Tents of Hope Announces Vigil for Darfur at Sudanese Embassy:
“Deliver a People’s Arrest Warrant for Omar Al-Bashir”

"Washington, DC – The Sudanese community and Tents of Hope are organizing a vigil to be held in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan (2210 Massachusetts Avenue N.W., Washington, DC) from 2-7 p.m. on Friday, November 7, 2008. The vigil unites Sudanese and Americans around one clear purpose: bring justice and peace to Darfur by delivering a people’s arrest warrant for President Omar Al-Bashir before he kills more people. The vigil is part of the historic “Gathering of Tents” weekend organized for Darfur from November 7-9, 2008 (www.TentsofHope.org).

The Sudanese and American communities will come together at the vigil to say “enough” to the attacks on Darfuri people in their villages, towns, and in the camps and will demand an end to the ineffective international peace efforts that have done little to abate these attacks. “I am astonished by the lack of involvement from the greater Muslim community, both domestically and internationally, to stop the genocide happening in Darfur while Muslims are beating, raping, killing, and demoralizing other Muslims,” said Shabana Stationwala, Project Nur Director, American Islamic Congress.

It’s time to support the ICC arrest of Bashir for his regime’s crimes in Darfur that resulted in 300,000 deaths, such as the recent massacre in Kalma displaced persons camp in south Darfur, and the nearly 3 million who lost their homes and have been living in camps since 2003. Bashir should not be given any more time as his UN diplomats claim he needs to “bring peace in Darfur.” He should be held accountable for all his crimes, and as one Darfuri woman at a refugee camp in Chad told a humanitarian relief worker: “A delay will not be a chance for peace. It will be a chance for Bashir to kill more.” The massacre in Kalma displaced persons camp in south Darfur is grim evidence of her prediction. “It is time for President Bashir to pay for all of his crimes,” exclaimed Mohamed Elgadi, a survivor of Citibank Ghost House. “I will never forget the time when Bashir came on T.V. and announced to the whole world that ‘the talk about torture in Sudan is a plain lie.’ At that very same moment in time, I was one of the 171 detainees who were being tortured in one of his Ghost Houses (torture centers) in Khartoum.”

Stop Genocide Now has collected comments from various Darfur refugees that capture the distressed yet courageous voice of the community. This voice is heard loud and clear in this text message from a refugee: “The international community must support justice and the ICC regarding Bashir.” When questioned whether his life would be endangered if an arrest warrant were issued, another refugee answered: “Justice is above us all. Without justice, there can be no peace.” A young refugee teen questioned poignantly: "Why give Bashir 12 months for peace, when we have had no peace for 5 years?”

"We have no time to waste. We have all the evidence needed to prosecute Bashir for the atrocities he has been committing,” stated Daowd Salih, President, Damanga Coalition. “Sudanese humanitarians are imprisoned, tortured, and killed for helping people forcibly displaced from Southern Sudan, the Nubian Mountain, Blue Nile, and Darfur regions of Sudan. My own life was threatened, and I was forced to flee in 1990. Bashir eliminates the defenseless. We cannot wait to arrest this criminal and his co-conspirators.”

Additional sponsors of the event include: Damanga Coalition for Freedom & Democracy, Darfur Alert Coalition, Darfur Peace & Development Fund, Stop Genocide Now, Group Against Torture in Sudan, Darfur Peoples Association - NYC, Pittsburgh Emergency Coalition for Darfur, W.MA Coalition, Project Nur, American Islamic Congress, and many others."

Mohamed Elgadi, 215-870-7809, MohamedElgadi@yahoo.com;
Tragi Mustafa, 905-317-4149, TragiMustafa@yahoo.com

See flyer: Vigil for Darfur at Sudanese Embassy