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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial">MEDIA
ADVISORY FOR: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial">Saturday, September 10, 2016<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial">CONTACT: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial">Robert Naiman: 202-448-2898
x1; <a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:arial"><br>Saturday at 2:30pm: CU Residents Challenge Durbin to Oppose
Saudi Arms Deal at CU Pride Parade</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>Champaign, IL — </span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial">On Saturday,
September 10, Champaign-Urbana residents will challenge Illinois Senator Dick
Durbin at the CU Pride Parade in downtown Champaign to co-sponsor the recently
introduced <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/39">Murphy-Paul-Franken-Lee
resolution</a> to disapprove the Administration's proposed arms deal with Saudi
Arabia. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>As
the <i>News-Gazette</i> <a href="http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-09-09/durbin-lead-cu-pride-parade.html">reported
Friday</a>, Durbin will be the Grand Marshal of the parade. The parade begins
at 3pm; CU residents urging Durbin to oppose the Saudi arms deal will meet at
2:30 pm in the <a href="http://www.unitingpride.org/2016-pride-parade-">parade
staging area</a>. A Facebook event for the protest is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1780669032216699/">here</a>. <br>
<br>
On September 1, Urbana resident Robert Naiman of Just Foreign Policy delivered
1100 Illinois signatures on MoveOn petitions to Durbin at an event in Champaign
urging him to co-sponsor the bill. Durbin promised Naiman that he would
consider doing so. But when the bill was introduced on Thursday, <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/39/cosponsors">Durbin's
name wasn't on it</a>. <br>
<br>
The MoveOn petitions are online <a href="http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-block-transfer?r_by=1135580">here</a> and <a href="http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/senatordurbin-repduckworth?r_by=1135580">here</a>, with 686 and 414 Illinois signers as of
September 1, respectively.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>The
Saudi arms deal is also opposed by Oxfam America, Amnesty International, and
Human Rights Watch, on the grounds that the weapons are likely to be used to
target civilians in Yemen in violation of the Arms Control Export Act and
international humanitarian law. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>Just
Foreign Policy recently supported a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/60-lawmakers-seek-delay-billion-211716904.html">bipartisan letter</a> led by Rep. Ted Lieu
[D-CA], Rep. Ted Yoho [R-FL], Rep. John Conyers [D-MI], and Mick Mulvaney
[R-SC], calling for the Saudi arms deal to be postponed so Congress could fully
consider it. <a href="https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-lieu-leads-bipartisan-effort-postpone-arms-sale-saudi-arabia">64 Members of the House signed the letter</a>.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>On
Friday, the House <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/295157-house-unanimously-passes-bill-to-allow-9-11-lawsuits-against-saudi">voted
unanimously</a> - as the Senate had before it - to remove the immunity of Saudi
Arabia from lawsuits brought by family members of victims of the 9/11 attacks. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>Naiman
said: "Senator Durbin should apply the same principles of the unanimous
Congressional votes to lift Saudi immunity from 9/11 lawsuits to the Saudi arms
deal. Saudi Arabia should no longer be exempt from U.S. laws such as the
protections against the targeting of civilians in the Arms Control Export
Act." <br>
<br>
<b>WHAT: Protest urging Senator Durbin to co-sponsor the </b><b><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/39">Murphy-Paul-Franken-Lee
resolution</a> to block the Saudi arms deal.</b><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>WHERE:</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"> <a href="http://www.unitingpride.org/2016-pride-parade-">Parade Staging Area</a>,
CU Pride Parade, Downtown Champaign.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>WHEN:</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"> Saturday,
September 10, 2:30 p.m.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background-image:initial;background-size:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><br>For
more information about this action, please contact Robert Naiman
at 202-448-2898 x1 or <a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a>.</span></b><span style="font-size:9.5pt;font-family:arial"><span></span></span></p>
</div><div><br></div>===<div><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Robert Naiman<br>Policy Director<br>Just Foreign Policy<br><a href="http://www.justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><div><span style="text-align:left">(202) 448-2898 x1</span><br></div><div><span style="text-align:left"><br></span></div></div></div></div>
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