Jurhael
8th November 2001, 19:57
NEW YORK (November 8, 2001) - The American Anti-Slavery Group today announced that board member, Attorney Carey R. D'Avino, in conjunction with Attorney Stephen A. Whinston, has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Talisman Energy, Inc. of Canada. Talisman is a business partner of the radical Islamic regime in Sudan, which has been condemned by governments and human rights groups for genocide, forced starvation, and slavery.
D'Avino and Whinston have successfully sued German corporations on behalf of laborers enslaved by the Nazis. While those cases dealt with slave labor from half a century earlier, this lawsuit addresses crimes against humanity occurring today.
The Presbyterian Church of Sudan and three individuals are plaintiffs in a federal class action suit filed today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. They are charging Talisman with violations of international law for participating in the ethnic cleansing of black and non-Muslim minorities in southern Sudan.
The Rev. John Sudan Gaduel, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, says "Talisman is on the front lines of human rights abuses in southern Sudan and it is time they are held accountable for their role in the brutal 'jihad' that is killing my people."
The complaint alleges that Talisman, in an effort to protect its oil fields in Sudan, aided and abetted the fundamentalist Islamic government in its ongoing and self-proclaimed 'jihad' - a campaign that has resulted: in massive civilian displacement; the burning of villages, churches and crops; and the murder and enslavement of innocent civilians. The complaint contends that Talisman willfully and knowingly allowed the Sudanese government to use company roads and airfields to wage this campaign.
Dr. Charles Jacobs, President of the American Anti-Slavery Group, commented: "Today's suit employs a new weapon - the courts of justice - in our campaign to stop slavery and slaughter by Sudan's ruling terrorist regime." In July of 1999, Jacobs's organization launched a divestment campaign against Talisman, prompting funds like TIAA-CREF, CALPERS, and the State of New York to sell their stake in Talisman.
D'Avino and Whinston have successfully sued German corporations on behalf of laborers enslaved by the Nazis. While those cases dealt with slave labor from half a century earlier, this lawsuit addresses crimes against humanity occurring today.
The Presbyterian Church of Sudan and three individuals are plaintiffs in a federal class action suit filed today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. They are charging Talisman with violations of international law for participating in the ethnic cleansing of black and non-Muslim minorities in southern Sudan.
The Rev. John Sudan Gaduel, Pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, says "Talisman is on the front lines of human rights abuses in southern Sudan and it is time they are held accountable for their role in the brutal 'jihad' that is killing my people."
The complaint alleges that Talisman, in an effort to protect its oil fields in Sudan, aided and abetted the fundamentalist Islamic government in its ongoing and self-proclaimed 'jihad' - a campaign that has resulted: in massive civilian displacement; the burning of villages, churches and crops; and the murder and enslavement of innocent civilians. The complaint contends that Talisman willfully and knowingly allowed the Sudanese government to use company roads and airfields to wage this campaign.
Dr. Charles Jacobs, President of the American Anti-Slavery Group, commented: "Today's suit employs a new weapon - the courts of justice - in our campaign to stop slavery and slaughter by Sudan's ruling terrorist regime." In July of 1999, Jacobs's organization launched a divestment campaign against Talisman, prompting funds like TIAA-CREF, CALPERS, and the State of New York to sell their stake in Talisman.