[Peace] News-Gazette: Activists plan to confront Durbin today

[Robert Naiman]

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-09-10/activists-plan-confront-durbin-today.html

Activists plan to confront Durbin today
Sat, 09/10/2016 - 7:00am | Melissa Merli
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CHAMPAIGN — Champaign-Urbana activists will challenge U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
at the C-U Pride Parade today in Champaign over his failure to co-sign a
bipartisan U.S. House resolution disapproving the Obama administration's
proposed arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi arms deal is 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.

The activists who will urge Durbin to oppose the Saudi arms deal will meet
at 2:30 p.m. in the parade staging area in downtown Champaign. Durbin will
be the grand marshal of the parade, which begins at 3 p.m.

Just Foreign Policy recently supported a bipartisan letter signed by 64
U.S. representatives calling for the Saudi arms deal to be postponed so
Congress could fully consider it.

On Friday, the House voted unanimously — 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.

"Senator Durbin should apply the same principles to the Saudi arms deal of
the unanimous congressional votes to lift Saudi immunity from 9/11
lawsuits," said Robert Naiman, policy director of Just Foreign Policy.
"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."

When Durbin was in Champaign on Sept. 1, Naiman, of Urbana, gave him two
MoveOn petitions, with a total of 1,100 signatures of Illinois residents,
urging Durbin to co-sponsor the resolution disapproving the proposed
military sale to Saudi Arabia tanks and other major defense equipment.

Durbin promised Naiman he would consider doing so, Naiman said. The bill
was introduced Thursday, though, and Durbin's name wasn't on it.

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Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
(202) 448-2898 x1
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