Clooney, 12 activists arrested over Sudanese embassy protests ArticleComments (6). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March 16, 2012 (WASHINGTON) — The Police on Friday arrested American actor George Clooney and a dozen of protestors who had gathered at the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C to protest against the country’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the UK Telegraph reported. Actor and activist George Clooney is handcuffed by a member of the US Secret Service Uniform Divison for trespassing upon the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, DC, March 16, 2012. (Getty)Clooney, his father Nick, Virginia congressman Jim Moran, Martin Luther III and civil rights leader Ben Jealous were reportedly placed in the back of a US Secret Service van and taken away. The activists had prior to the arrest been given three verbal warnings, which they ignored. They largely blamed the government of Sudan for indiscriminate attacks and killing of innocent civilians in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. “I’m just trying to raise attention. Let your Congress know, let your president know,” Clooney said, adding that, “It’s actually a humiliating thing to be arrested no matter what you do, but I’m glad to be standing here with my father.” On Wednesday, he testified before the US foreign relations committee, where he openly accused the Sudanese leader of “provoking” a humanitarian crisis by allegedly blocking food aid from entering the troubled Nuba Mountain region in South Kordofan state. The US peace activist, known for his satellite sentinel project, urged the international committee to act tough on al-Bashir, who is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The organization, he co-founded with John Prendergast, Enough Project director, uses satellite images to monitor North and South Sudan to deter violence, which Clooney calls “anti-genocide paparazzi.” “We as Americans - as human beings - have to make sure that these atrocities do not take place,” he said, adding “Access to food and supplies must not be used as a weapon.” Dozens of activists reportedly gathered outside the embassy chanting “arrest al-Bashir!” and “Bashir to the ICC!” Sudan refuses to allow international aid group to work in the rebel held areas in South Kordofan, expressing fears that the humanitarian assistance wil go to the rebe troops also. Khartoum, which demands a ceasefire agreement in the region, is studying a tripartite proposal to authorize the distribution of humanitarian with Arab league and African Union monitors. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
