Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s Press Release On Darfur Protest

[The following press release is from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston), TX-CD-18. Rep. Jackson Lee was among five members of the U.S. House who were arrested while protesting the genocide in Darfur outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. News coverage here, via Google News. MSWord (.doc) file of the release here. Photo (.bmp) of Rep. Jackson Lee being led away is here and inserted below. Update: Via Common Sense, we have video: Windows Media Player verison here, QuickTime here, both from PoliticsTV.com]].

Washington, DC - On Friday April 28, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee will stand with other Members of Congress, civic leaders and students in an act of conscience to protest the Sudanese government and its hand in the Darfur genocide. This act of civil disobedience will take place at the Sudanese Embassy here in Washington, DC.

What is happening in the African nation of Darfur is an international tragedy and it is time for the violence to be stopped. Over 300,000 people have died and 2 million are now homeless. Countless women and young girls have been raped and children have been mutilated.

“I am proud to stand side by side with my Colleagues as we raise public awareness of the genocide in Darfur and work to build a lasting peace in that region of western Sudan. By taking this stand today we hope to teach others that Darfur is an important step in raising awareness and pressuring the Bush Administration to become more engaged in ending the suffering of those in the Darfur region.”

Over the last four years, more than 400,000 lives have been lost and over 2 million people have been forced from their homes as a result of a genocide undertaken against the African peoples of Darfur by the government of the Sudan and its Janjaweed militia. A campaign of the mass murder of unarmed civilians, of mass rape and torture, and the systematic destruction of villages and crops has been waged. Despite condemnations from many quarters, this genocide continues unabated today.

“We need the U.S. to take leadership in the process of achieving a resolution and to stop this genocide,” stated Congresswoman Jackson Lee.