ARMENIAN AMERICANS RALLY FOR DECISIVE U.S. ACTION ON DARFUR
White House Protest Brings Together Anti-Genocide Activists to Mark Second Anniversary of al-Bashir War Crimes Indictment
July 14, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) joined Voices for Sudan, Africa Action, Hope for Darfur, and anti-genocide advocates from across the country, today, in marking the second anniversary of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Activists, including the 2010 ANCA “Leo Sarkisian” interns, braved tropical storm-like weather at the noon-time White House protest, held just two days after the ICC expanded its arrest warrant against al-Bashir to include three counts of genocide. The Armenian American participants echoed calls from the Darfurian American community for immediate U.S. action to bring Sudan’s genocidal dictator to justice.
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, in an interview with al-Jazeera held during the protest, welcomed the ICC’s indictment of al-Bashir on charges of genocide and called for decisive action from the Obama Administration to stop the killing in Darfur. “We are here to fight against the genocide in Darfur but more broadly to end the cycle of genocides”, explained Hamparian. “A genocide isn’t just a crime against one nation, it’s a crime against all nations, and, as such, it’s all our responsibility equally as human beings to see justice served and see genocide stopped.”
You can watch the al-Jazeera interview on the ANCA Facebook page.
Africa Action, a lead organizer of the vigil, explained the importance of the July 14th protest in a statement on its website: “We must come together and commemorate this day and call the attention of the international community that they need to live up to their commitment and honor their promise by providing the necessary support to the ICC, reinforce its effort to execute the pending arrest warrant against al-Bashir and hold him accountable for the crimes committed against the people of Darfur.”
In the wake of the announcement of the ICC’s expansion of the al-Bashir arrest warrant this week, Save Darfur has called on anti-genocide activists to urge President Obama and the State Department to take immediate steps to block a Sudanese government crackdown against international aid workers in Darfur. The ANCA has joined with over 50 Save Darfur coalition partners in cosigning a letter on this subject to President Obama.
Last year, when the ICC issued its first warrant for Bashir for crimes against humanity and war crimes, the Sudanese government brutally retaliated against civilians in Darfur by expelling over a dozen international aid groups and forcing an emergency response by the United Nations and others to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.
Click here to send a free Save Darfur Webmail to President Obama and Secretary Clinton.