Diane Lopez Hughes is back

I got an email from the School of the Americas Watch today that a lot of my readers will be interested in seeing. The pace of progressive activism in Springfield can return to normal now that Diane is back in town.

Diane Lopez Hughes Released
by SOA Watch

We are very happy to announce that Diane Lopez-Hughes, one of the SOAW 11, was released yesterday after serving 45 days in Muscogee County Jail for her nonviolent witness against the SOA/WHINSEC during the November 2007 Vigil.

Diane and the SOAW 11 were arrested on Sunday, November 18 after carrying the protest to close the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) onto the Fort Benning Military Reservation, publicly defying the laws which prevent political speech on military bases and making a bold call for justice and accountability.

The eleven appeared in federal court in Columbus on January 28, 2008 and received sentences that ranged from 30 to 90 days in federal prison. Diane chose to serve her sentence immediately. Most of the remaining SOAW 11 will be reporting to prison on April 3, 2008. The following text is a portion of her statement given to the court:

"As the daughter of a Guatemalan father, I am a member of an extended family that has experienced both sides of the conflict in that tortured country. In the late nineteenth century my grandfather was a general in the Guatemalan army. His mother was an indigenous woman. So my relatives have included those who have been repressed and those who have directly participated in the repression. And my own government trains Guatemalan soldiers in techniques that support the repression, disappearance and murder of their own citizens and those who would help them in their quest for a better life and just treatment. And I believe that the attitude that allows this practice is also responsible for our domestic and foreign policy that disrespects individuals and promotes injustice."

Read more about Diane Lopez-Hughes

Read more about the SOAW 11