This release came from our friends at #FreeRusesabagina.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 22, 2022
Contact: Kitty Kurth
Phone: 312-617-7288
Email: [email protected]Rusesabagina Family and #FreeRusesabagina team to view DC Mural on TuesdayWHEN: Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Mural Viewing & Press Conference
Media availability starting at 11:00 am EDT
WHERE: 3125 M Street, NW; Washington, D.C. 20007 (alley between Levain Bakery/Irish Pub)
WHO: Friends and family of Paul Rusesabagina and the #FreeRusesabagina team, who were not able
to join the unveiling of the mural last week, will observe the mural and talk with the media about efforts in the US and abroad to gain the release of Hotel Rwanda humanitarian Paul Rusesabagina from wrongful detention in Rwanda. He was kidnapped, tortured, and held in solitary confinement by Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame in August of 2020.
Live streaming will be available on the #FreeRusesabagina Facebook page.
Mural and photo credit: Isaac Campbell
On July 20th, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, a campaign led by family members of Americans wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad, unveiled a public mural in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The mural, designed and installed by Iowan artist Isaac Campbell, will use the wheat paste technique to capture the faces of 18 Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. According to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, there are actually 64 publicly known cases of Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. Given families are often reluctant to publicize or inform the U.S. government that their loved ones have been taken, there are likely even more. With this public mural, families of American hostages and wrongful detainees hope to increase attention to the plight of their loved ones, to educate the public about hostage diplomacy, and to create community advocacy that will encourage the Biden administration to use all tools available to them to urgently bring them home.
Isaac Campbell is an artist and communication studies scholar from central Iowa. He has been awarded numerous local, state, and federal grants for his wheat paste murals. In 2018, he was awarded a Fulbright student research assistantship working in Budapest, Hungary with the National Ethnographic Museum, Fortepan archiving project team, and the Hungarian National Gallery. His written and creative work focuses on community-based public art, social justice, collective memory, and vernacular photography. Mr. Campbell prides himself on collaborating with local leaders and activists to enable community-based art projects by teaching volunteers and children how to create humanistic art in their communities.
With the wheat paste mural for the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Mr.Campbell is using tools available to him – his art – to bring attention to the 64 American hostages and wrongful detainees held around the world. Mr. Campbell says, ‘The mural is made from flour, water, sugar, and paper – it will fade, tear, and eventually disappear over time. What will be done for these Americans by the time the mural disappears? I hope this work reminds us all of the urgency of this campaign and inspires our government to use the tools available to bring these American citizens home – before their faces fade away and disappear from this wall.’
For more information about the mural or the Bring Our Families Home campaign, contact:
Jonathan Franks
Spokesperson for The Bring Our Families Home Campaign
[email protected]
mobile: 310-713-4351
The Bring Our Families Home Campaign is a family-led campaign of various family members of Americans currently held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad, as publicly identified by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. The Campaign includes the parents, children, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and friends of Americans whose only crime is being American and who are now being used as political pawns. The Campaign’s goal is to encourage the Biden Administration and our national political leaders to support the use of every tool available – including trades – to secure the prompt return of Americans held abroad.
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Petition to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO)
We, the undersigned, representing concerned citizens, civil society organizations, and advocates for human rights, urgently call upon theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC)and theInternationalLabour Organization (ILO)to take immediate action to address the humanitarian crisis resulting from the forced conscription law imposed by the military junta in Myanmar.
Background:
OnFebruary 10, 2024, the military junta in Myanmar announced its illegitimate enforcement of the People’s Military Service Law (Nº 27/2010), compelling up to 50,000 people per year to serve in the military for up to five years. This forced conscription isa blatant violation ofinternational law and fundamental human rights, threatening peace, stability, and the well-being of the people of Myanmar. It poses a significant threat in Myanmar and the region for several reasons:
Illegitimate military:The Myanmar military began an attempted coup in February 2021, and since then has no longer been working in service to the nation of Myanmar. Rather, it now operates under the command of an unelected and illegitimate military junta. Under this leadership, the military has launched a nationwide campaign of heinous crimes against the people of Myanmar in an attempt to suppress and control them. To date, the military haskilledover4,500 people, andarrestedmore than26,000including the President, State Counsellor, elected members of parliament, journalists, pro-democracy activists, religious leaders and others. Over 20,000 remain incarcerated. The military has committed massacres, indiscriminate airstrikes, artillery shelling, sexual and gender-based violence, mass torture and mass arson. As a result,2.4 million peoplehave fled their homes since the attempted coup began.
Forced Conscription of Women, Children, Professionals and Retirees:The junta’s decision to use conscription is widely understood among Myanmar people as a desperate attempt to compensate for its growing combat losses and defections. The junta’s State Administration Council (SAC) will forcibly recruit civilians, includingmenaged18-35 years,womenaged18-27 yearsand professionals such as doctors and engineers. Those who refuse will facea five-year jailterm. This adds to the junta’s illegitimate use of other forms of forced recruitment such as the Reserve Forces Law (2010) under which wives and children of soldiers aged over 15 are currently forced to undergo military training and retired or discharged military personnel are forced to serve for unspecified lengths of time. The junta’s forced recruitment is an extreme measure, particularly in relation to children and retirement aged people. Further, the forced recruitment of young women is especially egregious given the junta’s ongoing use of sexual violence.
Exacerbation of Violence:
The implementation of forced conscription by the military junta escalates the already unprecedented violence in Myanmar. As the junta faces growing resistance from democratic forces, it resorts to forced conscription as a means of psychological warfare to terrorize the population into submission. This escalation of violence further destabilises the country and heightens tensions within communities. (1)
Use of Human Shields and Atrocities:
The military junta has a track record of using civilians, including women and children, as human shields, minesweepers, and porters. Forcing conscription provides the junta with a ready pool of recruits to exploit in these dangerous roles, exposing them to the risk of abuse, torture, and even death.
Moreover, the junta’s history of committing atrocities, including sexual violence against women, raises serious concerns about the safety and well-being of those subjected to forced conscription.
Civilian Backlash and Fallout:
The announcement of forced conscription has triggered a major backlash among Myanmar’s civilian population, leading to widespread fear, anger, and resistance. Many young people are considering drastic measures to evade conscription, such as fleeing the country or joining resistance forces. This mass opposition to conscription is likely to further destabilize the country and contribute to social unrest
Humanitarian Crisis and Refugee Outflow: Forced conscription has already led to a rush of people seeking to leave Myanmar, leading to overcrowding and chaos at border crossings. This mass exodus poses humanitarian challenges for neighbouring countries and increases the risk of conflict spillover. Moreover, the targeting of specific ethnic and religious groups, such as the Rohingya, for conscription further exacerbates existing tensions and raises concerns about potential genocide or ethnic cleansing.
Petition:
1. We call upon theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC)to:
Immediately convene an emergency meeting to address the crisis in Myanmar and propose a binding resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
Directly address the Myanmar crisis with relevant partners to manage its consequences, as relying solely on ASEAN has proven ineffective and contributed to escalating regional instability in Southeast Asia.
Imposing targeted sanctions especially on providing insurance to jet fuel import; banning the import of jet fuel into Myanmar; and a comprehensive arms embargo against the military junta to halt the enforcement of the Conscription Law and prevent further human rights violations.
Refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court or establish an ad hoc tribunal to hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable.
2. We call upon theInternational Labour Organization (ILO)to:
Reject the forced conscription law imposed by the military junta in Myanmar as a grave violation of international labour standards and fundamental human rights.
Take decisive action against the State Administrative Council (SAC) for illegitimately forcing this law, which has a documented history of committing heinous crimes against humanity, including sexual violence against women, forced portering, and the use of civilians as human shields. Such actions constitute egregious violations of human rights and demand immediate accountability.
Condemn the use of forced labour and take immediate action to investigate and monitor instances of forced conscription in Myanmar.
Provide technical assistance and support to the legitimate government of Myanmar, theNational Unity Government (NUG),Ethnic Representation Organisations (ERO), andcivil society organizationsto address forced labour, protect the rights of affected individuals.
Conclusion:
The forced conscription law imposed by the military junta in Myanmar represents a severe threat to peace, stability, and human security in the region. We urge the United Nations Security Council and the International Labour Organization to act swiftly and decisively to address this crisis and uphold the principles of justice, dignity, and human rights for all.