Washington, DC: May 25, 2006. The Citizens of the People's Republic of Nagalim ( Known as Nagaland for people of sub-continent), a remote country of 4 million people has been subjugated by India for more than 50 years and has seen over 300,000 of its people brutally tortured and killed, according to honorary Ambassador Grace Collins. Today for the first time, Nagalim appealed to the U.S. Government for help in reaching a peaceful resolution to their bid for freedom. Inspired by President Bush`s declaration in his 2006 State of the Union address that, "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors," the Naga people held a human rights briefing on Capital Hill today to plea for congressional intervention. Ambassador Collins of Nagalim and the Naga – American Council, led the briefing. The event was held at the Rayburn House Office building and was designed to give voice to the people of Naga by illuminating the lives, culture and tragic history of the country. The event included opening remarks by Ambassador Collins, who provided an overview of the history of Nagalim and the region's decades-long quest for self-determination. Nagalim, whose population is estimated at approximately 4 million, declared its independence from Great Britain in 1947, one day before the nation of India did the same. Though Nagalim's declaration was acknowledged by the United Nations, the country was nonetheless overtaken by India in 1952; however, it was never officially annexed to India by conquest or consent – a distinction that separates Nagalim's bid for independence from other independence movements within India.