'Human shield' refuses to pay $10,000 in fines for visiting Iraq
By Associated Press
Published August 12, 2003
SARASOTA - A woman who went to Iraq to serve as a "human shield" in an attempt to stop the U.S. invasion is facing thousands of dollars in fines, which she is refusing to pay.
The Department of the Treasury said in a March letter to Faith Fippinger that her travel to Iraq violated U.S. sanctions prohibiting American citizens from engaging in virtually all transactions with that country.
She and others from 30 countries spread out through Iraq, hoping to prevent the war. Only about 20 of nearly 300 human shields were Americans, she said. After spending about three months there, she returned home May 4.
Fippinger, 62, is being fined at least $10,000 and could face up to 12 years in prison.
"I will not contribute money to the U.S. government to continue the buildup of its arsenal of weapons," Fippinger wrote in her response to the charges.
"Therefore, perhaps the alternative should be considered."
Asked to detail her travel and any financial transactions, Fippinger wrote that the only money she spent was on food and emergency supplies.
If Fippinger does not pay, the fine might increase, and the money will be drawn from her retirement paycheck, her Social Security check or any of her other assets, officials said.
"She was (in Iraq) in violation of U.S. sanctions," said Taylor Griffin, spokesman for the Treasury Department. "That's what happens."
