September 2000 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
|
newsarchive
|
|
September 2000 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
|
| back to September 2000 index |
|
|
Gabriel’s Witness.org exposes 'conflict diamond' horrors 14 September 2000
His New York based non profit organization Witness, which outfits activists with video equipment to capture human rights violations worldwide, produced The Diamond Life with the Guerilla News Network. It exposes the issue of so-called 'conflict diamonds' from the western African nation of Sierra Leone. The purchase of such diamonds—it’s virtually impossible to tell whether or not a diamond you buy has come from such conflict hot spots—may indirectly finance attrocities committed on civilians by militia units. The global diamond industry, to the extent that they permit such sales, profits from the bloodshed and horror. Some 65% of retail diamonds worldwide are purchased in the US. Since the start of Sierra Leone’s civil war in 1991 about half the country’s 4.5 million population has been left homeless. Thousands have been killed and millions have been maimed—a favorite method is to cut off fingers. Rebels use diamonds to finance their brutal operations. New streaming media site Neurotrash expects to provide the full film online in the near future. For now you can view the clip on Oddcast, which includes Gabriel’s narrated introduction in which he relates “In the past ten years the country of Sierra Leone has been ripped apart by rebels seeking to control the diamond mines... thousands [of innocent civilians] are left without limbs, living testimony to the horrors of a long and bloody struggle... Throughout all this the diamond industry did little to guarantee that the stones purchased abroad did not come from war torn conflict areas....” Yesterday Ohio representative Tony Hall, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, introduced the Carat Act (bill HR 3188) to the US Congress. The bill proposes import restrictions that would help block conflict diamonds from entering the US market. The Witness page on Oddcast includes an 'Act Now' section with a suggested letter to Congress, as well as contact info for key representatives and senators who should receive your thoughts on the bill should you choose to make your voice heard. We’ve reproduced that info on Rockbites for easier access. | Witness | | Oddcast - Diamond Life clip/Action | | Act Now letter to congress | | Neurotrash - Diamond Life film (coming soon) | | top of page | |
| back to September 2000 index |
|
|
click for Rockbites Home
|
|
|
Copyright © 1998 - 2001 M. Jason. All Rights Reserved. Rockbites is not for profit and supports human rights. “Rockbites” and “Alternative Daily” are service marks of Rockbites. All names are the property of their respective owners. Send your feedback or questions to feedback@rockbites.com Send your press releases to press@rockbites.com Rockbites Alternative Daily contact information |
|
