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For Immediate Release
December, 09 2011, 06:31am EDT
Contact:
Amanda Kloer, Director of Organizing, Change.org, +1 (202) 684 2552, press@change.org
Jonathan Hutson, Enough Project +1 (202) 386-1618, jhutson@enoughproject.org
Apple's 'Blood iPhone' Subject of Viral Campaign Launched by Congolese Man
Thousands join Delly Mawazo Sesete’s campaign on Change.org calling on Apple CEO Tim Cook to build an iPhone with conflict-free minerals from eastern Congo; Sesete received death threats in Congo for ethical mineral advocacy.
WASHINGTON
More than 10,000 people across the world have joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling on Apple CEO Tim Cook to make an iPhone with minerals from eastern Congo that don't fund and facilitate the mass violence, rape, and human rights crimes commonly associated with the Congolese mining industry.
Delly Mawazo Sesete, a native of Congo who fought human rights abuses in the mining industry despite violence and death threats, launched the campaign on Change.org.
"If Apple truly wants to think different, they need to think conflict-free," said Delly Mawazo Sesete, who launched the campaign on Change.org. "The iPhone is my favorite smartphone, but Apple uses minerals from Eastern Congo that fund the violence and killing that is destroying my country. Apple must change its supply chain to meet the growing consumer demand for conflict-free products."
Today, supporters are rallying in support of Delly's "conflict-free" campaign at the grand opening of Apple's largest store, located in Grand Central Station. Delly is traveling to the United States next week and hopes to meet with Apple's CEO to share his concerns.
"Delly and other iPhone fans are demanding that Apple build smartphones with conflict-free minerals from eastern Congo in a way that supports, rather than undermines, peace and justice there," said Enough Project Executive Director John C. Bradshaw.
"What Delly has accomplished in just a few days is incredible," said Change.org Director of Organizing Amanda Kloer. "Ten thousand people around the world have echoed Delly's request for a conflict-free iPhone from Apple, showing the tech giant that people expect them to respect human rights."
Sesete is asking Apple CEO Tim Cook to commit to making a conflict-free iPhone made with ethically-extracted minerals from eastern Congo available by Christmas 2013. Journalists interested in setting up an interview should use the contact details at the top of the page.
Live signature totals Delly Mawazo Sesete's campaign:
https://www.change.org/petitions/ceo-of-apple-inc-make-a-conflict-free-product-that-includes-minerals-from-eastern-congo
Journalists interested in contacting Apple's public relations staff should try:
Apple Media Relations
Contact information for petition signers in your area can be arranged upon request:
Amanda Kloer
Director of Organizing, Change.org
For more information on the Enough Project, please visit:
https://www.enoughproject.org/
Raise Hope for Congo, a campaign of the Enough Project, aims to build a permanent and diverse constituency of activists who will advocate for the human rights of all Congolese citizens and work towards ending the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo.
For more information on Change.org, please visit:
https://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world's fastest-growing platform for social change -- growing by more than 500,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.
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