Sudan: Physicians for Human Rights calls for intervention to save lives in Sudan
A Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) field team, recently back from the Chad/Sudan border where they took eyewitness accounts of systematic killings, rapes and destroyed villages, calls for an international intervention necessary to save lives and reverse injustices labelled by PHR as indicators of genocide. In his endorsement of PHR's report, Justice Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia said, "After all we know and have learned from the last decade's genocides and mass atrocities, we owe it to the victims of Darfur and potential victims to do everything we can to prevent and account for what PHR's report establishes is genocide and reverse the intolerable acts of forcing entire populations from their land, destroying their livelihood and making it virtually impossible to return."
Field Team Compiles Indicators of Genocide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 23, 2004
A Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) field team, recently back from the
Chad/Sudan border where they took eyewitness accounts of systematic
killings, rapes and destroyed villages, calls for an international
intervention necessary to save lives and reverse injustices labeled by PHR
as indicators of genocide. In his endorsement of PHR's report, Justice
Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Tribunals for
Rwanda and Yugoslavia said,
"After all we know and have learned from the last decade's genocides and
mass atrocities. We owe it to the victims of Darfur and potential victims
to do everything we can to prevent and account for what PHR's report
establishes is genocide and reverse the intolerable acts of forcing entire
populations from their land, destroying their livelihood and making it
virtually impossible to return."
Through testimonies by victims and eyewitnesses in Chad and Darfur, PHR
has developed a list of indicators of genocide outlined and supported with
testimonies in the document that show an organized intent to affect group
annihilation in Darfur, Sudan that include: 1) consistent pattern of
attacks on villages, 2) consistent pattern of destruction of villages, 3)
consistent pattern of destruction of livelihoods and means of survival, 4)
consistent pattern of hot pursuit with intent to eradicate villagers, 5)
consistent pattern of targeting non-Arabs and 6) consistent pattern of
systematic rape of women.
In addition to calling for a UN-backed resolution that supports a robust
intervention to prevent and punish the crime of genocide, the PHR report,
which is attached, includes specific recommendations directed to the
Government of Sudan, the United Nations, the European Union, the African
Union, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the
United States.
The full report, photographs, audio and video footage of the PHR
investigation can be found at http://www.phrusa.org/research/sudan/
Contact: John Heffernan, 202 728 5335 ext 304; 617 413 6407 cell;
[email protected]
Contact: Cathy Fitzpatrick, UN Representative, 212-213-3964,
[email protected]