Contrary to news reports in the media, the lawyers representing Khulumani Support Group have not been invited by ABSA Bank to a meeting with themselves this morning.
Contrary to news reports in the media, the lawyers representing Khulumani Support Group have not been invited by ABSA Bank to a meeting with themselves this morning.
Khulumani Support Group is the first-named plaintiff in the Khulumani International Lawsuit (Khulumani et al vs Barclays et al) presently being appealed in New York City. Khulumani Support Group represents a membership estimated at about 44000 victims, survivors and dependants of apartheid gross human rights abuses.
Khulumani Support Group has not been directly contacted by any member of the ABSA staff, and nor has its lawyer, Mr Michael Hausfeld of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld and Toll, been directly contacted.
At this point, the Khulumani International Lawsuit against 23 corporations who aided and abetted the apartheid regime is proceeding. These corporations (of whom Barclays Bank is the first-named alphabetically) are accused of collaborating in the carrying out of apartheid gross human rights abuses and violations against approximately 100 named victims and survivors.
The specific gross human rights abuses with which these corporations are accused in the Lawsuit are:
- torture
- indiscriminate shootings
- arbitrary detention
- rape
- extrajudicial killings (murders and assassinations)
all of which occurred as a result of aiding and abetting the apartheid regime. The reasons these businesses continued to collaborate with the apartheid regime, despite worldwide opposition was mainly to make a profit.
Khulumani does not believe businesses should profit from torture and/or other forms of gross human rights abuses and violations, whether yesterday, today or tomorrow.
Issued by: Marjorie Jobson
Chairperson Khulumani Support Group
082-268-0223
