FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Nanda Chitre
[email protected]
Paula Newbaker, (202) 481-8215 cell: 202-415-3739
[email protected]
PRESS CALL: ENOUGH Project praises International Criminal Court’s Call to Arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
WHEN: Monday, July 14, 10AM EDT
WHO: John Norris, Executive Director; John Prendergast, Co-Chair – ENOUGH Project;
PARTICIPANT CALL-IN NUMBER: 1-866-682-6100
INTERNATIONAL CALL-IN NUMBER: 1-201-499-0416
PASSWORD: Enough
RSVP: Paula Newbaker at 202-415-3739 (cell), 202-481-8215 (office), or [email protected] by Monday, July 14th at 8am.
(Need to RSVP in order to participate in the call)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Washington, D.C. – It is expected that on Monday, July 14, 2008, International Criminal Court prosecutors will seek the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur, Sudan.
“The status quo in Sudan is one of the deadliest in the world. Until there is a consequence for the commission of genocide, it will continue. This indictment introduces a cost, finally, into the equation. Bashir will use the indictment as a cover to increase his deadly destruction in Darfur. The world must stand firm against his actions, and work towards peace in all of Sudan.” – John Prendergast, Co-Chair of the ENOUGH Project.
On Monday, July 14, 2008 at 10: 00 AM EDT, the ENOUGH project will host a conference call with Executive Director John Norris outlining a new report “The Merits of Justice.”
Authored by ENOUGH co-founder John Prendergast, John Norris, and research associate David Sullivan, the report praises the International Criminal Court’s steps to indict Sudanese President Omar Bashir. Using examples of past indictments of war criminals Slobodan Milosevic during the 1999 Kosovo conflict, and of Charles Taylor in 2003 in Liberia, the ENOUGH project’s report shows that Monday’s call to arrest president Omar al-Bashir is not only morally correct, but that it can be a step in the path to secure peace.
John Norris is the Executive Director of ENOUGH. Before joining ENOUGH, he served as Chief of Political Affairs for the United Nations Mission in Nepal where he helped facilitate the ongoing peace process to end that country’s 10-year war. As part of that effort, John co-chaired arms management negotiations between Maoist rebels and the government and helped establish the conditions for the historic April 2008 election of a constitutional assembly. Previously, John served as the Africa Program Executive and Washington Chief of Staff for the International Crisis Group, conducting extensive field work and senior-level advocacy for resolving conflicts in Africa and South Asia. Earlier in his career, John served as the Director of Communications for the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State. He also worked as a speechwriter and field disaster expert at the U.S. Agency for International Development. John is the author of several books, including the Disaster Gypsies, a memoir of his work in the field of emergency relief, and Collision Course: NATO, Russia and Kosovo. John has published commentary in the Washington Post, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. He has a graduate degree in public administration.
John Prendergast is Co-Chair of the ENOUGH Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. During the Clinton administration, John was involved in a number of peace processes in Africa while he was Director of African Affairs at the National Security Council and Special Advisor at the Department of State. John also has worked for members of Congress, the United Nations, human rights organizations, and think tanks, as well as having been a youth counselor and basketball coach in the U.S. He has authored eight books on Africa, including "Not on Our Watch," a New York Times bestseller he co-authored with Don Cheadle. John is working on a new book which focuses on his 20 years in the Big Brother program. John has helped produce two documentaries on Northern Uganda and been involved in three documentaries on Sudan. He has been part of three episodes of CBS' 60 Minutes which earned an Emmy Award for Best Continuing News Coverage and is helping to develop two additional episodes. He is helping to spearhead a campaign involving the NBA and Participant Productions to widen awareness on Darfur, as well as a campaign to end the violence against women and girls in the Congo. John travels regularly to Africa's war zones on fact-finding missions, peace-making initiatives, and awareness-raising trips. He is a visiting professor at the University of San Diego and the American University in Cairo.
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About the ENOUGH Project: ENOUGH is a project of the Center for
American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded
in 2007 with an initial focus on the crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern
Congo, northern Uganda, and Somalia, ENOUGH’s strategy papers and
briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy
recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting
durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing
perpetrators of atrocities. ENOUGH works with concerned citizens,
advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these
crises. To learn more about ENOUGH and what you can do to help, go to
www.enoughproject.org.