SYSTEM OF A DOWN Raise Awareness Of Sudanese Genocide

SYSTEM OF A DOWN is committed to raising awareness of all human rights issues, including the current genocide crisis going on the Darfur region of Western Sudan. mtvU has launched a online campaign at www.darfurisdying.com to help spread information about the genocide. Through a partnership with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the International Crisis Group, mtvU awarded a development deal to group of student digital activists to create an online viral video game which will put players in the shoes of the 2.5 million refugees who are fighting for survival every day in Darfur. For more information on the crisis, click here.

Commented SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian: "MTV has been one of the early screamers on the Darfur Genocide at a time when no one was really paying any attention to it in the press. By calling it a genocide and not doing anything about it, our government is setting a standard for intervention only in cases of economic gain. I just met with a number of Democratic and Republican Congressmen and a Senator to talk about the need to have the U.S. Congress formally recognize the Armenian Genocide by Turkey in 1915. Part of the conversation was spent in explaining that genocide denial will lead to other genocide as in Darfur and the need for our government to use its leverage financially and otherwise in Africa to make sure that Khartoum gets the message that this will no longer be tolerated, along with encouraging the United Nations to immediately place an active, effective peace keeping contingent of troops in the Darfur region of Sudan."