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'Human shield' fined
11/08/2003 16:17 - (SA)
Sarasota, Florida - A woman who went to Iraq to serve as a "human shield" in a futile attempt to stop the US invasion of Iraq is facing thousands of dollars in fines, which she is refusing to pay.
The U.. Department of the Treasury said in a March letter to Faith Fippinger that she broke the law by crossing the Iraqi border before the war. Her travel to Iraq violated US sanctions that prohibited American citizens from engaging in "virtually all direct or indirect commercial, financial or trade transactions with Iraq".
She and others from 30 countries spread throughout Iraq to try to prevent the war. She spent about three months there, including time at an oil refinery. Only about 20 of nearly 300 "human shields" were Americans, she said. The story was reported in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Fippinger, who returned home May 4, is being fined at least $10 000, but she has refused to pay. She could face up to 12 years in prison.
"If it comes to fines or imprisonment, please be aware that I will not contribute money to the United States government to continue the buildup of its arsenal of weapons," Fippinger wrote in her response to the charges. She said she has no intention of paying. "Therefore, perhaps the alternative should be considered."
The government also has asked Fippinger, 62, to detail her travels to Iraq and any financial transactions she made. In her response, Fippinger wrote that the only money she spent was on food and emergency supplies.
If Fippinger does not pay, the fine may increase, and the money will be drawn from her retirement paycheck, her Social Security check or any of her assets, officials said.
"She was (in Iraq) in violation of US sanctions," said Taylor Griffin, a Treasury Department spokesperson. "That's what happens."
- AP
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