Bill Advocates State Divestment from Sudan (Press Release)

Bill Advocates State Divestment from Sudan

American Anti-Slavery Group to testify at bill hearing on state divestment

BOSTON — On Thursday, November 17 there will be a legislative hearing on a senate bill advocating divestment of the state’s holdings in companies that conduct business in Sudan. Senate Bill 2166, Sudan Divestment Legislation, was first introduced in May by State Senator Andrea Nuciforo (D-Pittsfield).

The hearing is scheduled to take place at 10:00AM in room B1 of the Massachusetts State House. Liora Kasten, program director of the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG), will be testifying in favor of the bill and reading a statement on behalf of AASG associate and Sudanese slavery survivor Abuk Bak. AASG has worked several months to build awareness and support for Nuciforo’s bill. Almost a year ago they launched MassDivest.com, which encourages site visitors to sign a petition in favor of the bill.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an estimated $1.4 billion dollars invested in multinational corporations doing business with the government of Sudan. By revoking such financial support, the state would help prevent the Sudanese dictatorship from purchasing the weapons to continue a military campaign which both Congress and the State Department recognize as genocide. An estimated 500,000 black Africans have been murdered in the western Darfur region of Sudan in the past two years. The international community, however, has failed to take strong action to stop the genocide.

“The Commonwealth's pension fund should not, in any way, be supporting companies that are contributing to the genocide in Sudan,” remarked Nuciforo. If passed, the bill will make Massachusetts the fourth state to pass such legislation, following Illinois, New Jersey, and Oregon.

AASG is the nation’s first nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to abolishing global slavery founded since the Civil War. Partnering with survivors of slavery and a network of over 30,000 activists, AASG works to free the estimated 27 million people currently enslaved around the world.

Visit Massdivest.com or contact Diane Nguyen at 1-800-884-0719 for an interview.