CLA: Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/ A blog for the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. en Copyright 2009 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:19:10 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.25 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10218=Community Events|10217=Courses|11205=Genocide in Our Time|9295=homepage| The Ritchie Boys

Thank you for all that attended our Ritchie Boys event on November 12th at the MN History Center.

To listen to the MPR interview with Dr. Guy Stern and Walter Schwarz click here.

The Film "The Ritchie Boys" can be purchased here from Amazon.com or here from Barnes and Noble.

Dr. Guy Stern referenced additional information that we would be posting to our website. This information can be found here.

You can see photos from the Nov. 12th event and Dr. Stern's visit here.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2009/11/ritchie_boys.html 204454 10218|9295 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:19:10 -0600 World Without Genocide Student Action Award

World Without Genocide Student Action Award
Knowledge + Action = Power

This annual award, to be given by World without Genocide (formerly Genocide Intervention Network-Minnesota), recognizes community outreach projects by college and high school classes to raise awareness about any aspect of genocide: protection, prevention, prosecution, and remembrance.

Click for more information.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2009/08/world_without_genocide_student.html 188986

World Without Genocide Student Action Award
Knowledge + Action = Power

This annual award, to be given by World without Genocide (formerly Genocide Intervention Network-Minnesota), recognizes community outreach projects by college and high school classes to raise awareness about any aspect of genocide: protection, prevention, prosecution, and remembrance.

These projects can include educational outreach to other schools, faith-based organizations, civic groups, businesses, and human rights organizations in the form of art exhibits; theater or dance performances; rallies; film events; legislative outreach; fund-raising; media awareness and support; and similar activities.

Evaluation criteria:
1) number of community people reached
2) impact of project as measured by students' reflections
3) project characteristics: actionable, sustainable, and replicable, emotionally-engaging, innovative
4) level of professionalism and excellence

Who can apply:
Applications can be submitted by students or educators at public or private high schools, colleges and universities, and faith-based organizations.

Award ceremony:
A ceremony will be held at the Minnesota State Capitol in May 2010. Awards will be presented by Senator Sandy Pappas, board member of World without Genocide, to the winning students and educators.

Submission information:
Deadline: April 30, 2010
Instructions:
Students or educators are asked to submit an application as follows:
1) Class information
Name of instructor and contact information (mailing address; email address; phone)
School name and location
Course title or student group and date
Name of person submitting application and contact information (mailing address; email address; phone)

2) Project description - a narrative limited to two pages that addresses the four evaluation criteria:
• number of community people reached
• impact of project as measured by students' and/or community members' reflections
• project characteristics:
actionable, sustainable, and replicable
emotionally-engaging
innovative
• level of professionalism and excellence

3) Evaluation of project impact

4) Any relevant supporting information (photographs, newspaper articles, website promotion, etc.)

Applications should be submitted electronically to
hlschommer@gmail.com
Subject: Student Action Award submission

For additional information, contact Heather at 952-994-2729 or visit
www.worldwithoutgenocide.org


10218 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:26:32 -0600 Fall 2009 Courses

HIST 3727W
History of the Holocaust
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
10:10 am - 11:00 am
Herbert Hanson Hall 1-109
Taught by Edward Snyder (snyd0208@umn.edu)

PUBH 6801
Health and Human Rights
Wednesdays
5:40 - 7:30 pm
Mayo D199
Taught by Kirk Allison (alli0001@umn.edu)

GLOS 3900, SOC 3090
Genocide and Global Conflict: From Armenia to Darfur
Mondays, Wednesdays
2:30 - 3:45 pm
Blegen Hall 135
Taught by Dr. Ellen Kennedy (ekennedy@umn.edu)
More information

POL4410/5410
Justice in Times of Global Transition.
Tuesdays, Thursday
2:30 - 3:45 pm
Anderson Hall 230
Taught by Leigh Payne (lpayne@umn.edu)
More information.

GLOS 3401
International Human Rights Law
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
11:15 am - 12:05 pm
Belgen Hall 150
Taught by Barbara Frey (freyx001@umn.edu)
More information.

LAW 6886
International Human Rights Law
Fridays
9:05 am - 12:10 pm
Mondale Hall 50
Taught by Barbara Frey (freyx001@umn.edu)
More information.

HSEM 3051H
Honors Seminar, Political Psych of Conformity, Enmity & Heroism
Tuesdays, Thursdays
9:45 - 11:00 am
Blegen Hall 105
Taught by John Sullivan (jsull@umn.edu)
More information.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2009/08/fall_2009_courses.html 188427 10217 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:22:11 -0600 Spring 2010 Courses

HIST 3729
Nazi Germany and Hitler's Europe
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
1:25 - 2:15 pm
Blegen Hall 10
More information
Taught by Eric Weitz (weitz004@umn.edu)

Hist 8245
Human Rights and Crimes Against Humanity: A Global History
Tuesdays
3:35 - 5:30 pm
Heller Hall12010A
Taught by Eric Weitz (weitz004@umn.edu)

FREN 8270
Critical Issues: Prose
The Holocaust in France: Testimony/Fiction/Theory
Thursdays
2:30 - 5:00 pm
Folwell Hall 131
Taught by Bruno Chaouat (chaou001@umn.edu)

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2009/08/spring_2010_courses.html 188428 10217 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:01 -0600 Dr. Ellen Kennedy received the "Outstanding Citizen" award from the Anne Frank foundation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbCuDvDYoqo

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2009/08/dr_ellen_kennedy_in_the_mn_dai.html 187490

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbCuDvDYoqo

10218|9295 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:59:35 -0600 CHGS in the News http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2008/02/chgs_in_the_news_1.html 113779

Dr. Ellen Kennedy in the MN Daily.
http://www.mndaily.com/2009/08/04/university-director-raises-awareness-genocides

"Holocaust Survivors Share Stories About Their Experiences" - Fox News
http://www.keyc.tv/node/20174

Minnesota Takes a Stand Against Genocide - Dec. 3, 2008

Exhibit Held in Memory of Late 'U' Holocaust Expert - Sept. 15, 2008


Visiting sites of tragedy to touch history, ease grief - Feb. 25, 2008

Science Museum exhibit explores how Nazi eugenics effort lead to the Holocaust - Feb. 23, 2008

Exhibit tracks history of Hitler's purification philosophy - Feb. 22, 2008

Auschwitz Jewelry Exhibit Shows Secret Treasures With a Grisly Past - Jan. 23, 2008

Two camps tug at issue of Armenian genocide - Nov. 14, 2007


10218|9295 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:56:47 -0600 France bids to mend Rwandan ties

Read the BBC News article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2008/02/france_bids_to_mend_rwandan_ti.html 108268 11205 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:44:08 -0600 U.N. Expert Urges Action to Help Women Victims of Violence in D.R. Congo

New York, Jan 25 2008 4:00PM
An independent United Nations expert today called for international action to help women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who have been victimized by violence, including sexual abuse and rape, perpetrated by both militia and Government troops and fostered by a culture of impunity.

Yakin Ertürk, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, described the gruesome atrocities she witnessed when visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year. "I have seen little girls, women whose hands were chopped off, who were abducted, sexually enslaved, forced to eat the flesh of dead relatives, etcetera, etcetera. Things are quite dire."

Eastern Congo in particular has received greater attention because of the presence there of foreign groups which she said were the "main perpetrators of violence against women as well as the civilian population in general."

But she cautioned that the problems are not limited to eastern Congo; in Equator Province "the army and national police are among the main perpetrators." Ms. Ertürk cited a mass rape by soldiers in April, which led to seven soldiers being sentenced to life imprisonment before they later "escaped or walked out of the military prison."

She decried the fact that in the peace process, efforts to demobilize the militia do not include a justice component. "These militants are demobilized and reintegrated either into civilian life or into the army and they continue the kinds of violent acts they were responsible for during the armed conflict, as civilians or as soldiers in the national army."

The focus on disarmament and reintegration of ex-combatants in the peace process "does not take into consideration the sufferings of women or the needs of women,"she said. "Those are missing links in the peace process."

The expert, who serves in an unpaid, independent capacity, urged international help for women who have been victimized. "Many of these women who have survived are today human rights defenders who are working diligently on the ground to respond to the gap created by the State in terms of providing medical as well as other care services to women who are continually being raped,"she said.

"There is an urgent need to mobilize support for these women who are working both under security threats as well as severe resourceâ" problems, she added. "We must support these grass-roots initiatives because that"how the country is going to be rebuilt."

Countless victims are in inaccessible areas with little or no form of redress. "The justice system, the penitentiary system, is in deplorable conditions," she said. Often victims must pay for access to the courts in what she called a "major obstacle to justice."

She called for "urgent measures to address security and justice simultaneously and stressed that women need more than compensation and they need empowerment."

Ms. Ertü'™s report will be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in March.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2008/01/un_expert_urges_action_to_help.html 105946 11205 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:37:10 -0600 Tribal differences in Kenya are being exploited by politicians hungry for power

Read more from the BBC's Mark Doyle

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2008/01/tribal_differences_in_kenya_ar.html 105279 11205 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:13:12 -0600 Genocide Watch: Kenya

Read the article on Genocide Watch

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2008/01/genocide_watch_kenya.html 103372 11205 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:21:29 -0600 In Southern Darfur, Signs of Another Massacre

Read the New York Times article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/in_southern_darfur_signs_of_an.html 93665 11205 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:30:44 -0600 ISRAEL: Some African asylum-seekers lack food, decent accommodation

Read the IRIN article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/israel_some_african_asylumseek.html 93672 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:37:55 -0600 Darfur Rebels Movements Continue Meetings in Juba

Read the Sudanese Media Center article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/darfur_rebels_movements_contin.html 93670 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:35:50 -0600 Darfur action urged

Student group sets up hotline so citizens can phone Harper's office. Read the TheStar.com article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/darfur_action_urged.html 93667 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:33:00 -0600 Ex-southern rebels expect talks with Sudan govt

Read the AFP article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/exsouthern_rebels_expect_talks.html 93666 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:31:39 -0600 Chad: EU to deploy 3 000 troops

Read the News24.com article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/chad_eu_to_deploy_3_000_troops.html 93664 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:29:29 -0600 Chad declares state of emergency in three regions

Read the Inertational Herald Tribune article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/chad_declares_state_of_emergen.html 93663 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:28:06 -0600 French and Irish forces conduct reconnaissance for force near Darfur

Read the International Herald Tribune article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/french_and_irish_forces_conduc.html 93662 11205 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:26:30 -0600 Genocide and Diplomatic Policy

Read the Washington Post article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/genocide_and_diplomatic_policy.html 93673 11205 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:39:01 -0600 Darfur rebels seek pre-talks deal

Read the BBC News article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/darfur_rebels_seek_pretalks_de.html 93671 11205 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:37:05 -0600 Prospects dim for Darfur unless Sudanese minister arrested

Read the canada.com article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/prospects_dim_for_darfur_unles.html 93669 11205 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:34:15 -0600 South Sudanese Present Demands

Read the BBC News article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/10/south_sudanese_present_demands.html 93661 11205 Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:24:37 -0600 Israel settles Darfur asylum deal

Read the BBC News article.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/09/israel_settles_darfur_asylum_d.html 93675 11205 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 18:40:29 -0600 IBM and the Holocaust

Secret Bad Arolsen Holocaust Archive—a trove of Revelations about Holocaust Insurance, Corporate Complicity and IBM involvement
by Edwin Black

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/08/secret_bad_arolsen_holocaust_a.html 88377 11205 Sat, 18 Aug 2007 18:49:06 -0600 Visual History Archive Subscription

The University of Minnesota Libraries have become subscribers to the Visual History Archive developed by the USC Shoah Foundation institute for Visual History and Education.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/07/visual_history_archive_subscri.html 84230

This is sometimes referred to as the "Shoah Project," or "Survivors of the Shoah" Project, or the "Spielberg Project," as the interviews with 52,000 survivors were conducted with profits from the film, "Schindler's List."

All 52,000 interviews are available from campus based computers, especially in the Wilson Library. There is a remarkable search engine that can pinpoint issues and items exactly where they are talked about on video tapes. While some tapes are archived locally, most must be ordered and it takes about 24-36 hours for them to be received online from University of Southern California.

Visit the Visual History Archive website for more information.

Contact:

Susan Gangl
Librarian for philosophy, religion, and Jewish studies
180 Wilson Library
University of Minnesota
Phone: 612 626-2281
E-mail: s-gang@umn.edu

9295 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:17:53 -0600 From TPT/Channel 17 Twin Cities

The Minnesota Channel has a new distribution option available to its partners, that could be especially useful for those, like the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, that have been making DVD copies of our collaborative television programs to mail out to schools around the nation for classroom use.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/04/from_tptchannel_17_twin_cities.html 75405

We now have a conduit into the enormously popular iTunes Music Store. We are posting selected Minnesota Channel videos on that site, where anyone in the world can download them, for free, and watch our partner's programs on either on a video iPod or simply on any computer.

Because our programming is free, and so many iTunes videos are not, we are seeing an increasing number of downloads.

We have already posted two programs that were produced in partnership with CHGS: "Holocaust: Aftermath" and "Voice to Vision."

To share these with students and educators anywhere, simply send out these directions:
1. Open iTunes Music Store
2. Using the Search box, type in "Twin Cities Public Television"
3. Choose and open the "Minnesota Channel" line
4. Select any of the programs for free downloading

The programs are presented in the full original version, including sponsor credits and website contact information to connect the viewers with the producing partners, like CHGS. TPT will be monitoring the download frequency, and can let CHGS know how many times a viewer has requested either of your videos.

10218 Fri, 06 Apr 2007 22:41:51 -0600 Japan steadfastly refuses to apologize for the past

Article by Harry Stirling
Toronto Star, Friday, March 9, 2007, p. A17

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/03/japan_steadfastly_refuses_to_a.html 87568 11205 Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:17:06 -0600 A Proposal Regarding Darfur

By Peter Hall

Background

A recent analysis finds that approximately 380,000 human beings have died as a result of the conflict that erupted in February 2003, and that the current conflict-related mortality rate in the larger humanitarian theater is approximately 15,000 deaths per month.

One estimate speculates that the final toll from genocide in Darfur will exceed the 800,000 who died in Rwanda's genocide of 1994.

The January 2005 Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur failed to identify genocide taking place in the conflict. But the report gives "the most complete and compelling picture of massive criminality in the Darfur conflict, and establishes beyond any reasonable doubt the vastly disproportional culpability of Khartoum's regular military forces and its
Janjaweed militia allies."

Some weeks ago I heard, on BBC 24 hour TV, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Méndez, say he was not in a position to say whether what has already happened in Darfur is or is not genocide.

John Bolton has been nominated as US ambassador to the United Nations. A resolution that would refer the conflict in Sudan to the International Criminal Court has already been stalled for months by the resistance of the Bolton faction in the State Department.

There is general agreement that a Security Council referral to the ICC is the one sanction actually feared by the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militias it has employed

Premises

i) Either genocide is taking place in Darfur or crimes against humanity on a massive scale

ii) The world community is not interested in sending in troops to such a huge and out of the
way part of the world to try to stop the conflict going on

iii) The Sudanese government does find referral to the ICC something they fear

Proposal

There is only one way to stop the conflict in Darfur - force the US to agree/abstain from voting for referral by the SC.

Suggested Method

Persuade human rights organisations to collaborate/cooperate over a campaign to change public opinion in the US so as to force the USG to agree/abstain from voting for referral by the SC.

The motivation to collaborate/cooperate is twofold - to stop the genocide in Darfur and to end the US driving a horse and cart over every international treaty.

Alternative

The human rights community can sit back and let the conflict continue

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/02/a_proposal_regarding_darfur.html 87572 11205 Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:25:07 -0600 Arab Militias Mass In Darfur

The Arab militias that have so terrorized the residents of the Darfur region of Sudan are reported to be massing in large numbers. Source.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/02/arab_militias_mass_in_darfur.html 87570

While their purpose is not clear, Reuters reports:

"They are massing ... they have vehicles with machineguns on top and they're janjaweed. We can't say what their intentions are," said the source, who asked not to be named. The source declined to give numbers, but described the forces gathered as a "huge amount of personnel," with pickup trucks, camels and horses.

He added that an African Union helicopter was keeping the forces under aerial surveillance and the government was being notified. The Sudanese military could not be reached for comment. Rights group and Western governments say the Sudanese government has used the janjaweed as auxiliaries against Darfur rebels and civilians suspected of rebel sympathies. The government denies this and says the janjaweed are outlaws.

On Monday, a report by the U.N. Mission in Sudan said that "armed militia have been mobilizing in large numbers over the last five days in the general area of Abou Souroug and Sliea (approximately 50 km north of el-Geneina). The reason behind the massive militia mobilization is so far not known."

Their intentions may not be "known" but, if history is any guide, those intentions are not good.

11205 Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:22:05 -0600 Decision on Killing Hrant Dink was Made by ‘The State Within The State’

PanARMENIAN Net

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/decision_on_killing_hrant_dink.html 88373 11205 Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:43:33 -0600 CoE Secretary General Condemned Hrant Dink’s Assassination,

PanARMENIAN Net

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/coe_secretary_general_condemne.html 88372 11205 Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:41:15 -0600 E U Commissioner Rehn Condemns Assassination of Dink

Turkish Press

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/e_u_commissioner_rehn_condemns.html 87675 11205 Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:18:41 -0600 This is a Murder Against Unity in Turkey, Says Cicek

Turkish Press

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/this_is_a_murder_against_unity.html 87674 11205 Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:17:16 -0600 Assasination of Hrant Dink

Turkish Press

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/assasination_of_hrant_dink.html 87673 11205 Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:15:24 -0600 Who Killed the Turkish Editor Hrant Dink?

by Baris Sanli

Turkish Weekly

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/_who_killed_the_turkish_editor.html 88375 11205 Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:47:13 -0600 The Pigeon-like Unease of My Inner Spirit

by Hrant Dink
AGOS Newspaper
(translated by F.M. Gocek)

armenews.com

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2007/01/the_pigeonlike_unease_of_my_in.html 88374 11205 Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:44:47 -0600 A French Law Harms Free Speech in Turkey

By Howard Eissenstat
The Daily Star Lebanon

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2006/10/a_french_law_harms_free_speech.html 87641 11205 Fri, 13 Oct 2006 19:10:25 -0600 Rwanda's Army Accused of Killing Civilians After Mass Grave of Hundreds is Uncovered in Congo

by Meera Selva, Africa Correspondent
The Independent

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/10/rwandas_army_accused_of_killin.html 87643 11205 Wed, 05 Oct 2005 19:19:11 -0600 Graduated United Nations Sanctions Should be Imposed on Sudan

by Dr. Gregory Stanton, President, Genocide Watch
Genocide Watch

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/08/_graduated_united_nations_sanc.html 87666 11205 Sun, 14 Aug 2005 20:04:51 -0600 Harvard to Divest from PetroChina

by Stephen M. Marks and Lauren A.E. Schuker
Crimson Staff Writers
The Harvard Crimson Online

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/04/harvard_to_divest_from_petroch.html 87647 11205 Mon, 04 Apr 2005 19:29:58 -0600 U.N. Council Approves Penalties in Darfur

by Warren Hoge
New York Times

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/03/un_council_approves_penalties.html 87648 11205 Wed, 30 Mar 2005 19:34:38 -0600 MPs and Peers Demand Peace Enforcement in Darfur

Press Release
Genocide Watch

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/03/mps_and_peers_demand_peace_enf.html 87649 11205 Mon, 14 Mar 2005 19:36:09 -0600 Letting Sudan Get Away with Murder

by Ben Kiernan
YaleGlobal Online

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/02/letting_sudan_get_away_with_mu.html 87651 11205 Fri, 04 Feb 2005 19:38:47 -0600 Chief Government Collaborator in Anuak Massacre Nominated for Govener of Gambella State

Press Release
Genocide Watch

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/01/chief_government_collaborator.html 87645 11205 Wed, 26 Jan 2005 19:23:43 -0600 UN Questions Whether World has Learned from WWII

reporter: Nick Grimm
ABC Online

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/01/un_questions_whether_world_has.html 87655 11205 Tue, 25 Jan 2005 19:43:48 -0600 Support War Crimes Trials for Darfur

by Jack Goldsmith
Washington Post

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2005/01/support_war_crimes_trials_for.html 87653 11205 Mon, 24 Jan 2005 19:42:12 -0600 EU Approves Rapid Reaction Force

BBC News

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/11/eu_approves_rapid_reaction_for.html 87659 11205 Tue, 23 Nov 2004 19:47:52 -0600 Germany Admits Namibia Genocide

BBC News

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/08/germany_admits_namibia_genocid.html 87661 11205 Sat, 14 Aug 2004 19:51:37 -0600 A Major Human Tragedy is Unfolding in Sudan

A major human tragedy is unfolding in Sudan, one that has reportedly claimed at least 30,000 lives, and could claim hundreds of thousands more unless the world community works together, starting immediately, to end it.

But despite the growing catastrophe, the U.S. State Department has yet to publicly condemn these actions, or even to formally recognize that the atrocities in Sudan constitute genocide. Such recognition would make a huge difference, catalyzing the world community to help stop the bloodshed.

Please make a call to Secretary of State Colin Powell today at:

* Secretary of State Colin Powell
* 202-647-4000 or 202-647-6607

Urge him to:

* Immediately declare the atrocities in Sudan to be "Genocide"; and
* Publicly condemn them.

Please also call your Senators and Representative:

* Senator Mark Dayton
Washington, DC: 202-224-3244
* Senator Norm Coleman
Washington, DC: 202-224-5641
* Congressman Martin Olav Sabo
Washington, DC: 202-225-4755

Urge them to demand that the United States recognize the genocide and condemn it.

Sudan's government is orchestrating a genocide [1] against people living in the country's Darfur region, who have challenged the government's authoritarian rule. In addition to tens of thousands of killings, there is widespread rape, and poisoning of water systems. Up to one million people have reportedly been displaced from their homes.

More than 130 countries are obligated by the 1948 Genocide Convention to prevent and punish such crimes against humanity. So even if the United States sends no troops to Sudan, formally recognizing the genocide would enable the U.N. security council to authorize other countries, like Germany, France, and Spain, which don't have troops to Iraq, to help stop the killing in Sudan.

We could also take another simple step, and publicly condemn the genocide. This would send a powerful signal that the world is watching, not looking the other way. "Genocide is still calibrated to the international reaction," writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times.

Whenever genocide has occurred before, the world community has vowed, "never again." Yet today, it is happening again.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has written a moving series of columns from Sudan, many of them focusing on the personal experiences of a young woman there named Magboula. You can read them at:

1. "Dare We Call It Genocide?" (Archived and available for purchase)
2. "Sudan's Final Solution" (Archived and available for purchase)
3. "Magboula's Brush With Genocide"
4. "Dithering as Others Die"

Newspapers everywhere are calling for action:

* The Washington Post: "As Genocide Unfolds"
* The New York Times: Time for Action on Sudan (Archived and available for purchase)
* Calls for action from newspapers throughout the country have been compiled by the Center for American Progress
* Contradictory Declaration by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on the Armenian Question (PDF)

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/08/a_major_human_tragedy_is_unfol.html 87575 11205 Sat, 14 Aug 2004 14:32:28 -0600 Appeal for Darfur: Academic or Activist?

It's time to stop begging the dictatorship for access and start planning the rescue, implementing sanctions, and hold accountable the thugs who committed these crimes in courts of law. Congressional passage of this resolution is a crucial step in stopping the genocide in Sudan.

You can take action on this alert either via email (please see directions below) or via the web.

We encourage you to take action by August 20, 2004.

Tell Congress: Genocide by any other name is still GENOCIDE

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this alert.

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Representative Dennis Hastert
Representative Tom DeLay
Senator Bill Frist
Your Congressperson
Your Senators

Call for UN Emergency Force to quell genocides

Robert C. Johansen's call for a United Nations Emergency Service is quite close to one of the four goals of the International Campaign to End Genocide since 1999, which is:

"The establishment of a powerful United Nations rapid response force in accordance with Articles 43 - 47 of the U.N. charter, as well as regional rapid response forces, and international police ready to be sent to areas where genocide threatens or has begun."

The European Union's creation of a rapid response force and its first deployments, including one to the Eastern Congo, have been positive steps toward this goal, as has the African Union's declaration of its intent to create an AU rapid response force. SHIRBRIG, the Standing High Readiness Brigade, pioneered by Canada, Denmark, and other countries has also been a step in this direction.

A full-scale UN volunteer rapid deployment force is vigorously opposed by the Bush administration, and the Congressional appropriation for the State Department and International Organizations specifically forbids any use of U.S. funds for such a force. Interestingly, General Dallaire, an adviser to the Genocide Watch, Aegis, and the ICEG and one of the most respected experts on this subject, also thinks it would currently be a mistake to give the U.N. such a standing armed force, perhaps because of his experience with U.N. irresolution in Rwanda. The proposal will undoubtedly be opposed by nations like China and many of the G-77-states that hold national sovereignty above all other values, and believe it includes what Leo Kuper called "the sovereign right to commit genocide." Nevertheless, the proposal seems well worth pursuing as a long-range goal. It would be even more useful in the context of a U.N. Security Council Perm-5 agreement not to use the veto when there has been a finding of immanent or actual genocide by a majority of the members of the Security Council, as the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty recommends.

Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President
Genocide Watch

Our U.S. promise to act against genocide could become futile

A Congressional bill calling for targeted sanctions (including economic sanctions) against the worst criminal in Sudan, as well as $200 million for further humanitarian aid for Darfur and the refugees
in neighboring Chad, has lost the support of Congress and the President and is in danger of not becoming law.

Act now and let key leadership in both the House and Senate know that the people of the United States will not allow this legislation to die:

SEND A LETTER TO THE MOST INFLUENTIAL DECISION MAKERS ON THIS ISSUE.

* Senate Leadership: Senators Frist, Daschle, and Reid
* House Leadership: Representatives DeLay and Hastert
* Key Members of the House and Senate Foreign/International Relations Committees: Senators Lugar and Brownback, Representatives Hyde, Payne and Lantos
* Chairmen of key Subcommittees of the House Appropriations Committee: Representatives Kolbe and Wolf
* U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell

BACKGROUND:

During November the situation in Darfur, Sudan has become more volatile and insecure with Government forces encircling camps set up for those internally displaced by the conflict and denying access to UN aid agencies and other humanitarian groups.

The Sudanese government appears determined to force those displaced by the conflict back to villages that remain uninhabitable. Meanwhile, the U.S. Government, instead of condemning such action, is backing down from pressuring Sudan to stop the killing and reign in its militias.

Before the Presidential elections, the U.S. administration and Congress spoke strongly against the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Sudan. The United States was the only country to declare the situation genocide. Post-elections, the policy has changed.

The United States can and must ensure that the world does not once again turn away in the face of genocide.

A little more than ten years ago, American officials argued that what was then happening in Rwanda was not worthy of their time or attention. Their actions not only were grossly irresponsible, but also represented one of the most shameful episodes in the history of American foreign policy.

There is no need for history to repeat itself. We can ensure that future generations of Americans will not be ashamed of America's response to Darfur.

Act now and let key leadership in both the House and Senate know that the people of the United States will not allow this legislation to die.

Support this legislation today, calling for action to end the crisis in Darfur.

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/08/appeal_for_darfur_academic_or.html 87573 11205 Sat, 14 Aug 2004 14:28:20 -0600 Frank Chalk's Darfur Interview on CBC National Radio

Requires Real Player. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on: Listen to The Current: Part 2
The Current

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/07/frank_chalks_darfur_interview.html 87662 11205 Fri, 30 Jul 2004 19:56:25 -0600 Darfur's Deep Grievances Defy All Hopes for an Easy Solution

The Observer

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/07/darfurs_deep_grievances_defy_a.html 87663 11205 Sun, 25 Jul 2004 20:00:16 -0600 Blair Draws Up Plans to Send Troops to Sudan

by Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor
The Guardian

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/07/blair_draws_up_plans_to_send_t.html 87664 11205 Thu, 22 Jul 2004 20:02:51 -0600 The UN´s Genocide Watchdog

by the Internet Desk
Radio Netherlands

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/07/the_uns_genocide_watchdog.html 87652 11205 Tue, 13 Jul 2004 19:40:21 -0600 Powell, in Sudan, Presses for Action

By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Washington Post

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/07/powell_in_sudan_presses_for_ac.html 87670 11205 Thu, 01 Jul 2004 20:09:58 -0600 Powell Tells Sudan to End Its Support for Darfur Militias

by Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Washington Post

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/06/powell_tells_sudan_to_end_its.html 87667 11205 Wed, 30 Jun 2004 20:08:26 -0600 Germany Urges Herero to Drop Lawsuit

DW staff
DW-World

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/05/germany_urges_herero_to_drop_l.html 87660 11205 Sat, 08 May 2004 19:49:31 -0600 Annan Calls for the Creation of UN Adviser on Prevention of Genocide


UN News Center

 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/chgs/events/2004/03/_annan_calls_for_the_creation.html 87671 11205 Tue, 09 Mar 2004 20:12:03 -0600