Plea For help – Seattle Film Crew held in Nigera

The producer of the file “Sweet Crude” is the Friend of a Friend here at my office. They are starting a email campaign to get the US government into action and help. Here is the email:

A filmmaker friend and colleague of ours has been arrested in Nigeria. She and her crew are filming Sweet Crude, a film about the devastating environmental and economic affects of oil production in the impoverished region of the Niger Delta. She has also been trying to negotiate peace there between the rebels and the government over the distribution of money from oil revenues.

Please contact Senators Murray and Cantwell and the Nigerian embassy :

http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/

http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

http://www.nigeriaembassyusa.org/contact.shtml

When you contact Senators Murray and Cantwell and the Nigerian embassy :

Request: Secure the release of Sandy Cioffi, 46, director of the documentary “Sweet Crude”; producer Tammi Sims, 35; crew members Cliff Worsham, 39, and Sean Porter, 25; and Joel Bisina, a peace mediator and founder of Niger Delta Professionals for Development in Warri. The Americans “entered the country legally on April 5, having notified authorities about their intentions to film and to make a visit to a library they had helped build“.

Below are links to articles on Sandy Cioffi and her efforts. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!! Any help you can give us would be GREATLY appreciated.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004349521_nigeria15m.html

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=nigeria12m&date=20060912

Thanks, and best wishes, Ginny