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• What You Can Do: Cluster Bomb Ban Speakers Tour

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Cluster Bomb Ban Midwest Tour: Speakers Bios

Cluster Bomb Survivors:

Soraj Ghulam Habib, Afghanistan

In 2001, at the age of 10, Soraj was injured by a cluster munition while picnicking with his uncle and four cousins. He saw a small package on the ground and opened it, thinking it was food. It was a yellow cluster submunition. One cousin died, another was injured, and Soraj lost both his legs. In the hospital the doctors thought he would die. Fortunately, he survived and now goes to school. At the opening of treaty negogiations, Soraj made a heart felt plea: "Isn't it enough for you to see me, Branislav, Sladjan, Dusica, Umarbek, Ahmed and Dejan [other cluster bomb survivors]? Isn't it enough to see how our lives have been devastated by the weapons? I ask you, please, stop for a moment and reflect on the effects that cluster munitions have on people and communities."
He speaks Dari. English Interpretation is provided by Suliman Safdar, also from Afghanistan
Soraj has participated in diplomatic conferences in Vienna, Wellington and Dublin, which resulted in the global cluster bomb ban treaty.

Raed Mokaled, Lebanon

Raed lost his son, Ahmad, in a cluster munition accident in 1999 when Raed and his wife took their two young sons to a public park to celebrate Ahmad's fifth birthday. While Ahmad was playing with the other children there was an explosion. Ahmad was taken to the hospital but lost the fight for his life and died four hours later. Raed Mokaled calls on politicians to take actions: "My son died on a sunny day in the park on his fifth birthday - politicians, you must find a way to protect our children, whereever they are in the world".
He speaks Arabic and English. Raed participated in the diplomatic conference in Dublin, which resulted in the global cluster bomb ban treaty.

Lynn Bradach, United States

Lynn is a native of Portland, OR. Her son Travis, a U.S. Marine, was killed by a U.S. cluster submunition while serving in Iraq in 2003. Listen to Lynn tell her story in this short video.

Coalition Members:

Sulaiman Safdar, Afghan Landmine Survivors' Organization

Sulaiman has worked at UNESCO and Handicap International, and is now the Deputy Director of the Afghan Landmine Survivors’ Organization, which he helped found. He will serve as Soraj Ghulam Habib’s translator on the tour, as he did at conferences on cluster bombs and munitions in Vienna and Dublin.

Lora Lumpe, Coordinator U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs

Lora Lumpe lobbies and campaigns for more responsible U.S. arms export policies—including a ban on U.S. use and export of cluster bombs and anti-personnel landmines. She coordinates the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines on behalf of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and represents FCNL on the steering committee of the global campaign to achieve a universal Arms Trade Treaty.

Steve Goose, Human Rights Watch

Steve Goose directs the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch. He has been centrally involved with the efforts to ban anti-personnel landmines, blinding lasers, and cluster munitions. He is also on the steering committee of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs.

Ken Rutherford, Survivor Corps

Kenneth R. Rutherford lost both his legs to a landmine in Somalia in 1993. He is currently an Associate Professor of Political Science at Missouri State University and travels worldwide to promote the economic and social rights of persons with disabilities. He is co-founder of Survivor Corps, formerly the Landmine Survivors Network, and is a renowned leader in the the Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition that spearheaded the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the 2008 Cluster Munitions Ban Treaty.

George Cody, American Task Force for Lebanon

Dr. Cody has been Executive Director of the American Task Force for Lebanon since 1993. Previously, he was Executive Assistant to Representative Edward Feighan of Ohio, for ten years. Before coming to Washington he was Deputy Director of International Trade in Greater Cleveland, taught school in the Cleveland public school system, and taught English as a Foreign Language in the Peace Corps in Bahrain. He has a Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of Michigan.

Stéphanie Castanié, Handicap International

Stéphanie Castanié coordinates the advocacy work of a group of cluster munition survivors called "the Ban Advocates" from different affected countries, as they participate in international conferences, tours to communities around the world, and providing support for campaign activities set up in the survivors' home countries. Before she worked as Administrator for humanitarian missions in Indonesia and in Russia. She also She speaks French, English and Spanish.

See what's happening on the tour on the survivors tour blog.

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