Swedes Protest Iran's Executions

Based on the photos posted at the web site for Sweden's gay rights group RFSL - Riksförbundet För Sexuellt Likaberättigande , I believe a protest was held in Stockholm last week to protest Iran's public hanging of two teenagers, who may have been gay.

If someone who knows Swedish can translate this article into English, I'd really appreciate it and will post the translation on my blog.
^^^


August 5, 2005

Protest hölls mot avvisningar till Iran

RFSL höll under fredagen, i samarbete med Iranska Flyktingars Riksförening, ett protestmöte på Medborgarplatsen i Stockholm till stöd för asyl åt iranska hbt-flyktingar. Migrationsverket meddelar samtidigt att man tills vidare, efter avrättningarna den 19 juli av två unga män som kan ha skett endast på grund av att de haft sex med varandra, skjuter upp alla avvisningar av hbt-flyktingar till Iran. Detta i avvaktan på att en ny utvärdering görs av situationen för hbt-personer där.


– Vi är här för att visa vår ilska och avsky mot den svenska regeringen som vägrar tro på Farnosh och andra drabbade hbt-personer, förklarade RFSL:s vice förbundsordförande Therese Hulthén i sitt tal under protestmötet.

– Sveriges regering väljer tyvärr att stå fast i sin uppfattning om att hbt-personer i Iran inte löper risk för förföljelse, trakasserier eller dödsstraff, fortsatte hon och krävde ett omedelbart stopp för alla avvisningar av hbt-flyktingar till Iran.

Hon läste även upp en hälsning från Farnosh Danehkar, som fått flera avslag på ansökan om asyl och nu gömmer sig i Sverige. I Iran dömdes Farnosh 2001, 17 år gammal, till 99 piskrapp för ”förbjuden relation och ett sådant uppförande som strider emot anständigheten”. Brottet bestod i att hon på en badstrand kysst en ett år yngre tjej. Kort efter händelsen kom hon till Sverige som asylsökande. Hon beviljades dock inget uppehållstillstånd och sedan har Utlänningsnämnden avslagit flera nya ansökningar, då man menar att Farnosh inte löper risk att drabbas av förföljelse om hon återvänder till Iran.

Under fredagen meddelade Migrationsverket att man för närvarande inte kommer försöka genomföra några avvisningar av iranska hbt-flyktingar.

– Vi har tills vidare uppskjutit avvisningen av homosexuella till Iran på grund av en avrättning för ett par veckor sedan som vi vill utreda vidare, säger Alicia Bengtsson, informatör på Migrationsverket, till Stockholm City.

Migrationsminister Barbro Holmberg (s) meddalar i ett samlat svar på frågor från flera riksdagsledamöter om utvisningar av iranska hbt-personer att Migrationsverket och Utlänningsnämnden ”nu även har information om de aktuella avrättningarna, vilken kan beaktas framöver i prövningen av asylärenden”. Hon framhåller att det finns en rätt för asylsökande "att få stanna i Sverige om de känner välgrundad fruktan för förföljelse på grund av kön eller sexuell läggning”.

Stig-Åke Petersson, som i många år för RFSL:s räkning agerat som ombud åt asylsökande, tror dock inte att regeringen är särskilt intresserad av att se till att Migrationsverket och Utlänningsnämnden efterlever lagstiftningen och beviljar asyl åt skyddsbehövande hbt-personer från Iran och andra länder.

– Man kommer att ligga lågt ett tag och vänta på att stormen bedarrar, sedan kommer man fortsätta med avvisningarna, befarar han.

Urgent Plea to Human Rights Campaign & DC Gays

You are desperately needed on August 11 at the Iranian interests section office in Washington to condemn Iran's July public hanging of two teenagers.

Protests in Dublin, London, Montpilier, Paris and San Francisco will demand an end to the death penalty and single out Iran's state-sanctioned killing machine.

I beg of you, in the name of the gays worldwide who can't speak out for abolishing the death penalty and antigay human rights abuses, especially those in Iran, stage a news conference and picket line on August 11 at the only location in Washington that officially represents the Iranian government.

Add Washington to the list of cities around the world that on August 11 will participate in deploring the death penalty and demanding protections of gay people across the planet.

Please.
^^^

Read more about where to protest in Washington on August 11 at this Daily Kos diary. The diary was started by Mike Meyer.

[snip]
Obviously, these murders have caused Iran embarrassment. As I did in my earlier diary, I plead for action.

Being horrified is not enough. These boys are calling to you, begging for you to do something that redresses this injustice. Let these boys not become just two more kids who trudged to their deaths quaking before forces too powerful to be resisted but altogether doomed from the start to be forgotten, ignored like so much sand on a desert wind.

As they cry out to me, so also do they cry out to you.

As I said in my original diary on this subject, the Interest Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the United States has a web site. They provide requests@daftar.org as an e-mail address.

You can write and fax:

Iranian Representative
Interest Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran
2209 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007

Tel: (202) 965-4990
Fax: (202) 965-1073

You may write, telephone, or fax the Iranian ambassador in Canada:

Ambassador Seyed Mouhammad Ali Moosavi, Embassy of Iran, 245 Metcalfe St., Ottawa, Ontario .K2P 2K2 Canada Telephone (OO1-613- 235-4726, 233-4726; Fax, 233-5712.

In addition, you may report your concerns about the horror visited on Mahmoud and Ayaz to:

The Bureau of Human Rights
Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
Phone: (202) 647-1442.

Doug Ireland: Update on Iran's Hanging of Teenagers

One of the first, and most comprehensive, reports on Iran's public hanging of two teenagers who may have been gay came from veteran leftist gay journalist Doug Ireland. He's written an update on the case and provides full information and links to the August 11 global day of protest over Iran's executions. Cruise on over to Ireland's site for the latest details. And participate in calling attention to abolishing the death penalty and condemning Iran's death machine.

S.F. Gays Join Aug. 11 Global Protest Against Iran's Killing of Teenagers

For Immediate Release
August 9, 2005
Contact: Michael Petrelis, mpetrelis@aol.com
Ph: 415-621-6267

(San Francisco, CA) - A protest will be held in San Francisco to condemn Iran's recent public hanging of two teenagers, who may have been gay. The action is part of a worldwide day of action focusing attention on Iran's barbaric capitol punishment laws and executions.

WHO: Gays Against Executions

WHAT: Press Conference and Protest

WHERE: Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market Streets

DATE: August 11

TIME: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

The Mayor of San Francisco and members of the Board of Supervisors have been invited to speak at the press conference.

Gays who support abolishing capitol punishment and Iran's executions of teenagers, regardless of their "crimes" or sexual orientations, will be holding similar actions in Dublin, London, Montpelier and Paris.

One of the San Francisco organizers, Michael Petrelis, said the following information from OutRage!, the UK-based gay human rights pressure group, must be widely known throughout the U.S. gay community:

The two Iranian teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari (16) and Ayaz Marhoni (18) were hanged in Edalat (Justice) Square in the city of Mashhad on July 19, 2005. Some reports say they were hanged for gay sex. The Iranian government claims they were hanged for the rape of a 13 year old boy.

Fact: Iran executes lesbians and gays. The Iranian government has executed an estimated 4,000 LGBT people since 1979. In these circumstances, we are not prepared to give the violently homophobic Iranian government the benefit of the doubt. It has previously lied to justify public executions, noted OutRage!.

Petrelis said, "Gays must take two public stands: oppose capitol punishment as human rights activists and hold all governments accountable for their antigay human rights abuses."

HHS Reviews Audit Request for S.F. AIDS Stats

The following letter arrived from Washington in today's snail mail and while it's not about HHS agreeing to my request last month that federal auditors verify San Francisco's AIDS statistics, the letter nonetheless represents a step forward because HHS has sent my concerns along its chain of command.

We'll just have to wait and see if HHS understands the importance of determining the validity of the AIDS caseload in San Francisco, before the Ryan White CARE Act is reauthorized by Congress in the fall.
^^^


August 4, 2005

Dear Mr. Petrelis:

This is in response to your email of July 11, 2005, in which you requested that the Department of Health and Human Service, Office of Inspector General, review your concerns regarding potential irregularities in the San Francisco Department of Public Health's reporting of HIV/AIDS statistics.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

We are forwarding your concerns to the appropriate program office for consideration.

Sincerely,
Donald L. Dille
Assistant Inspector General for Audit Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Inspector General
Washington, DC 20201

State Dept Denies Gay Blogger Press Credentials

Sean McCormack
Deputy Secretary
Press and Public Affairs
State Department
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. McCormack:

Please be informed that this letter serves as my formal request for an appeal of the State Department's press office decision denying me credentials, as a blogger, to attend your daily press briefings.

Considering the White House press office in March began granting daily press passes to bloggers, I think State should forthwith follow the example of allowing bloggers access to media briefings. If bloggers qualify as journalists worthy of admission by the White House into press briefings, why should State have a different standard on this matter?

As I said in my original request to your office for press credentials, I am a political writer and blogger who will be in Washington later this month and would like to attend State's press briefings while in town.

But Ms. Leslie M. Phillips, one of your associates, left a voice mail message for me on August 4, in which she said the public affairs office will not grant me press credentials because bloggers are not considered by State as part of the mainstream media.

This is the transcript of Ms. Phillips' message:

"Hi Michael. This is Leslie at the State Department press office.

"I want you to know I looked into your question and right now our policy is that the general public cannot attend press briefings, and we consider bloggers to be still in the public realm, not being an employee of a mainstream news organization.

"So unfortunately you're not going to be able to come in to attend the briefings.

"Of course, you're welcome to get the transcripts and view them on our web site when they're completed.

"If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call and we can discuss further, but that is the current policy. 202-647-2494. Thank you."

I'm the sole employee of my blog, which, granted, is not mainstream in the traditional definition, but I nonetheless report news of interest to readers both in the U.S. and abroad. Therefore, I feel entitled to be treated in the same manner as other journalists with a foreign beat.

In this day and age of bloggers covering politics, federal agencies and scores of social matters, and in effect providing news and analysis all too often overlooked by mainstream media outlets, I believe it's time for State to reconsider its rules governing who gets to attend daily press briefings.

Please reverse the decision prohibiting me from attending State's daily press briefings while I'm in Washington.

Again, I request a daily press pass to get into your briefings with reporters, as a veteran blogger covering matters related to U.S. foreign policy and gays.

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis

^^^

[Original request for State Department press credentials.]

August 3, 2005

State Department
Office of Press Relations
2201 C Street, NW
Room 2109
Washington, DC 20520-6180

Re: Press Credentials Requested

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am an independent political writer with a blog and I write today to request press credentials so I can attend State Department press briefings.

You can visit my blog at http://mpetrelis.blogspot.com to verify my status as a political writer and blogger.

I will be in Washington later this month and will need a daily press pass in order to attend State Department briefings on the following dates: August 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31 and September 1.

Please advise me on how to obtain the proper press credentials for these dates, before I depart from San Francisco.

If you have any questions about my request, please call me at 415-621-6267. You can also email me at mpetrelis@aol.com.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this request.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis

Beyond Iran: Gays, Human Rights and the State Department

On a daily basis, antigay human rights abuses occur around the globe, and I believe the first way to combat the abuses is to have them documented by the U.S. State Department and included in its annual report on countries adhering to human rights treaties.

In April 1991, after I had learned that the most recent State human rights report included only a single gay-specific citation, I arranged a meeting at State with the analyst responsible for the actual writing of the report. He promised, on behalf of State, to include antigay violations, provided he received verifiable documentation from non-government agencies, U.S. embassies and human rights activists. (See Rex Wockner's story below.)

Fourteen years later, the 2004 yearly report positively bulges with references to homophobic violence and legislative prejudices in at least twenty countries. From Albania to Zimbabwe, we were bashed, brutalized and denied basic civil rights, according to the U.S. government, something that should receive more concern from U.S. gays. (Source: May 31 blog post.)

When the latest report was issued back in February, as it is every year at that time, not one gay rights organization called attention to what was in the report. Here we had _our_ State department presenting evidence about the abuses suffered by gays beyond U.S. borders, and we didn't insist our groups make damn good use of the report to help our foreign brothers and sisters.

The question now, for me, is what will I do before the December 2005 State deadline for submission of records, news stories and other files about all human rights abuses abroad, to be considered for inclusion in next year's annual report?

A few answers come to mind.

1.
I will send all available information on each country's mistreatment of gays to the two people who will write the 2005 report. Here are their names and ways to you can also contact them.

Nadia Tongour, Director, Human Rights Report
Email: tongournj@state.gov
Phone: (202) 261-8024

LeRoy Potts, Deputy Director, Human Rights Report
Email: pottslg@state.gov
Phone: 202-261-8025

Postal:
State Department
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Please make sure when writing to either Tongour or Potts to put the name of the country in your subject or re: line to assist them in routing your letter and documentation to the proper regional desk.

2.
Throughout the year, I'll bring certain country's homophobic violations to the attention of the State analyst charged with monitoring that nation's human practices and principles.

If you also want to reach a country desk at State, go to this page on the agency's web site, Country Desks at State, then click on the letter for the country in question. You'll be linked to that letter's list of nations, along with the phone number. Call that number and inform the analyst of the antigay abuse, and be ready to provide State with news articles and other documentation.

3.
If an incident in a particular country concerns me, I will call the press office at State and speak with the media liaison for that country and ask what comments or statements the department has to offer about the given situation.

Of course, when possible and if deemed necessary by me, I'll post State's remarks on my blog.

The number for State's media center is (202) 647-2492.

Should you also have a blog, why not get in the habit of calling State for a comment when abuses of gays in other countries makes the news, and posting State's remarks on your blog?

In my heart, I hope that these activities will go a long way to help State prepare and issue the most comprehensive annual human rights report next year, one that's extremely inclusive of antigay violations.

And should you also be made aware of some trouble one of our gay brothers or sisters suffers somewhere around the globe, please share your evidence and concerns with State by using the contact information above.

As we move beyond Iran and its public hanging in July of two male teenagers who might have been gay, let's use the existing mechanisms of our State Department to document and combat abuses of gay people in foreign lands.

^^^

In a message dated 7/29/2005 7:00:36 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, wockner@panix.com writes:

STATE DEPARTMENT AGREES TO TRACK ABUSES OF GAYS
by Rex Wockner
http://wockner.com

[story filed April 10, 1991]

The man who writes the State Department's report on human-rights abuses around the world has agreed to include antigay incidents if activists worldwide provide confirmable information.

The agreement by Tom Williams, director of the Country Human Rights Reports Team, came at an April 9 meeting with three Washington activists -- Michael Petrelis of ACT UP, Margaret Cantrell of Gay and Lesbian Watch, and Barrett Brick of the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations.

Activists presented Williams with 14 months of Outlines, a Chicago gay/lesbian newspaper with extensive coverage of international news, to document the extent of gay/lesbian human-rights abuses around the globe.

"The only mention of gays and lesbians in the 1990 report was a paragraph on Denmark's legalization of gay marriage," Petrelis said. "I want them to improve this report as it relates to gay and AIDS issues.

"Williams was very receptive," Petrelis said. "He listened intently and told us what to do to get this information included in the report."

Petrelis initially encountered opposition before locating Williams. "The undersecretary for the division told me the report could not include gays and lesbians without a Congressional mandate," Petrelis said.

But Williams said antigay incidents merely need to fit into existing categories approved by Congress, such as disappearance, torture and arbitrary arrest.

During the meeting, the three activists highlighted the reported mass executions of gays in Iran, the extended police and judicial harassment of the Comunidad Homosexual Argentina, and the reported murders of transvestites and gays by Maoist guerrillas in Peru.

"I really feel we're going to get somewhere," Petrelis said, "if activists around the world provide the information."

Reports should be filed with the political counselor at the U.S. embassy in the nation where the antigay incident takes place and carbon-copied to Williams and the Washington "desk officer" for that particular country.

The address is Bureau of Human Rights, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520. Phone: (202) 647-1442.

The paragraph on Denmark in the "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1990" reads: "In 1989, Denmark became the first nation ever to grant homosexual partnerships a legal standing and to give homosexual partners most the same legal rights as heterosexuals. The first case involving a 1987 law prohibiting discrimination due to sexual orientation was tried in 1990. In this case, the author of a published letter to a daily newspaper was charged with 'inciting racism or hatred' after she wrote that homosexuals deserve AIDS and cited the Bible for terming homosexuality immoral. Though vigorously prosecuted, she was acquitted."

-end-

Three US Reps Ask Rice to Investigate Iran's Gay Killings

From: Daniel.McGlinchey@mail.house.gov
Daniel McGlinchey
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
202-225-3548

July 29, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice,

We write to express our concerns over the recent execution of two gay teenagers in northeastern Iran. The exact details of the case remain unclear, and because the conflicting reports about the nature of the charges against the two boys make it difficult to react appropriately, we urge the State Department to do everything it can to clarify the circumstances of this case.

Initial reports were that the 16-year-old and 18-year-old boys -- who prior to being hanged in public, were held in prison for 14 months and severely beaten with lashes -- were punished for homosexual activity with each other. In other reports, the Iranian authorities claim the teenagers were accused of raping a 13-year-old boy. Some human rights groups suspect that this charge may have been trumped up as an excuse for the brutal treatment of gay people and to undermine public sympathy for the boys.

Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi last week condemned the hanging of two teenagers, and as you may know, there is already worldwide reaction and protests by the international community and human rights groups.

We know that the Administration rightly does not accept without skepticism statements made by the Iranian regime, so we hope you will apply the appropriate degree of scrutiny in this case. Specifically, we urge the Department of State to take the following actions:

-- Investigate and clarify the facts surrounding the execution of Mohammad Askari and Ayad Marhuni, including whether the charges and the conviction were due to their homosexuality, and if they were, issue a strong condemnation of this brutal killing;

-- Condemn Iran for its national policy of persecution of its citizens based on sexual orientation, and urge the new president to initiate criminal justice reforms; and

-- Remind Iran to uphold its legal obligations under international treaties it is a party to, as well as those arising from customary international law, regarding the protection of minors, international legal standards, torture, and inhumane treatment and punishment.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
/s Rep. Jan Schakowsky
/s Rep. Barney Frank
/s Rep.Tom Lantos

Qatari Prince Banned from UK Gay Club

So says the Al Jazeera magazine

Rep. Frank's Nigeria Protest Letter Omits State Dept Citation

Steven Adamske
c/o Rep. Barney Frank
U.S. Congress

Dear Mr. Adamske:

Please convey my gratitude to Congressman Frank for the letter to the president of Nigeria protesting the terrible death sentence recently handed down in Nigeria against a man convicted of sodomy.

In your release about the twenty-two representatives signing the letter of protest, you state, "The State Department's 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices describes Nigeria's human rights record as 'poor,' and claims that the Government 'continued to commit serious abuses.' It also describes Nigeria's judicial system as often 'incapable of providing criminal suspects with fair trials.'"

While I am pleased you cite the U.S. State Department's human rights report's chapter on Nigeria and its judicial system, I am disappointed the following reference from the report was not mentioned in your release.

"Homosexuality is illegal under federal law; homosexual practices are punishable by prison sentences of up to 14 years. In the 12 northern states that have adopted Shari'a, adults convicted of having engaged in homosexual intercourse are subject to execution by stoning, although no such sentences have been imposed," noted the State Department report for 2004. (Source: U.S. State Dept, Nigeria chapter)

I ask that you amend your news release to include the above citation because it provides a larger context about the laws in Nigeria pertaining to gays, a context that more people should be aware of.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
^^^


In a message dated 8/1/2005 11:30:04 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, wockner@panix.com writes:
NEWS
Barney Frank
Washington Office
2252 Rayburn Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5931
www.house.gov/frank

Congressman, 4th District, Massachusetts
For Immediate Release
Monday, August 1, 2005
Contact: Steve Adamske 202.225.7141
Daniel McGlinchey 202.225.3548


22 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS PROTEST SODOMY DEATH SENTENCE IN NIGERIA

A group of federal lawmakers who are leaders on international and human
rights issues today wrote to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to voice
strong concern over the recent case of a Nigerian man sentenced to death
by stoning for sodomy.

The 50-year-old man was accused of having sex with another man, arrested
and brought before a Shari'a or Islamic court. After being acquitted of
the charge for lack of evidence, the man admitted to the judge, when
asked, that he had had sex in the past with men. On that basis, he was
convicted and is now on death row awaiting execution by stoning.

The letter was signed by 22 House Democrats and states, in part, that the
"specific circumstances of this conviction are highly problematic, and, in
fact, we believe that the execution by stoning or by any other means of
any individual for private, adult, consensual sexual activity is grossly
inhumane and well below the standards that any civilized society should
uphold."

A Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution met with the convicted man
while visiting prisons in Nigeria and called the punishment "wholly
disproportionate," stating that "sodomy cannot be considered one of the
most serious crimes for which, under international law, the death penalty
can be prescribed."

The State Department's 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
describes Nigeria's human rights record as "poor," and claims that the
Government "continued to commit serious abuses." It also describes
Nigeria's judicial system as often "incapable of providing criminal
suspects with fair trials."

In the congressional letter to President Obasanjo, the lawmakers say that
they have been very supportive of U.S. aid to Nigeria in recent years,
"but we must tell you that Americans are also entitled to expect that
countries that benefit from our humanitarian and economic assistance will
not tolerate practices that are so clearly in violation of basic human
rights."

The letter was organized by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the senior Democrat
on the House Financial Services Committee; and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA),
the senior Democratic woman on the House Committee on International
Relations and the Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rep.Tom Lantos
(D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on International
Relations; and Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ), the senior Democrat on the
International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and
International Operations, were among the members signing the letter.

A copy of the letter is attached.

#####

August 1, 2005

His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
The President's Office
Abuja, Nigeria

Dear President Obasanjo,

We write to express our serious concern over a recent case in the northern
state of Kano of a 50-year-old Nigerian man who was sentenced to death by
stoning after admitting to homosexual sex. According to reports, the man
was charged with sodomy, based on an accusation made by a neighbor, and
was arrested and brought before a Shari'a court.

After the man was acquitted for lack of evidence, the judge then asked him
if he had had homosexual sex on other occasions, and when the man said
yes, on that basis, he was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to death by
stoning. There was no suggestion in the conviction that the sex was not
consensual.

The specific circumstances of this conviction are highly problematic, and,
in fact, we believe that the execution by stoning or by any other means of
any individual for private, adult, consensual sexual activity is grossly
inhumane and well below the standards that any civilized society should
uphold.

We strongly urge you to intervene in this case to assure that this man's
legal and human rights are respected and defended. We share the view of
the special rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights who recently
ended a visit to Nigeria with a call for the death penalty to be dropped
in cases of homosexuality and for "immediate measures to review the entire
proceedings" of this man's case in particular.

We have been very supportive of your efforts to transform Nigeria from
military to civilian rule, and we applaud in particular the role your
country is playing to help foster stability in West Africa. We also
continue to be supportive of U.S. aid to Nigeria, but we must tell you
that Americans are also entitled to expect that countries that benefit
from our humanitarian and economic assistance will not tolerate practices
that are so clearly in violation of basic human rights

REP. BARNEY FRANK
REP. BARBARA LEE
REP. DONALD M. PAYNE
REP. TOM LANTOS
REP. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY
REP. JULIA CARSON
REP. TAMMY BALDWIN
REP. JIM McDERMOTT
REP. SUSAN A. DAVIS
REP. JOSEPH CROWLEY
REP. HENRY A. WAXMAN
REP. MICHAEL M. HONDA
REP. BERNARD SANDERS
REP. MICHAEL R. McNULTY
REP. JAMES P. McGOVERN
REP. VIC SNYDER
REP. JAMES P. MORAN
REP. ELIOT L. ENGEL
REP. GARY L. ACKERMAN
REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE
REP. DENNIS J. KUCINICH
REP. BETTY McCOLLUM