Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
July 31, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA WELCOMES HOUSE ADOPTION OF SUDAN DIVESTMENT MEASURE
Washington, DC — In yet another blow to Khartoum’s genocidal
regime, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed
legislation this week which would protect the rights of states to
divest from Sudan and prohibit U.S. government contracts with
companies that disproportionately benefit the Sudanese government,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The
legislation, H.R.180, which was sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-
CA) and shepherded through the House Financial Services Committee
by Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), would also require the US
Department of the Treasury to publish and maintain a list of
companies or entities whose business dealings directly benefit the
regime.
"I am proud of our bipartisan efforts to increase the financial
pressure on Khartoum to end the genocide in Darfur, and I want the
President to explain why he believes that Americans should not take
steps to make sure that our tax dollars and our pension funds are
not supporting genocide," said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the lead
sponsor of H.R. 180, which was adopted by a vote of 417 to 1.
"It is time to stop funding the war machine in Sudan," said Rep.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign
Affairs Committee. "Evidence of mass slaughter, aerial
bombardments, and forced displacements targeted against the African
tribes in Darfur require us to take this action. We need to send a
clear message to Khartoum that we are not fooled by their half
measures and delay tactics and that we are serious about ending
this conflict, to do so, we must speak in a language that they will
surely understand – the language of economic interests."
In the days leading up to the House vote, the ANCA teamed with the
Genocide Intervention Network, Save Darfur, STAND, and a coalition
of some 40 anti-genocide organizations in urging Congress to pass
the key human rights legislation.
"We join with all our genocide-prevention coalition partners in
welcoming House passage of the Sudan Divestment bill," stated ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look forward to swift
Senate action on the measure and the adoption of a U.S. policy
which would ensure that American tax dollars and pension funds do
not support Al-Bashir’s genocidal regime in Khartoum."
Vocal opposition to the Darfur divestment measure came from the
National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), a coalition of 300 U.S.
companies engaged in international trade and investment. In a July
26th letter to House Members, NFTC President William A. Reinsch
argued that H.R.180 would "threaten to create a complex web of
restrictions and regulations that interfere with the Constitutional
right given to the President to conduct foreign policy. They will
also inevitably cause numerous problems for businesses trying to
comply in good faith with inconsistent and in some cases
contradictory requirements from different jurisdictions."
The efforts of the NFTC, which includes such well-known companies
as Citigroup and Pfizer, are similar to efforts by the American
Turkish Council (ATC) and the American Business Forum of Turkey
(ABFT) to campaign against Armenian Genocide legislation. In fact,
in a March 28th "Roll Call" article, Citigroup and Pfizer were
mentioned among a handful of major businesses cited by ATC
president Jim Holmes as "working through the Council to stop the
[Armenian Genocide] resolution." Other companies, associated with
the ABFT, including Phillip Morris, Cargill, and Xerox, have
disavowed any connection to that group’s anti-genocide recognition
activities, according to research conducted by the ANCA.
In March, the ANCA teamed up with the Genocide Intervention Network
in hosting a two-day Capitol Hill advocacy campaign to stop the
genocide in Darfur and pass resolutions on the Armenian Genocide
(H.Res.106 / S.Res.106). Over 100 activists from 25 states
participated in the advocacy days, titled "End the Cycle of
Genocide: Grassroots Capitol Campaign."
Information regarding Sudan Divestment activities across the U.S.
is provided below, based on research by the Sudan Divestment
Taskforce, a project of the Genocide Intervention Network.
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Sudan Divestment Statistics
Source: The Sudan Divestment Taskforce, a project of the Genocide
Intervention Network
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19 States have adopted divestment policies from Sudan. Twelve
of these states have passed the Sudan Divestment Task Force model
of targeted Sudan divestment: California, Colorado, Florida,
Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island,
Texas, and Vermont. Seven of these states have developed state
specific methods of Sudan divestment: Arkansas, Connecticut,
Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey and Oregon.
18 States have initiated Sudan divestment campaigns. Seven of
these states have targeted Sudan divestment legislation currently
introduced: Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Eleven of these
states have campaigns awaiting introduction of legislation or are
pursuing Sudan divestment by other means: Arizona, Delaware,
Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
54 Universities have adopted divestment policies from Sudan.
From the first University, Harvard, to the most recent, including
The University of Minnesota, Wheaton College, Nazareth College, the
University of Illinois, Connecticut College, and Lee University in
a display of grassroots power, students, faculty and administrators
have united to ensure that their schools make conscionable,
genocide-free investments.
47 Universities have initiated campaigns to pursue Sudan
divestment policies.
9 Cities have adopted divestment policies from Sudan: Denver,
CO; Los Angeles, CA; Miami Beach, FL; New Haven, CT; Newton, MA;
Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Providence, RI; and San
Francisco, CA.
8 International and Religious Organizations have adopted
divestment policies from Sudan: American Jewish World Service,
Boston Foundation, National Council of Jewish Women, National
Ministries, Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, Union
for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association and United
Jewish Communities.
8 Countries have initiated targeted Sudan divestment campaigns.
International divestment campaigns currently include Australia,
Canada, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, Germany, the US, and the UK.
5 Companies CHC Helicopter, ABB, Siemens, Rolls Royce, and
Schlumberger – have ceased operations in Sudan (or
formalized and publicized a plan to do so), or
significantly changed their behavior in the country since
the proliferation of the Sudan divestment movement.
Several of the companies have directly and/or publicly
cited the Sudan divestment movement as a cause of their
actions, while others have mentioned "humanitarian,"
"political," and even "moral" concerns related to Sudan.