Edenice Santana de Jesus was a member of the International Commission of Inquiry (ICI) and co-producer of the report "They Left Us Here to Die", which can be found in the resource section. On the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the founding of the Workers Party of Brazil (or PT, the party long identified with Lula), a rally was held on Friday, February 9 in Salvador (Bahia) to launch the Brazilian-wide campaign in support of the International Tribunal on Katrina. The event was sponsored by the National Secretariat of the PT’s Struggle Against Racism committee, among others.
Prior to the rally, the PT posted the following announcement on its national website www.pt.org.br
"Organizations launch Support for International Tribunal on Katrina this Coming Friday
"At 6:30 p.m. this coming Friday, February 8, the launching of the National Campaign in Support of the International Tribunal on Katrina will take place in Salvador (BA) in the auditorium of the SINDAE union federation, rua Conselheiro Spínola, 2, Barris.
"The goal of the Tribunal, according to its organizers, is to judge those responsible for the tragedy that occurred in August 2005 in New Orleans, in the United States.
"The Tribunal organizers seek to demonstrate the responsibility of the federal, state and municipal authorities in this tragic episode.
"The Tribunal will take place from August 28 to September 2, 2007 in New Orleans. The event is being sponsored by the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Committee (PHRF-OC) and the Black Activist Coalition on Katrina (BACK), among others. It is being supported by the International Liaison Committee and the Continuations Committee of the International Tribunal on Africa."
The speakers at the rally were as follows:
- Sonia Leite, National Executive Secretary, PT’s Struggle Against
Racism Campaign
- Edenice Santana de Jesus, Member of the Executive Board of the
Bahia State Committee of the CUT Trade Union Federation
- Markus Sokol, Representative of the National Directorate of the PT
- Arnaldo Fernandez, General Secretary, FNITST (National Federation
of Rail Workers, CUT)
- Valda França, Regional Secretary, UNEGRO/ ABRUPS (Black People’s
Coalition in Bahia)
- Rafael Bastos, Dean, Federal University of Bahia
- Nilson Viana Cesário, Member of the State Executive Committee of
the PT, Rio de Janeiro, and leader of the Oil Workers Union
The meeting voted to launch a campaign across Brazil with the following objectives:
1. To secure the endorsement of all PT and CUT affiliates and all mass organizations in Brazil for the International Tribunal .
2. To send representatives to serve as observers of the International Tribunal.
3. To issue press statements in support of the International Tribunal.
4. To organize teach-ins and other educational events to highlight the charges of the International Tribunal.
5. To help the Tribunal Planning Commission raise funds in support of the Tribunal and its work, with all funds to be sent to the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund at 1418 N. Claiborne Ave. #2 New Orleans, LA 70116 — and with all checks made payable to PHRF, earmarked "International Tribunal".
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