Hello all you beautiful people,
We, SOA Watch, are in need of your help to get Congress to act on releasing vitale information about the School of the Americas (SOA). For those who are unaware of the SOA, here is a little background information:
The School of the Americas (SOA), frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 2001 the government renamed the SOA to the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,” because much of the public was becoming increasingly aware about the atrocities of our terroist training tactics, and the trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.
Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins. The BBC recently reported of the largest mass grave site found in Peru to date. Between 1983 and 2000over 70,000 people were either brutally killed or disappered. Although the article doesn't explicitly state SOA graduates being responsible for this act, the same tactics are taught at the SOA and this war certainly has the smell of just another atrocity performed by an SOA graduate. To read the full article by the BBC go to this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7449079.stm
Your help and URGENT action is needed to help close the SOA. You can help by contacting your Senator to support HR 5658. The House of Representatives already passed the bill and it is now on its way to the Senate. Please contact your Senator at www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm to support HR 5658. For more information on HR 5658 please read the press release below.
Thank you all for your continued support.
Much love,
Ryan and the Green House Collective
We Won the Vote in Congress!
Pentagon Forced to Release Information to SOA Watch
Thanks to your efforts and hard work in defense of human rights, the culture of secrecy and lack of accountability surrounding Defense Department policies suffered a severe blow today when the U.S. House of Representatives approved the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop (GA) amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2009. The amendment forces the public release of names, rank, country of origin, courses and dates of attendance of WHINSEC's graduates and instructors to the public.
The amendment was approved with a 220 to 189 vote!
This is a major victory for the international human rights community!You spoke up and now we are one step closer to transparency and closing the SOA/WHINSEC!
In recent years, WHINSEC has denied information that in the past has been vital in identifying the perpetrators of massacres, targeted assassinations, and human rights abuses committed in Latin America. In response to WHINSEC's lack of transparency and its willingness to undermine public attempts of exercising oversight of the institution, human rights advocates and constituents have taken a stand for justice and demanded Congress to hold WHINSEC accountable.
The access to information regarding students and instructors attending WHINSEC will allow human rights organizations to continue to monitor the school and identify those graduates and instructors who have violated human rights or taken part in criminal activities in their home countries.
Information is power, and the more information we have, the closer we are to closing the SOA/WHINSEC once and for all!
We Won the House, Now Comes the Senate
The approval of this amendment will now lead us to face a new challenge to insure that WHINSEC also be held accountable by the U.S. Senate, in the coming weeks we will continue to keep you updated so we can work together towards another victory. For more information about the SOA Watch please visit http://www.soaw.org/index.php
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