Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) has reached out to the U.S. State Department and House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs for information and assistance after reports indicate Abdelraouf Abuzeid, convicted of killing Buffalo native John Granville, has been released from a Sudan prison. Abuzeid was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. in 2013.
“John Granville was a kid from Buffalo who set out to change the world through his contributions and compassion as a U.S. Diplomat,” said Congressman Higgins. “Since his murder, the Granville family has endured 15 years of turmoil and heartbreak. The news of his killer’s release is infuriating and devastating to the many colleagues, friends, and family who knew and loved John.”
In a letter to Secretary of State Blinken, Higgins writes, “For Sudan to now release one of his killers and allow him to walk free is an insult to John’s memory and a gross miscarriage of justice. I strongly urge the Administration to condemn this action by the Sudanese Supreme Court, and respectfully request that you keep me and my office apprised of any additional information uncovered regarding this matter.
On January 1, 2008, John Granville, who grew up in South Buffalo, and his driver Abdelrahman Abbas Rahama were murdered by Islamic extremists after leaving an event at the British Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. Granville was a Fulbright Scholar and Peace Corps volunteer who became a diplomat for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). At the time of his death, at age 33, he was supporting free elections in Sudan.
Over the years, the effort to get justice for John and his family have taken a number of twists and turns. Four men were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death but about a year later escaped from prison in Sudan with the help of a man later pardoned by former Sudanese President al-Bashir. Higgins introduced a resolution condemning the pardon. The U.S. State Department posted a multi-million-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of two of the men who remained at large.
Higgins first learned about the killing after receiving a call from John Granville’s mother. Since that day, Higgins has been in regular communication with the State Department on issues pertaining to the Granville case and is a vocal advocate for the protection of American Diplomats abroad. In 2021, the U.S. received $335 million from Sudan to compensate for the 1988 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, the 2020 attack on the U.S.S. Cole and for the 2008 murder of Buffalo native John Granville.
