Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton met today with Simon Deng, a Sudanese man who was enslaved as a child, as he completed his “Sudan Freedom Walk,” a three-hundred mile, 22-day walk from the United Nations in New York to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Mr. Deng’s walk was aimed at raising awareness about the genocide in Darfur and slavery in the Sudan.

“I was honored to meet Simon today. His life is a story of triumph in the face of enormous adversities and he is a personal reminder that millions of other men, women, and children continue to suffer at the hands of the Government of Sudan. Simon’s calls for greater awareness and a stronger international response to the crisis should be acknowledged and answered with action,” Senator Clinton said.

“Unfortunately, the international community has watched for far too long, with far too little action, as the Government of Sudan has exploited, uprooted, killed and in the case of Darfur, attempted to exterminate, millions of Sudanese civilians. Simon is an example to us all – we cannot stand still in the face of continuing atrocities.”

On completion of his three-hundred mile walk today, Mr. Deng was joined by Senator Clinton as well as Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Michael Capuano, Rep. Joseph Crowley, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Hon. Walter Fauntroy and former NBA star Manute Bol, for a press conference and rally at the West Front of the Capitol.

Simon Deng is a native of the Shiluk Kingdom in southern Sudan. When he was eight years old, the Sudanese Army swept through his village. He watched them burn huts to the ground, slaughter the men of the village and steal their livestock. Though he narrowly escaped death, one year later he was abducted by an Arab northerner. He spent the next few years of his life as a child slave in northern Sudan. Mr. Deng was forced to sleep on straw, allowed to eat only leftover scraps and was beaten regularly. He made his daring escape two years later. Mr. Deng went on to work as a messenger in the Sudanese parliament and later to become a national swimming champion. Today he is an American citizen, working as a lifeguard at Coney Island and leading the struggle to stop genocide in Sudan.

Mr. Deng began the “Sudan Freedom Walk” to shed light on the genocide and slavery in the Sudan, calling on the U.S. government to do more to stop the violence. His walk has spanned five states and has taken him to nineteen cities.

Deeply concerned by the continuing genocide in Darfur, Senator Clinton recently sent a letter to President Bush, urging him to take steps to protect civilians and address the crisis. Senator Clinton’s letter emphasized the need to respond to the continued violence against civilians and aid workers in Darfur and the need to address escalating tensions between Sudan and Chad. Her letter reiterated the importance of a durable peace agreement between the conflicting parties, but emphasized that peace talks should not forestall efforts to protect civilians in Darfur. Last month, Senator Clinton also co-sponsored a resolution that passed the Senate, and called on President Bush to arrange for increased NATO assistance in Darfur.

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