Saturday, November 18, 2006
SOA WATCHClose the School of the Americas, 11/17-19, Fort Benning GA; honor the memory of those who have died at the hands of SOA graduates.
There are scheduled events all weekend leading to Sunday, for the Memorial Service and Solemn Funeral Procession, followed by Nonviolent Direct Action, Puppets and Festival of Resistance at the gates of Fort Benning!
What exactly is the SOA?
SOA, or School of the Americas, is a school located at Ft Benning, GA, that trains assassins. On September 20, 1996, under intense public pressure, the Pentagon was forced to release training manuals that were used at the School of the Americas for years. These manuals advocated torture, extortion, blackmail and the targeting of civilian populations. A Washington Post article by Dana Priest broke the story.
The release of these manuals proved what SOA Watch, thousands of Latin Americans and numerous human rights organizations had been saying for years: that U.S. taxpayer money had been used for the teaching of torture and repression.
PEACEWORK Magazine is having Live Blogging
Argentine Torture Survivor Patricia Isasa Returns to Police Station Where She Was Imprisoned and Abused
Previously posted:
9/30/05
5/17/06
10/06/06
In 2004, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that Venezuela would no longer send soldiers to train at SOA. Earlier this year, the governments of Uruguay and Argentina followed suit.
