14 Arrested Resisting Torture & Assasination Training at SOA, Ft. Benning, USA

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report Monday November 19, 2007 07:38 by SOAW

In the early hours of Nov.16th. 1989, El Salvadoran graduates of the Scool of the Americas, Ft. Benning Georgia assasinated 6 Jesuits and 2 Salvadoran women co-workers at the San Salvador university. These were a few of tens of thousands of Latin Americans killed by graduates of the SOA. Thier anniversary has become a time for nonviolent resistance to close the SOA.

Sunday Nov. 18 - While 18,000 thousand people commemorated the martyrs in a solemn funeral procession at the main gate, 10 SOA Watch activists entered the Fort Benning military base through a side entrance in an attempt to carry the protest to the site of the SOA/WHINSEC:

Le Ann Clausen, Diane Lopez Hughes, Stephen Schweitzer, Gus Roddy, Ozone Bhaguan, Arthur Landis, Chris Lieberman, Michelle Yipe, Ed Lewinson, and Joan Anderson were arrested by military police. Teil Rainelli, of Los Angeles, CA climbed the barbed wire fence at the main gate of Fort Benning during the funeral procession, raising the number of arrested to 11.

Three more SOA Watch activists face charges from the city for refusing to relinquish crosses at the vigil site whose size exceeded Columbus police regulations.