[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 10, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H4016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING JOHN GRANVILLE
(Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, John Granville grew up in south Buffalo. He
had a curiosity about the world and a desire to serve others. He was a
Fulbright scholar and a Peace Corps volunteer who became a career
diplomat for the United States Agency for International Development.
In 2007, John was distributing solar-powered radios to remote
villages in South Sudan to ensure that the people could participate in
upcoming elections. On New Year's Day in 2008, John and a colleague
were targeted and assassinated by terrorists in Khartoum. He was 33
years old.
Four men were convicted of the murders, but 6 years ago today, they
escaped with the aid of a man later pardoned by Sudanese President al-
Bashir. Two of the killers remain at large, and the Department of
Justice has offered a $5 million reward for their arrest.
Today, I will introduce a resolution calling on the State Department
to maintain Sudan on the state sponsors of terrorism list until al-
Bashir's pardon is repealed and John's killers are captured.
When his family expressed concern about his safety, John would say
that he knew his work was dangerous, but he wouldn't want to be doing
anything else. Today, we remember a man of light and peace and pledge
to bring to justice those who took him from us far too soon.
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