On January 26th, a Federal judge in Georgia convicted and sentenced Luis Barrios, Kristin Holm, Sr.
Diane Pinchot, OSU, Al Simmons and Theresa Cusimano to two months each in jail for carrying the protest against the School of the Americas onto the Fort Benning military base in Georgia. A sixth defendant, Louis Wolf, was sentenced to six months of house arrest.
Diane Pinchot, OSU, Al Simmons and Theresa Cusimano to two months each in jail for carrying the protest against the School of the Americas onto the Fort Benning military base in Georgia. A sixth defendant, Louis Wolf, was sentenced to six months of house arrest.Like Guantánamo, the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Georgia is associated with torture and crimes against humanity. While these crimes took place "on site" at Guantánamo, for over 25 years the School of the Americas has been a "training" facility, where military personnel from all over Latin America have been given instruction that they then put to use once returning to their respective countries. It has gained the nickname of the "School of Assassins" for the number of its graduates that have been linked to such crimes as the infamous killing of four nuns in El Salvador in the 1980’s.
Like Guantánamo, the School of the Americas needs to be closed and those who ran it put on trial as trainers for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Luis Barrios and all of the SOA Six are courageous fighters for justice! Join in demanding that their convictions and sentences be overturned. Join in demanding that the School of the Americas be closed. Go to www.soaw.org for more information.
Prof. Barrios is an Episcopal priest and professor at John Jay College and is on the Advisory Board of World Can’t Wait. Upon his sentencing, Professor Barrios was quoted in the Ledger-Enquirer, "Neither you nor your system will take away my dignity." Read his statement on the trial at http://wcw-nyc.blogspot.com/2009/02/statement-by-luis-barrios-concerning.html