 Fr. Joseph Mulligsn, SJ, Prisoner of Conscience |
School of the Americas |
Jesuit Priest Enters Fifth Week of Fast in Jail
Fr. Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J., a Catholic Priest and member of the Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), begins the fifth week of his indefinite liquids-only fast.
Cincinnati, OH - On February 25 (Ash Wednesday), Fr. Joseph E. Mulligan, S.J., a Catholic Priest and member of the Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), begins the fifth week of his indefinite liquids-only fast after being transferred from the Muscogee County Jail, Columbus, Georgia, to the Harris County Jail, Hamilton, Georgia. On January 28, 2004, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail for trespassing onto Ft. Benning property last November 23 to demand the closing of the Army's School of the Americas (now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation), the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and a fundamental change of American foreign policy from unilateral aggression to multilateral cooperation. Approximately 10,000 people had participated in the legal demonstration outside the gates of Ft. Benning on November 22 and 23.
During the last week of January 27 th , Fr Joe Mulligan and 26 other human rights activists received sentences for trespassing ranging from probation to six months in prison plus fine. In their trials they had asserted that many graduates of SOA/WHINSEC returned to their Latin American countries to become assassins, torturers, and even dictators.
As he approached the start of his fifth week on the fast, Mulligan reported: “I have probably lost about ten pounds but am feeling OK. For those who want to express their solidarity, I would suggest that they urge their Members of Congress to vote for the closing of SOA/WHINSEC and to demand an end to the occupation of Iraq .”
Specifically he asks people to participate massively in the March 20 demonstrations against the occupation of Iraq , and in the March 27-30 “Spring Mobilization and Lobby Day” sponsored by the School of the Americas Watch.”
Fr. Mulligan's statement about his fast.
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