U.S. Activists Face Fines for Travel to Iraq
Two American activists who went to Iraq as “human shields” against the war face fines of up to $10,000 for violating a ban on travel to Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the Treasury Department said Tuesday.
“Those who violate the established international and U.S. sanctions can expect the law will be fully and fairly enforced,” Treasury spokesman Taylor Griffin said.
He declined to address specific cases.
ABC News reported that the department had contacted about five Americans who were among 300 people from various countries who went to Iraq in an effort to prevent a U.S.-led coalition from initiating war.
Ryan Clancy, a Milwaukee record store owner, and retired schoolteacher Faith Fippinger of Sarasota, Fla., acknowledged that they had received notices from the Treasury Department. Both said they had no intention of paying the fines.
“I can’t in good conscience give the Treasury Department money for the privilege of having met the people that my country was going to bomb and kill,” Clancy told ABC.
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