March, 16 2010, 02:07pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Israeli Attacks on Human Rights Activists
CINDY CORRIE, via Libby
Lenkinski
Exactly seven years ago (March 16, 2003), Rachel Corrie, a
23-year-old American, was killed by an Israeli military Caterpillar
bulldozer while attempting to protect a Palestinian home in Gaza from
demolition. Her mother Cindy and other family members are now in Israel,
where they have filed a civil suit charging the Israeli government with
unlawfully killing her.
WASHINGTON
CINDY CORRIE, via Libby
Lenkinski
Exactly seven years ago (March 16, 2003), Rachel Corrie, a
23-year-old American, was killed by an Israeli military Caterpillar
bulldozer while attempting to protect a Palestinian home in Gaza from
demolition. Her mother Cindy and other family members are now in Israel,
where they have filed a civil suit charging the Israeli government with
unlawfully killing her.
The webpage RachelCorrieFoundation.org
features updates on the trial, which began last week, background on
Rachel and information about vigils around the U.S. today.
For more background, see interviews on Democracy
Now, CNN
International and an interview with Rachel two days before
she was killed.
JAMAL JUMA'
Coordinator of the Stop the Wall
campaign, Juma' was recently held without charge at an Israeli
interrogation facility for 27 days; Amnesty International released a
statement welcoming his release.
While many have focused on Israel's announcement of more settlement
building on occupied Palestinian land during Vice President Joe Biden's
recent trip, Juma' points to an escalation of Israeli repression of
nonviolent activists.
He recently wrote in the Christian
Science Monitor: "Israel has taken this opportunity to crack down
on Palestinians who advocate nonviolent protests against the Israeli
West Bank segregation barrier and charged them based on questionable or
false evidence.
"I know: I was arrested for talking too much. All we Palestinians
want is a life free from racial discrimination.
"During 2009, 89 peaceful apartheid wall protesters were arrested;
since January, more than 40 have been arrested."
On Tuesday, Amira Hass reported in
Haaretz: "The Israel Defense Forces yesterday designated Bil'in and
Na'alin as closed military areas every Friday until mid-August, in a bid
to halt the weekly demonstrations against the separation fence in those
West Bank villages."
See an interview with Juma' by The Real News at: "Israeli
repression wave targets activists."
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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