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Statement to Sudan Court by Jane Granville
FrontLines - July 2009
The following statement was read in court on June 24 on behalf of Jane Granville by her Sudanese lawyer following the announcement of a guilty verdict
in the murder of her son:
I, Jane Granville, as the sole heir of my son, John Michael Granville, am taking this opportunity
to convey my wishes to the court regarding the sentencing
of the defendants in his murder trial. I would like also to confirm to the court that I have not and will not accept any form of payment in exchange for leniency.
From the day I brought this beautiful man into this world, I knew he was special, and it was such a privilege to watch my only son grow into the unselfish humanitarian he became. The best example of that was illustrated in his last hours. I am told that he was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital after he and Abdel Rahman were shot. When he regained consciousness, his first question was, “How is AR?” and he kept asking that question over and over again. Until John’s last moment, and despite the obvious differences
of nationality, race and
John Granville, far left, with Sinclair Cornell, BearingPoint Inc.; Stephanie Funk, USAID; Faisal Sultan, BearingPoint Inc.; and Rich Haselwood, Mercy Corps, in Khartoum, November 2007.
religion, John identified what he had in common with others and viewed everyone as fellow human beings. Even as he was dying, he continued to care more about others than he did about himself.
That love of others is one of the reasons why John valued
his work in Sudan. His dedication and commitment to supporting and advancing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement guided his efforts toward the dream of a just, stable,
and peaceful Sudan. Losing John is, therefore, not only an enormous loss for his family, friends and colleagues; it is also an enormous loss for the people of Sudan.
It is in John’s spirit of putting
the concerns of others first that I submit this statement on sentencing, as required by Sudan’s legal system which found the defendants guilty of murder. This has been an extremely tragic and painful journey for all of us who knew and loved John. Our primary concern now is to ensure that the lives of other innocent, good-hearted and peace-loving people are not taken as his was. I believe that life in prison is the most appropriate punishment
for those that commit murder, but Sudanese law does not provide for such a sentence.
Thus, it is with a heavy heart that I have to conclude that I am left with no other option. The death penalty is the only sentence that will protect others from those who took my beloved son’s life.
Additional information on John Granville’s work for USAID in Sudan is available at www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/memorial_granville.
html.
★
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