SOA Watch: Close the School of the Americas

Nov 16-18, 2012: Vigil at Ft. Benning

November 16-18, 2012: Converge on Fort Benning, Georgia

June 20-28: Ecuador Delegation

Correa In 2008, Roy Bourgeois and Lisa met with President Rafael Correa who said he would consider withdrawing Ecuadorian troops from the School of the Americas/WHINSEC after he finished closing the Manta base to the U.S. navy. He accomplished the first historic goal in 2009, pushing a US military presence away from the South American Pacific coast, but never took the second step of withdrawal from the SOA.

Join SOA Watch and the Marin Task Force on the Americas for an amazing delegation to Ecuador to learn about social movements in that country and urge President Correa to pull Ecuadoran troops from the SOA/WHINSEC!

Price of delegation reduced to $1,200! Sign up today!

Check out more photos of the march and action!

The 13 were released over 6 hours later and ironically charged with "blocking passage". Read their statements here.

Inside Congress, students, teachers, labor leaders and activists pressed their Representatives to cosponsor HR3368, the bill to suspend and investigate the SOA/WHINSEC. Amplify the voices of those who are meeting with their Members of Congress today, by calling your Representative's office in Washington, DC. Just call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard (the phone number is (202) 224-3121), provide the zip code of the place where you live, and the operator will connect you to your Representatives' office. Click here for a call script.

The weekend's conference, strategy sessions and concert brought organizers together around issues of de-militarization, joining the thousands in Cartagena, Colombia, who attended the People's Summit of the Americas.

We will not be silenced. Despite police censorship of our message, the movement to close the SOA/WHINSEC will continue to demand a closure of the School of Assassins and an end to militarization. Our efforts are fueled with the knowledge that we will prevail!

Check out more photos of the march and action!

Desde el Sur

SOA Watch activantes Marlín Rodríguez and Amanda Jordan prepared a short video piece from Chile which was aired to conference and strategy session participants.

Guatemala, Ríos Montt and the SOA

Tuesday, 13 March 2012 19:24
By: Nick Alexandrov Three decades after José Efraín Ríos Montt finished his coursework at the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA)—where tens of thousands of Latin American soldiers have been trained in the art of violent repression; it was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in 2001—he seized power in Guatemala, and then ripped its social fabric to shreds. “During the 14 months of Ríos Montt’s rule, an estimated 70,000 unarmed civilians were killed or ‘disappeared;’ hundreds of thousands were internally displaced,” according to Amnesty International. In the summer of 1982, he launched “Operation Sofia,” which destroyed 600 Mayan villages.
Read more...

Pentagon Secrecy: SOA Watch Takes the Government to Court

The Pentagon continues to shroud its infamous School of the Americas (renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) in secrecy, but calls for transparency and accountability are getting louder.

After six years of denied Freedom of Information Act requests, in February of 2012, SOA Watch took the US government to court over its refusal to hand over the names of students and instructors at the SOA/WHINSEC. This is one more strategy to expose the myth of “benevolent” US foreign policy and end US militarization in the hemisphere. We will not stop until they do!

Read the full article here.

View the official complaint lodged by SOA Watch.

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$20,000 Challenge

An anonymous supporter made a huge gift to SOA Watch! The gift came with a challenge to raise $20,000 to help fund the movement. Will you help us meet this tremendous challenge with a donation today?

Please click here to donate today and help us meet the challenge!

New DVD: Somos Una América

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Job Opening: SOA Watch Development and Operations Coordinator

SOA Watch has an opening for a full-time Operations and Development Coordinator in our Washington, DC office. We are looking for someone with a background dealing with finances, and with a strong commitment to the grassroots movement to close the SOA. People of color and women are encouraged to apply. If you are interested or if you can think of someone who would be great for this position, please see http://SOAW.org/work for the job description, requirements and for information on how to apply.

Tell Congress to Close the SOA/WHINSEC
Congress: Close the SOA