Workers Resistance

Category: Political prisoners

  • South Florida protests Bradley Manning’s 35-year sentence

    Ft. Lauderdale, FL – 20 supporters of whistleblower Private First Class Bradley Manning gathered on the evening of Aug. 21 at the Federal Building in downtown here for an emergency protest. They demanded a presidential pardon for the 25-year old whistleblower.

    The action was organized by the anti-war group People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism and Racism (POWIR) in response to the 35-year jail sentence imposed on Manning earlier that day, for sharing military documents and videos of U.S. war crimes with Wikileaks. The sentencing came after Manning had already served three years, including nine months spent in solitary confinement.

    As activists from South Florida arrived, they were given tape to cover their mouths as a symbol of how President Obama is silencing whistleblowers during his term. Along the sidewalk in front of the building were large letters on yellow signs spelling, “Free Manning” and demonstrators held signs reading, “Manning leaked the truth,” “Release Bradley Manning,” and “Jail our nation’s war criminals, not our whistleblowers.”

    Manning disclosed injustices, human rights violations and war crimes that the U.S. military was involved with and continues to commit abroad. He believed that by exposing these ugly truths to the American public, he could help put an end to them. In her opening remarks at the protest, Pamela Maldonado, a lead organizer with POWIR explained, “Manning’s sentence is being used by the Obama administration as a threat to all future whistle-blowers thinking of exposing the truth to the public.”

    After the activists removed the tape from their mouths, whistles were distributed for all to blow shrilly in solidarity with Manning. The protesters shouted, “We will not be silent!” and blew their whistles loudly. As cars and trucks passed the busy intersection, many honked in solidarity. Upon seeing the protest, a few passersby picked up signs and joined the demonstration chanting, “Same thing every time, leaking truth is not a crime!”

    Towards the end of the action, Victor Agosto, the lead organizer of POWIR and a Veteran for Peace member, read from Manning’s poignant and compelling statement released after the sentencing was announced. The crowd listened in silence. “I realized that in our efforts to meet the risk posed to us by the enemy, we had forgotten our humanity,” Agosto read. “We consciously elected to devalue life both in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

    Whistles were held until the end and once the statement was finished the crowd whistled in unison.

    POWIR, Veterans for Peace, Progressive Democrats of America, Occupy Miami and Food Not Bombs members demanded that President Obama pardon Manning. The South Florida response was held in unity with actions being led by the Bradley Manning Solidarity Network on the same day. Manning’s defense team is now seeking a presidential pardon. As one of the signs held by the South Florida activists read “Call Obama 202-456-1414 and ask him to pardon Manning.”

  • 30,000 California prisoners begin hunger strike and work stoppage against long-term solitary confinement

    Los Angeles, CA – On July 8, 30,000 prisoners in California began a massive, system-wide hunger strike and work stoppage. This is likely the largest prison strike in U.S. history. The prisoners have five demands, centered on stopping long-term solitary confinement, group punishment and administrative abuse, as well as other issues of appalling prison conditions, many of which can be classified as torture. The strike is uniting prisoners across lines of race and nationality throughout the California prison system.

    The prisoners say they will not eat and will also not work unless the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) agrees to negotiate honestly about their demands. Their five demands are:

    — End Group Punishment & Administrative Abuse
    — Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria
    — Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons 2006 Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement
    — Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food
    — Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for Indefinite SHU Status Inmates.

    California prisoners engaged in two three-week hunger strikes in 2011 based on the five demands. There were 12,000 prisoners in at least a third of California’s 33 prisons who participated in the 2011 hunger strikes. In the face of the protests, the authorities had agreed to make some changes, but two years later those changes haven’t been implemented and some conditions have worsened.

    The prisoners’ action has its roots in the Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit (SHU) prison. The SHU is a supermax prison designed to isolate that prisoners who authorities feel they can’t control, including politically conscious prisoners. They are away from the general population in total isolation, in conditions widely acknowledged to be torture. Prisoners can get sent to the SHU indefinitely. Similar conditions exist in the Administrative Segregation units of California’s other prisons. The California prison system currently holds nearly 12,000 prisoners in solitary confinement units, with dozens having spent more than 20 years each in isolation.

    Those 12,000 imprisoned people spend 23 of 24 hours living in a concrete cell smaller than a large bathroom. The cells have no windows, no access to fresh air or sunlight. People in solitary confinement exercise an hour a day in a cage the size of a dog run. They are not allowed to make any phone calls to their loved ones. They cannot touch family members, who often travel days for a 90 minute visit; their conversation and their mail is monitored by prison guards. They are not allowed to talk to other imprisoned people. They are denied all educational programs and their reading materials are censored. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, stated that any time over 15 days in solitary confinement constitutes torture. Yet many people in California state prisons have been caged in solitary for 10 to 40 years.

    The prisoners have called on people on the outside to support their struggle and amplify their voices. See a video about the hunger strike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw4bgeZpgdU and follow the hunger strike solidarity website for developments: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/

  • Free the Cuban Five!

    Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression

    Many of the U.S. government’s recent campaigns of repression, including the September 2010 FBI raids, grand jury subpoenas, and ongoing investigation of anti-war and international solidarity activists known as the Anti-War 23, have been pursued under the guise of investigating “material support of terrorism.” The bankruptcy of this rationale is revealed when we look to another ongoing case of political repression by the U.S. government – this time attacking individuals who were actively working to prevent terrorist attacks – the Cuban 5. The FBI targeted these five men because they were monitoring terrorist groups that the U.S. government supports. They were working to defend the country of Cuba from terrorist attacks.

    Since the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Cuba has been the target of more terrorist attacks than any other country in the world. 3,478 Cuban citizens have been killed in these attacks and 2,099 have been injured. The overwhelming majority of the attacks originated in southern Florida. The attacks were launched by groups who have been sheltered and in some cases financed by the U.S. government. Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez, now collectively known as the Cuban Five, were working to monitor the groups who have led and threatened these terrorist attacks. Their work to prevent further acts of terror from being unleashed on the Cuban people led to their arrest by FBI agents in Miami in September 1998.

    The U.S. government has kept the Cuban Five imprisoned since September 12, 1998, convicted of “conspiracy to commit espionage.” There is no evidence, nor is there even an accusation, that these men engaged in any actual acts of espionage. They did nothing wrong – they only worked to defend Cuban sovereignty and defend the Cuban people from attacks. Their case has garnered international attention, including from a United Nations working group, which found that the imprisonment of the Five was a case of arbitrary detention and is in violation of Article 14 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Liberties.

    The real reason for the imprisonment of the Cuban Five has nothing to do with espionage, just as the more recent acts of repression against international solidarity activists have nothing to do with combating terrorism. These are acts of political repression, plain and simple. Whether for defending Cuban sovereignty and the Cuban people, or for supporting people resisting U.S. wars and occupations in other parts of the world, the Cuban Five and the Anti-War 23 were all targeted for their opposition to the foreign policy aims of the U.S. government.

    The Committee to Stop FBI Repression stands in solidarity with the Cuban Five and condemns the ongoing repression against these heroes of the Cuban people. We call for the immediate release of the four of the Cuban Five who remain imprisoned. Defending the Cuban people is not a crime!

    Take action for the Cuban 5!

    Join the week of action for the Cuban 5 in Washington D.C. from May 30 – June 5, 2013. There will be rally in front of the White House on Saturday, June 1st at 1:00 p.m. Info on the week of actions here: http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/2013/01/04/save-the-dates-5-days-for-…

    * One of the five, René Gonzalez, was released from prison on October 7, 2011 but was forced to stay in Southern Florida on probation. He finally won the freedom to return home to Cuba earlier this month.

  • Victory for the Cuban 5: René González returns to Cuba after 13+ years in U.S. prison system

    Miami, FL – On May 3, René González, one of the Cuban 5, finally won his freedom from the U.S. prison system when a judge ruled that he could move back to Cuba. González had already served an unjust sentence of more than 13 years in U.S. prisons. He was then was forced to stay in Miami another year and a half on parole. González was greeted as a hero on his return to Cuba, which has waged a determined campaign to win freedom for the Cuban 5.

    The Cuban 5 are five Cuban heroes – Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and René González – who were unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. after being arrested by the FBI on Sept. 12, 1998. They were convicted in a U.S. federal court in Miami in 2001, in a political prosecution by the U.S. government.

    René González was the first of the five to be released from U.S. prison, on Oct. 7, 2011. But the court, in a punitive measure, denied him the right to return to Cuba to his family, and instead required him to serve an additional three-year probation sentence in the U.S.

    The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the U.S., and other related charges. The Five never engaged in, nor planned any, conspiracy against the U.S. government. As the Cuban Five pointed out in their defense, they were on a mission in Miami, beginning in 1990, to monitor the actions of Miami-based right-wing anti-communist groups in order to prevent those groups from carrying out attacks on their country of Cuba. Over the years such groups, based in Miami, have carried out many violent attacks against socialist Cuba. The Cuban 5 never harmed anyone, nor ever possessed, nor used any weapons on their mission. Their objective was simply protecting the Cuban people from the very real threat of the Miami-based anti-communists.

    A statement released by the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five said, “We are extremely happy for René, who has, along with his Cuban Five brothers, been unduly punished for being a proud defender of his people, his homeland and the Cuban Revolution. This development must give all the Cuban Five supporters great inspiration to continue the fight so that Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio and Fernando can return home immediately!”

    There will be a week of action to continue the struggle to free all of the Cuban 5 in Washington D.C. from May 30 to June 5, including a national protest in front of the White House on June 1. More info at: http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/2013/01/04/save-the-dates-5-days-for-…

  • Chicago commemorates International Palestinian Prisoners Day

    Chicago, IL – During the week of International Palestinian Prisoners Day, over 20 activists from the Palestine Solidarity Group, United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Students for Justice in Palestine and other organizations braved the bitter cold to stage “Intifada Theater” at the Bean in Millennium Park, April 19.

    The performance included scenes that Palestinians know all too well – being detained for taking part in a peaceful protest, being harassed by Israeli soldiers on the way to school and being tortured by Israeli prison guards who threaten your family. And while the actors performed their parts, the chorus rang out – “Freedom to protest? Not for Palestinians! Freedom from racist harassment? Not for Palestinians! Freedom from arrest without charge? Not for Palestinians! Freedom from torture? Not for Palestinians!”

    Chicago’s action was one of dozens of worldwide protests for the over 4900 Palestinian political prisoners, including children and administrative detainees (jailed without charge or trial), who are held in Israeli jails.

    Amongst the most prominent of them to make international news, one is Samer Issawi, who has been on hunger strike for over 250 days, refusing to end it until he wins freedom without conditions. Another is Arafat Jaradat, tortured to death in an Israeli prison; and Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, who died of cancer after being refused proper medical treatment by the Israeli prison service.

    The Israelis, with the support from the U.S. government, continue unabated their illegal policies of jailing Palestinians without charge or trial, jailing children in violation of all international laws and torturing prisoners regardless of their age or gender.

    But we have also seen the resistance of Palestinian prisoners to this repression, with waves of hunger strikes throughout the prisons, reminding many of the H Block Martyrs in the north of Ireland. We’ve seen Palestinians taking to the streets to protest the treatment of the men and women who resist the occupation of their land. And we’ve seen the protests by Palestinians and solidarity activists across the world – supporting the demands of freedom and justice for all Palestinian political prisoners, the end of Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian and Arab land, self-determination for the Palestinian people, and the Right of Return for all Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

    As we go to press, there is an initial agreement with the Israelis for Samer Issawi to remain in prison for eight months and then to be released to his hometown of al-Issawia in the East Jerusalem district. The worldwide protests for Samer Issawi have supported his refusal to be deported and to be returned to his homeland, a right shared by all Palestinians.

  • PFLP greets the prisoners, steadfast heroes of the struggle, on Palestinian Prisoners Day

    Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

    The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine sent greetings of pride and appreciation to all Palestinian prisoners in the jails of the occupation, men and women, children and elders, to the veteran long-time prisoners and our imprisoned leaders, at the forefront, the Front’s General Secretary, Comrade Ahmad Sa’adat, and brother leaders Marwan Barghouthi, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, and members of the Legislative Council.jihad-gefang

    The Front saluted the historic role of the prisoners’ movement in building and sustaining the Palestinian national liberation movement and its ongoing victories in upholding the prisoners’ will and steadfastness against the executioner. The prisoners’ struggle is one that transcends Palestinian political and geographical division and builds national unity based on the resistance of our people and their multilayered struggle to defeat the occupation, free the prisoners and achieve return, liberation, self-determination and our capital in Jerusalem.

    The Front said that the first duty in supporting the prisoners’ movement, their struggles, their families and honoring their sacrifices and those of the martyrs is to uphold the resistance and restore national unity, ending this national crisis and the twenty-year nightmare of negotiations, to struggle together to defeat the occupation, the settlements, the siege, killings, arrests and terror exerted by the occupation state against our people, our land and our rights.

    The Front called on Palestinian Prisoners Day, April 17, to be a landmark for the Palestinian movement to adopt a strategy and a unified national and political resistance to support the struggle of the prisoners’ movement against the occupier and its crimes. It also emphasized the need to provide a framework for the solidarity movement internationally to work to hold Israel accountable on the international level and to confront the occupation on the Arab level, including recognizing Palestinian prisoners as prisoners of war, prosecuting the occupation for violating their rights guaranteed in customary international law and the Geneva Conventions. The Front urged international organizations to act to defend the rights of our people and our prisoners as prisoners of war and fighters for freedom, independence and self-determination, and to hold the occupation and its leaders accountable.

    The Front said that the prisoners’ struggle is part of an alternative national strategy based on a program of resistance, national liberation, democracy, and restoring the status of the PLO as the sole legitimate representative through a new elected National Council representing our people inside and outside the homeland, and developing a unified national leadership. The Front emphasized the need to protect the prisoners’ rights during their imprisonment and after their liberation, as they are the vanguard of the Palestinian struggle for liberation and role models for generations to come.

    The Front called for the widest participation in actions and events on Palestinian Prisoners’ Day inside and outside Palestine. The battle of freedom of the prisoners is an integral part of the battle for freedom of our people, and action cannot be delayed.

  • Call-in day to demand Israel release jailed Palestinian-American boy

    New Orleans, LA – Palestine solidarity activists are urging national participation in a call-in day for a Palestinian-American boy from New Orleans who is being held in an Israeli jail. Eight Israeli soldiers arrested 14-year-old Mohammed Khalek at gunpoint in occupied Palestine early in the morning on April 5, accusing him of rock throwing. During the arrest his braces were broken by the soldiers; afterwards he was shackled for 12 hours. Human Rights Watch, Addameer and other human rights groups have condemned Israel’s treatment of Khalek.

    According to Defense for Children International, there are 236 Palestinian children in Israeli detention. Many children have been arrested during the recent protests in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike.

    “The U.S. has deliberately ignored the abuses of Palestinians by Israel, as our politicians continue to send over $3 billion a year to support the illegal occupation. We are demanding our representatives take a stand now by supporting their own constituent, Mohammed Khalek. We will not allow our representatives to be silent as they send our tax dollars to imprison children who have been stripped of their land and their rights,” said Jacob Flom, member of Palestine Solidarity Committee, New Orleans.

    The Palestine Solidarity Committee is building support for Khalek, with a call in day on Monday April 15. (https://www.facebook.com/events/179667455520918/). They are asking people around the country to join this action and call the representatives listed below to demand they speak up for child prisoners locked up by Israel with U.S. money.

    Demands:
    — Release Mohammed Khalek!
    — End U.S. support for Israeli human right abuses, no more U.S. aid!
    –Allow child prisoners legal consul of their choice and family presence.

    Contact info:
    — U.S. State Department: 202-647-4000
    — U.S. Congressman Cedric Richmond (represents New Orleans)
    Phone: (202) 225-6636 or (504) 288-3777
    — US Senator Mary Landrieu (represents New Orleans)
    Phone: (225) 389-0395 or (202) 224-5824