CPTnet
2 December 2005
CHICAGO/TORONTO: Petition calling for the release of four CPTers held in
Iraq now available on-line
Today activists who run Electroniciraq.net have made available a petition in
Arabic and English calling for the release of James Loney, Tom Fox, Harmeet
Singh Sooden and Norman Kember (See www.cpt.org.) Signatories include a wide
and illustrious array of scholars, activists and religious leaders.
Christian Peacemaker Teams encourages everyone reading this release to sign
the petition. Below is the appeal as it appeared on the newslist of Ali
Abunimah, founder of the Electronic Intifada:
Arabic version at http://electroniciraq.net/news/2210.shtml
Sign the English petition at http://freethecpt.org
Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were taken this past Saturday,
November 26, in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the
service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to
fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and
occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries.
They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to
self-determination.
C.P.T. first came to Iraq in October 2002 to oppose the US invasion, and it
has remained in the country throughout the occupation in solidarity with the
Iraqi people. The group has been invaluable in alerting the world to many of
the horrors facing Iraqis detained in US-run prisons and detention centers.
C.P.T. was among the first to document the torture occurring at the Abu
Ghraib prison, long before the story broke in the mainstream press. Its
members have spent countless hours interviewing Iraqis about abuse and
torture suffered at the hands of US forces and have disseminated this
information internationally.
Each of the four C.P.T. members being held in Iraq has dedicated his life to
resisting the darkness and misery of war and occupation. Convinced that it
is not enough to oppose the war from the safety of their homes, they made
the difficult decision to go to Iraq, knowing that the climate of mistrust
created by foreign occupation meant that they could be mistaken for spies or
missionaries. They went there with a simple purpose: to bear witness to
injustice and to embody a different kind of relationship between cultures
and faiths. Members of C.P.T. willingly undertook the risks of living among
Iraqis, in a common neighborhood outside of the infamous Green Zone. They
sought no protection from weapons or armed guards, trusting in, and
benefiting from, the goodwill of the Iraqi people. Acts of kindness and
hospitality from Iraqis were innumerable and ensured the C.P.T. members'
safety and wellbeing. We believe that spirit will prevail in the current
situation.
We appeal to those holding these activists to release them unharmed so that
they may continue their vital work as witnesses and peacemakers.
Signed,**
* Arundhati Roy, author, The God of Small Things
* Tariq Ali, author, Bush in Babylon
* Denis Halliday, former U.N. Assistant Secretary General and Head of the
U.N. Humanitarian Program in Iraq (1997-1998)
* Cindy Sheehan, mother of Casey Sheehan
* Noam Chomsky, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
* Haifa Zangana, Iraqi novelist
* Kamil Mahdi, Iraqi economist and anti-occupation activist. Lecturer,
University of Exeter
* Mahmood Mamdani, "Herbert Lehman Professor of Government," Columbia
University
* Rashid Khalidi, "Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies," Middle East
Institute, Columbia University
* Cindy and Craig Corrie, parents of Rachel Corrie, killed by Israeli
military
* Hasan Abu Nimah, Permanent Representative of Jordan at the United Nations
(1995-2000)
* Ralph Nader, former independent presidential candidate
* James Abourezk, former US Senator
* Howard Zinn, historian
* Naseer Aruri, Professor (Emeritus) University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
* Kathy Kelly, Voices for Creative Nonviolence/Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
* Naomi Klein, author/journalist
* Michael Ratner, President, Center for Constitutional Rights
* Rev. Daniel Berrigan, poet
* Jeremy Scahill, independent journalist
* Mazin Qumsiyeh, author, Sharing the Land Of Canaan, board member US
Campaign to End the Occupation
* Milan Rai, author, War Plan Iraq: Ten Reasons Against War on Iraq
* Sam Husseini, writer
* Dahr Jamail, independent journalist
* Ali Abunimah, Co-founder, Electronic Iraq/The Electronic Intifada
* Nigel Parry, Co-founder, Electronic Iraq/The Electronic Intifada
* Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice
* Eve Ensler, author
* Jennifer Harbury, Director, Stop Torture Permanently Campaign
* Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Detroit
* Anthony Arnove, author, Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal
* Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange
* G. Simon Harak, SJ, War Resisters League
* David Hartsough, Co-Founder and Capacity Building Director of Nonviolent
Peaceforce and Executive Director of Peaceworkers. Nonviolent Peace Force
* Blase Bonpane, Office of the Americas
* Carol Bragg, Coordinator, Rhode Island Peace Mission
* Rev. Richard Deats, former Executive Secretary and Fellowship Editor,
Fellowship of Reconciliation
* Omar Diop, Président de la Coalition Sénégalaise des Défenseurs
des Droits humains
* Jim Forest, Secretary, The Orthodox Peace Fellowship
* Thomas C. Cornell, The Catholic Worker
* David Grant, Nonviolent Peaceforce
* Ted Lewis, Global Exchange
* Charles Jenks, Chair of Advisory Board, Traprock Peace Center
* Jeff Leys, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
* Andréa Schmidt, independent journalist
* Michael Albert, ZNet
* Richard McDowell, Senior Fellow for Iraq Policy, Friends Committee on
National Legislation
* Dave McReynolds, former Chair, War Resisters International
* Peter Lems, Program Associate for Iraq, American Friends Service Committee
* Kevin Zeese, Director, Democracy Rising
* Sunny Miller, Director, Traprock Peace Center
* Dave Robinson, Director, Pax Christi USA
* Rev. Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou, National Coordinator, Clergy and Laity
Concerned about Iraq
* David Swanson, Co-Founder, After Downing Street, Board Member Progressive
Democrats of America, Washington Director Democrats.com
* Mary Trotochaud, Senior Fellow for Iraq Policy, Friends Committee on
National Legislation
* Michael Birmingham, activist
* Barbara Wien, Co-Director, Peace Brigades International/USA
* Bishop Gabino Zavala, President, Pax Christi USA
**Organizations and institutions are listed for identification purposes
only. Contact: freethecpt(at)gmail.com
_______________
To stop receiving messages from CPTNET on MennoLink, send a message with
only the word, "suspend," in the body to server@MennoLink.org.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) seeks to enlist the whole church in
organized, nonviolent alternatives to war and places teams of trained,
peacemakers in regions of lethal conflict. Originally a violence-reduction
initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonite, Church of the Brethren
and Quaker), CPT now enjoys support and membership from a wide range of
Christian denominations.
To receive news or discussion of CPT issues by e-mail, fill out the form
found on our WEB page at http://www.cpt.org/subscribe.php
Donate to CPT on-line with your credit card! Go to
http://cpt.org/donate.php and click the DONATE button to make a
contribution through Network for Good, a secure way to help support CPT.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Jan 02 2006 - 08:56:38 EST