Press release August 2009

Desmond Tutu supports Swedish disarmament campaign

The Nobel laureate and one of the world's foremost moral authorities, Desmond Tutu, has this Monday sent out a statement of support to the Swedish peace campaign Avrusta (Disarm), which has within the last year disarmed about 20 Swedish weapons before they were exported.

Desmond Tutu, who is Archbishop emeritus in South Africa, has joined his Swedish colleagues Archbishop emeritus KG Hammar and Archbishop Anders Wejryd of the Swedish Lutheran Church. They have also expressed support for the nonviolent actions of the disarmament campaign as complimentary methods to the parliamentarian work.

"During the struggle against apartheid in South Africa we often used civil disobedience and other nonviolent methods. These methods are equally relevant when it comes to the struggle against weapons export, and especially the export of Saab's Gripen fighter from Sweden to South Africa, a deal fraught with bribes and coercion," writes Desmond Tutu in a public letter to the Swedish activists, who have served time in prison during the spring and summer.

"If not this strong statement from one of the most important leaders of South Africa makes the Swedish politicians say stop instead of turning a blind eye to the next unethical Swedish weapons deal, I don't know what it would take," says Martin Smedjeback, 36-years old nonviolence trainer who disarmed 14 Carl Gustaf grenade launchers last year and was arrested on his way to render harmless the Gripen fighter in March. 

The five members of the campaign Disarm have until now been sentenced to prison sentences amounting to 26 months and more than 50 000 Euros. The investigations concerning corruption connected to the Gripen fighter deals have been shut down in spite of overwhelming evidence of bribes. The weapons export from Sweden to the Iraq war, South Africa, India, Pakistan and many other countries continue while you are reading this. What continues is also the work of the peace movement, including the work in the campaign Avrusta.

Contact: Martin Smedjeback, +46-70-2579097, smedjeback@gmail.com

Contact with Archbishop Tutu: Vivian Ford, Personal Assistant: Archbishop
Emeritus Desmond Tutu, P O Box 1092, Milnerton 7435     Ph: +27 21 552
7524, vivian@tutu.org.za

The original letter from Desmond Tutu:
http://www.ofog.org/files/Desmond%20Tutu-st%C3%B6d.pdf

For more information see: http://www.ofog.org/introduction