[Two press releases below]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, December 4
Dana Balicki 202 422 8624
In Pakistan 0308-204-2346
US Activists Arrested at Gunpoint by Pakistani Security Forces
Forced to Leave the Country
U.S. human rights activists Medea Benjamin and Tighe Barry were arrested in Lahore, Pakistan at 8:30pm on Wednesday, December 4 after attending a student rally at the Lahore Press Club. Upon leaving the Club in the company of several journalists, the car they were driving in was pulled off the road. Armed policemen jumped out of cars and motorcycles and surrounded their car, guns drawn. They forced the driver and journalists out, beat passers-by who were looking at the scene, and hijacked the car with Benjamin and Barry inside. They raced recklessly through the crowded streets of Lahore, endangering the lives of those in the car and outside. They took the two activists to the Race Course Police Station. Benjamin was roughed up by a woman police officer who was given orders to take away their cell phone.
Benjamin and Barry were never charged with anything and no reason was given for their brutal arrest. After four hours, a representative of the US Embassy appeared. The activists were allowed to leave in his custody, but are being forced to leave the country on Wednesday.
"It was a terrifying experience,” says Benjamin. “I had no idea if we would get out of it dead or alive. If they do this to us, who have the protection of being US citizens, imagine what they do to their own citizens."
"It is so sad that peace activists would be treated like this,” says Barry. “We call on our government to condemn our abusive treatment and deportation. It is one more example of the dictatorial nature of Musharraf’s government and one more reason why the U.S. government should stop supporting him.”
Benjamin and Barry are members of the U.S. human rights group Global Exchange and the women's peace group CODEPINK. They arrived in Pakistan on November 25 to learn about and support Pakistani civil society. They have been meeting with lawyers, students, judges, journalists and political leaders. They also conducted a 24-hour vigil outside the home of prominent lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who is under house arrest. Through these activities, they have received tremendous support and appreciation from the Pakistani people, including a Letter of Thanks from the Lahore High Court Bar Association extending "heartfelt gratitude for showing solidarity with the legal community of Pakistan."
The activists leave Pakistan shaken by their treatment but inspired by the example of the Pakistani people struggling for democracy.
Benjamin and Barry will be arriving at New York’s JFK airport at 8am on Thursday and will be available for interviews.
- - - -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 4, 2007
3:09 PM
CONTACT: CODEPINK
Gael Murphy 202 412 6700
Dana Balicki 202 422 8624
UPDATE: US PEACE ACTIVISTS RELEASED
Earlier Today:US Human Rights Activists Detained by Pakistani Government Today
LAHORE, PAKISTAN - December 4 -
2:12 PM (EST)UPDATE: Medea Benjamin and Tighe Barry, US Human Rights activists have been released from ISI (Pakistani intelligence agencies) custody, they are safe though quite shaken up. The two have had their visas revoked and are being forcibly removed from the country on an early morning flight (in just a few hours Lahore time). They are available for comment/interview at 011 92 308 204 2346 for the next few hours.
The reason they are being given is that under emergency rule, protests are illegal, therefore Benjamin and Barry have been participating in illegal acts punishable by deportation. You can see more about the peace delegation, read Medea's blogs, view international news coverage and more at www.codepinkalert.org/pakistan
If you have trouble reaching them and are interested please call Dana Balicki at 646 723 1781 or Gael Murphy at 202 412 6700.
Thanks,
Dana Balicki
Media Coordinator
CODEPINK
2:12 PM (EST)UPDATE: Medea Benjamin and Tighe Barry have been released from ISI (intelligence agencies) custody. The two have agreed to leave the country as soon as possible.
PREVIOUSLY - 1:08 PM (EST) U.S. human rights activists Medea Benjamin and Tighe Barry were arrested by plain clothes police officers and are being held at Race Course Police Station in Lahore today. Benjamin and Barry were on their way from a student rally at the Lahore Press Club on Tuesday, December 4, when they were followed by police on motorcycles -as they tried to alert media they realized their phones were jammed. They returned to the Press Club to alert the media and call the US Embassy about the harassment, and made the statements below. It was as they left the Press Club the second time they were stopped outside the gates by six civilian "secret service" agents, guns drawn at the car. The driver was ordered out and the police confiscated the vehicle with Benjamin and Barry inside.
"It's a sad state of affairs when the Pakistani government—a government that is trying to portray itself to the West as democratic—tries to harass and deport U.S. human rights activists," say Benjamin. "If they do this to us, who have the protection of being US citizens, imagine what they do to their own citizens." "We will not be intimidated," says Barry. "We will continue our activities here in support of Pakistanis struggling for democracy, and we call on the Pakistani government to stop harassing us and respect our rights."
Benjamin and Barry are members of the U.S. human rights group Global Exchange and the women's peace group CODEPINK. They have been in Pakistan since November 25 on a mission to learn about and support Pakistani civil society. They have been meeting with lawyers, students, judges, journalists and political leaders. They also conducted a 24-hour vigil outside the home of prominent lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who is under house arrest. Through these activities, they have received tremendous support and appreciation from the Pakistani people. Today, they received a Letter of Thanks from the Lahore High Court Bar Association. The lawyer extended "heartfelt gratitude for showing solidarity with the legal community of Pakistan" and for helping to "boost the morale of the Pakistani lawyers in their just struggle for the restoration of the Constitution." They were told today they had to leave the country because their visas had expired. Both, however, have valid visas.
For more information on the delegation www.codepinkalert.org/pakistan
