Add your voice: send a postcard today!

After you’ve added your voice, please click here to ask your friends and family to add their voices and help us collect 20,000 signatures before Election Day.

Thank you for your commitment to ending the violence in Darfur.

10 Oct 2008 12:51 PM

Informed by ABC News that she holds an investment in a mutual fund that owns shares in companies that human rights organizations say help the government of Sudan, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Friday said through a spokesman that she will divest from that mutual fund.

According to financial disclosure forms Palin released last week (read them HERE). Palin owns up to $15,000 in Legg Mason International Equities, which the McCain-Palin campaign specified is the Legg Mason International Equity Fund.

Read the full article.

Jerry Fowler

Now we must ensure that strong words in debates turn into strong actions in the Oval Office. And to do it, we must raise our voices together as one.

Jerry urged all activists to be a voice for Darfur by sending a message to the next U.S. president.

The full text of Jerry’s email follows:

Dear Darfur activist,

During last night’s presidential debate, I watched as Sens. McCain and Obama spoke about the United States’ responsibility to end the crisis in Darfur.

It was a moving moment for me, and an important one for our movement. In the past week, we’ve heard the next president and vice president of the United States call for leadership to end the suffering.

Now we must ensure that strong words in debates turn into strong actions in the Oval Office. And to do it, we must raise our voices together as one.

Add your voice today—send a postcard to the next president urging Day One action on Darfur.

Think about it: millions of Americans just heard the next president of the United States talk about ending the genocide. This was only possible because of your outspoken support for Darfur.

We can’t let up. Your actions have compelled the next president to speak strongly about Darfur. Now we must compel the next president to act strongly on Darfur from Day One of his administration.

One million voices calling for U.S. leadership—voices from all political parties, all faiths, all walks of life—can compel the next president to act.

Sign the postcard and make sure the new president acts on his promise to the people of Darfur.

When thousands upon thousands of citizens of conscience speak with one voice, our leaders listen. That’s how we’ve gotten this far. Now let’s continue to hold them accountable. Let’s demand that they keep faith with the people of Darfur.

My best,

Jerry Fowler
Save Darfur Coalition

Yesterday hundreds of 2008 Olympians visited Washington, DC to meet with President Bush at the White House.  Two Team Darfur athletes – Cheri Blauwett and Mike Altman – stuck around to meet with some of the people making real change for the people of Darfur.

Cheri, a 3 time Paralympian and gold, silver and bronze medal holder in wheelchair racing, and Mike, a 2 time Olympic rower, first visited USAID’s Office of Sudan Programs and Africa Bureau for a briefing on American aid to Sudan.

Officers at USAID informed us that since the beginning of 2008 the humanitarian indicators, which include malnutrition and disease rates, have significantly worsened.  They said this marks a departure from the past few years, when humanitarian agencies had been able to reach affected populations with more consistency, so there was less disease and malnutrition.  We learned, however, that the US provides over 1/2 of the food (or money for the food) distributed by the World Food Program in Darfur.  US humanitarian aid to Darfur in FY 2008 totaled over $830 million.  While of course the US, like all countries, can do more for Darfur, it was refreshing to hear how much our tax dollars are doing to save lives.

At the State Department, Cheri and Mike helped the Bureau of African Affairs celebrate their 50th birthday.  At the small celebration, we learned about intiatives that the Office of Public Diplomacy is engaged in throughout Sudan.  We also heard from members of the Sudan Program Group, who talked about the US government’s emphasis on protection, especially the deployment of 4,000 new peacekeepers by the end of the year.

At both meetings people emphasized the importance, and challenge, of the upcoming elections in Sudan.  With so much energy focused on the US’s presidential elections, it was a good reminder that elections hold promise and risk around the world.

It was an incredibly informative day, and inspiring to to see how yet again the energy and commitment of Olympians adds so much to the fight for the people of Darfur.  And, don’t forget to sign a postcard to Obama and McCain asking them to make Darfur even more of a priority in the next administration!

Last night the presidential candidates participated in their second debate in Nashville – this one in the town-hall style format – and we again had the opportunity to listen to the campaigns’ platforms on Darfur and humanitarian intervention. Below is the candidates’ exchange – spurred by moderator Tom Brokaw. To hear more about what the candidates have to say on Darfur, check out AddYourVoice.org.

Brokaw: Sen. Obama, let me ask you if — let’s see if we can establish tonight the Obama doctrine and the McCain doctrine for the use of United States combat forces in situations where there’s a humanitarian crisis, but it does not affect our national security.

Take the Congo, where 4.5 million people have died since 1998, or take Rwanda in the earlier dreadful days, or Somalia.

What is the Obama doctrine for use of force that the United States would send when we don’t have national security issues at stake?

Obama: Well, we may not always have national security issues at stake, but we have moral issues at stake.

If we could have intervened effectively in the Holocaust, who among us would say that we had a moral obligation not to go in?

If we could’ve stopped Rwanda, surely, if we had the ability, that would be something that we would have to strongly consider and act.

So when genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening somewhere around the world and we stand idly by, that diminishes us.

And so I do believe that we have to consider it as part of our interests, our national interests, in intervening where possible.

But understand that there’s a lot of cruelty around the world. We’re not going to be able to be everywhere all the time. That’s why it’s so important for us to be able to work in concert with our allies.

Let’s take the example of Darfur just for a moment. Right now there’s a peacekeeping force that has been set up and we have African Union troops in Darfur to stop a genocide that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

We could be providing logistical support, setting up a no-fly zone at relatively little cost to us, but we can only do it if we can help mobilize the international community and lead. And that’s what I intend to do when I’m president.

Brokaw: Sen. McCain, the McCain Doctrine, if you will.

McCain: Well, let me just follow up, my friends. If we had done what Sen. Obama wanted done in Iraq, and that was set a date for withdrawal, which Gen. [David] Petraeus, our chief — chairman of our Joint Chiefs of Staff said would be a very dangerous course to take for America, then we would have had a wider war, we would have been back, Iranian influence would have increased, al Qaeda would have re- established a base.

There was a lot at stake there, my friends. And I can tell you right now that Sen. Obama would have brought our troops home in defeat. I’ll bring them home with victory and with honor and that is a fundamental difference.

The United States of America, Tom, is the greatest force for good, as I said. And we must do whatever we can to prevent genocide, whatever we can to prevent these terrible calamities that we have said never again.

But it also has to be tempered with our ability to beneficially affect the situation. That requires a cool hand at the tiller. This requires a person who understands what our — the limits of our capability are.

We went in to Somalia as a peacemaking organization, we ended up trying to be — excuse me, as a peacekeeping organization, we ended up trying to be peacemakers and we ended up having to withdraw in humiliation.

In Lebanon, I stood up to President Reagan, my hero, and said, if we send Marines in there, how can we possibly beneficially affect this situation? And said we shouldn’t. Unfortunately, almost 300 brave young Marines were killed.

So you have to temper your decisions with the ability to beneficially affect the situation and realize you’re sending America’s most precious asset, American blood, into harm’s way. And, again, I know those situations.

I’ve been in them all my life. And I can tell you right now the security of your young men and women who are serving in the military are my first priority right after our nation’s security.

And I may have to make those tough decisions. But I won’t take them lightly. And I understand that we have to say never again to a Holocaust and never again to Rwanda. But we had also better be darn sure we don’t leave and make the situation worse, thereby exacerbating our reputation and our ability to address crises in other parts of the world.

Brokaw: Sen. McCain, thank you very much.