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Just weeks after a federal judge ruled
Illinois’ Act to End Atrocities and Terrorism in the Sudan
unconstitutional, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has introduced a bill to
lend federal support to divestment efforts on state and local levels. U.S. Distict Judge Matthew Kenneally, who issued the
Illinois ruling, did not close the door on future divestitures. Durbin’s legislation, the Sudan Divestment
Authorization Act of 2007, authorizes state and local governments to limit
their investments in any company with a “qualifying business
relationship . . . as an expression of opposition to the genocidal actions
and policies of the government of Sudan.”
Affected corporations include those owned by
Sudan’s government or are principally doing business there.
International nongovernmental, humanitarian, religious, educational, and
news organizations would be exempt. President George W. Bush and Congress have
acknowledged that genocide is taking place. Meanwhile, the United Nations
last year authorized the mobilization of 20,000 peacekeepers to the Darfur
region. But with the Khartoum government — believed to be sponsoring
the Arab militias carrying out the mass killings — adamantly opposed
to any such mission, the U.N. force has yet to be deployed to Sudan. Legislatures in more than 20 states are considering
or have already enacted some form of divestiture. William Reinsch, president of the National Foreign
Trade Council, which brought the suit against Illinois challenging its
Sudan-divestment law, told Illinois Times earlier this month that the trade group is holding
off taking action against other states until Illinois decides whether it
will appeal Kennelly’s ruling. U.S. Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Joe Lieberman,
I-Conn., Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have joined as
co-sponsors of Durbin’s legislation.
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Mar 15-21, 2007.
