AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
PRESS RELEASE

September 19, 2007

Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), released the following statement about the September 20 rally of support for the 'Jena Six' in Jena, Louisiana:

On the eve of a mass rally for the 'Jena Six,' Amnesty International renews its call for the United States government to promptly remedy any injustices in the case of six black students who were allegedly involved in the assault of a white student. The organization remains concerned that charges filed against the students reflect a pattern of unequal treatment of black youth in the town.

The circumstances that have compelled thousands to gather in Jena prove the U.S. is still light years away from true racial equality. While violence by any party cannot be condoned, neither can a 'whites only' tree nor the nooses that hung from its branches after one black student challenged the status quo. That tree may have been cut down, but the legacy of racism rages on. Authorities must ensure that such discrimination does not taint the justice system at any level.

If the United States wants to consider itself a beacon for human rights, it must live up to its international obligations, including its commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as its own domestic laws. It is time for the Justice Department to investigate allegations of civil rights violations against the Jena Six, and demonstrate that Jim Crow will not be tolerated in 2007.

Contact: Wende Gozan at 212/633-4247 or Laura Moye at 404/876-5661, *812

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