US Embassy Reverses Visa Denial and Information on AFGJ at the SOAW Vigil

The first half of the following was released by our friends at SOAW. We are thrilled to let you know that last week’s grassroots pressure campaign that followed the clearly political denial of the travel visa for Alejandro Ramirez by the U.S. embassy in Honduras has worked! Thanks so much to everyone who made phone calls and sent emails to make this happen.

The U.S. embassy granted Alejandro a second interview yesterday and approved his travel visa to attend the November vigil and speak from the stage at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia! If you haven’t made your travel plans yet, do so now and join Alejandro and thousands of social justice activists from across the Americas from November 19-21, 2010 (click here for the schedule of events.)

The other SOA Watch vigil speaker whose visa was denied, Gerardo Brenes (a former SOA graduate) was granted a second interview as well. His new interview is going to take place in 2 days. However, it is still an uphill battle, as Gerardo is prominent in the news in Costa Rica, opposing U.S. warships and marines, and works to pressure the Costa Rican government to stop sending police forces to be trained at the School of the Americas. Click here for more information and to take action.

AFGJ at the SOAW Vigil

Once again, the Alliance for Global Justice will have a significant presence at the School of the Americas protest this year. If you are going to be there, be sure and say hello. We’ll be involved in several events and will have a table at the protest site and at the internship fair. If you’d like to volunteer some time with us or are interested in interning, please drop us a line at: [email protected] .

AFGJ EVENTS:
Thursday, Nov. 18th, 1-7:30pm, Quality Inn (1325 Veterans Parkway): ORGANIZERS STRATEGY CONFERENCE ON US MILITARIZATION sponsored by the Latin America Solidarity Coalition, of which AFGJ is a founding member. AFGJ Board and Staff will be involved in several presentations and workshops for this event.

Friday, Nov. 19th, 11-1pm, Location not yet disclosed, SOUTH OF THE BORDER (Oliver Stone’s new film, co-authored by Mark Weisbrot), with Questions and Answers hosted by Dr. Lesley Gill and AFGJ’s Chuck Kaufman

Friday Nov. 19th, 12:30-2pm Latin America Solidarity Coalition presents: Building a Movement Against U.S. Militarism, CC 207

Saturday, Nov. 20th, 9:30-11pm The “New Penitentiary Culture”: How the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, USAID and the School of the Americas are Sowing Terror and Political Repression in Colombian Prisons, CC 208 Led by AFGJ’s James Jordan.

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