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Amadou Diallo Foundation to Hold Press Conference to
The Amadou Diallo Foundation will hold a press conference on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, to denounce the violence that occurred in Conakry, Guinea on September 28, 2009. The Foundation will issue a statement calling on the International Criminal Court to make a status report on the investigation of the alleged illegal acts and to call upon people of good will to make donations to the victims of the reported violence. AMADOU DIALLO FOUNDATION, INC. Statement of Amadou Diallo Foundation, Inc. Ten years after the story of Amadou Diallo stirred people around the world to the cause of racial injustice, the Amadou Diallo Foundation continues to promote racial equality and enhance community-police relations. As an organization concerned about the struggles of peaceful communities confronted with violence by those who wield power, the Foundation is shocked and appalled over the savage assault perpetrated by the military junta of Conakry, Guinea upon its own people, and stands with the rest of the international community in condemning the attacks. Last December, the military seized power in a coup led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara. Political tensions have since escalated, as Capt. Camara broke his pledge not to run in the nation’s presidential elections, scheduled for next January. On September 28, 2009, as protestors peacefully gathered in a stadium in the nation’s capital to protest Captain Moussa Dadis Camara’s decision, soldiers trained their guns upon the crowd, killing over 150 civilians 1, raping dozens of innocent women 2, and injuring over 1,200 others. 3 The killings, rapes, and injuries constitute nothing short of a barbaric massacre of fellow Guineans, perpetrated by a military regime. The Guinean military is now under investigation by the International Criminal Court for the attacks. 4 The attacks have not only outraged many millions around the world, but also have left many New Yorkers to grieve over the loss of loved ones. Guinea, once home to Amadou Diallo, now partners with the United States in carrying out the mission of the Amadou Diallo Foundation. One month after the brutal military rampage, many questions remain as to what happened on September 28 and who should be held accountable. Also, many lie wounded in the main hospital of Conakry in dire need of aid. 5 The current situation in Conakry rings of stark injustice, and the Amadou Diallo Foundation calls upon the International Criminal Court to fully investigate what happened on September 28, 2009 in Conakry and make a status report on their investigation, and to prosecute to the full extent of the law any and all persons who engaged in illegal activity. We also call upon the good will of people in the metropolitan area and around the United States to consider making donations in order to send much-needed aid to both the victims of the attacks and their families. Interested persons may contribute online to the relief work by visiting the websites of: Doctors Without Borders in Guinea: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3979&cat=field-news International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: http://www.ifrc.org/where/country/cn6.asp?countryid=77 Kadiatou Diallo, President Hon. David Dinkins, Chair Norman Siegel, Treasurer 1 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/world/africa/07guinea.html?scp=5&sq=Guinea
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