BEVERLY HILLS, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 27, 2013) - The RHL Group, Inc., who kicked off the "Oscar®, Help Free Afridi, America's Abandoned Hero" campaign that appeared in the March 1st Oscars® Edition of The Hollywood Reporter, announced that a House Resolution, H. Res. 86, was introduced in Congress today. The resolution calls for the immediate release from custody by Pakistan of Dr. Shakil Afridi, the man who pinpointed the location of Osama bin Laden for the United States. Campaign underwriters Bob and Kira Lorsch have also been working tirelessly, appearing around the clock on network news television every day since the campaign first broke on February 21st.
The Resolution, brought by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), calls Dr. Afridi "a hero to whom the people of the United States owe a debt of gratitude" and requests his immediate release. The resolution is being co-sponsored by a group of bipartisan U.S. Congress members including Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Ted Poe (R-TX), Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Steve Stockman (R-TX). A website has been set up at www.freeafridi.com where concerned citizens can download a letter from Congressman Rohrabacher that explains what they can do to rally Congress, the U.S. State Department and the White House to help Free Afridi.
"I was in Washington for the State of The Union Address and to meet with the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Oversight regarding billions of dollars being spent on health information technology systems that do not deliver what they were supposed to do; specifically, interoperability and patient-controlled Personal Health Records. While in Washington I was asked to sit in on a meeting about Dr. Afridi. I was so moved by what I heard that I knew I needed to take action," said Lorsch, who is CEO of MMRGlobal, Inc. (
According to Kira Lorsch, President of The RHL Group, "Because of the Oscar® buzz surrounding our ad in The Hollywood Reporter for Dr. Afridi, Washington has an opportunity to make a fresh push from this campaign for Dr. Afridi's release. We hope this resolution will be passed swiftly so Washington won't have to produce 'Argo 2' to finally save this man from his horrific ordeal."
In a statement from Rep. Rohrabacher's Washington D.C. office today, the Congressman said, "All Americans owe Dr. Afridi a debt of gratitude for what he did to help us find Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. He and his family have paid a terrible price at the hands of our so-called allies, the Pakistani government. We cannot continue to turn our back on Dr. Afridi. He risked his life to provide the intel our forces needed to locate and eliminate Osama bin Laden and he now languishes in a Pakistani prison serving a 33 year sentence. He has been tortured, his family has been attacked and he is still in a desperate situation. It behooves us as Americans to state in a unified voice to his Pakistani captors, Dr. Afridi should be freed."
To learn more about Dr. Afridi, go to www.freeafridi.com where you can request ribbons, find video and social media tools, and join the campaign to get your voice heard in Washington and throughout the world.
For additional information or to reach Bob and Kira Lorsch, email FreeAfridi@rhlgroup.com or call 310-476-7002.
OSCAR® is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Any references to Oscar® or Zero Dark Thirty, Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke are not meant to imply support of this cause by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or producers, distributors or anyone associated with the film.
Contact Information:
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Michael Selsman
Public Communications Co.
ms@publiccommunications.biz
310.922.7033
Jerry Digney
Digney & Company
323.993.3000
jerry@digneypr.com
Jerry Brown
Digney & Company
323.993.3000
jbrown@digneypr.com