Voice of Revolution

Protests Denounce Grand Jury Witch Hunt of Puerto Ricans

Dozens of organizations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. organized protests January 10 and 11 to denounce the latest FBI attacks against Puerto Ricans fighting for independence. Representatives of 20 Puerto Rican organizations and numerous other activists rallied January 10 in front of the U.S. Federal Court in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Another 40 Puerto Rican organizations and activists in New York, Philadelphia, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco also held actions.

The demonstrations opposed U.S. colonization of Puerto Rico and FBI assassinations and repression of independence activists. The numerous actions made clear that Puerto Ricans and Americans are standing firm against the FBI attacks, rejecting U.S. state terrorism and demanding: U.S. Out of Puerto Rico!

The latest FBI attack is being done utilizing a grand jury investigation of resistance organizations in Puerto Rico, particularly the Macheteros. The FBI last year assassinated Puerto Rican leader and patriot Filiberto Ojeda Rios, a leader of the Macheteros. They attempted to humiliate all Puerto Ricans by carrying out this terrorism on the day Puerto Ricans celebrate their uprising against Spanish colonialism. Now they are continuing this attack under the guise of an investigation. Subpoenas to appear before the Grand Jury, meeting in New York City, were issued to three young Puerto Rican activists. They were scheduled to appear on January 11, 2008. January 11 is also a significant day in the struggle of Puerto Ricans for their rights — it marks the birth of Eugenio María de Hostos, another Puerto Rican patriot who fought the Spanish in the 1800s and organized to eliminate slavery in Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Committing these crimes on these dates is no accident. It is yet another effort by the U.S. to repress the Puerto Rican people by attacking their culture and tradition of struggle against colonialism. The subpoenas are part of on-going and increasing efforts to harass, intimidate and humiliate the resistance. As in Palestine and Iraq, these efforts are doomed to failure.

A federal grand jury appearance is not like a court appearance. The people subpoenaed do not have the right to have their lawyer present. They cannot refuse to give testimony, including on the basis of fifth amendment grounds not to incriminate oneself, and they cannot hear testimony or evidence by the government or other witnesses. Refusal to testify is grounds for imprisonment. Many Puerto Ricans refuse to appear as they reject colonization and thus reject U.S. courts having any jurisdiction in Puerto Rico. Activists also reject the notion that the government can force them to name names and contribute to the government’s terrorism of the Puerto Rican people. In this case, the appearance of the three was first postponed until February, and then postponed indefinitely without explanation.

Broad opposition has gone forward. As ProLibertad, one of the organizers of the actions brought out when the subpoenas were announced:

“Groups and individuals from diverse sectors of the Puerto Rican pro-independence movement and the Boricua Community in general, are currently urgently meeting in Puerto Rico and throughout the Diaspora to organize against the latest offensive by the U.S. Department of Justice, after being informed that several young Boricua pro-independence activists from New York City have been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury investigating the Puerto Rican Independence Movement in general, and in particular, the Ejercito Popular Boricua (EPB: Popular Boricua Army) known as the Macheteros.

“Tania Frontera, Christopher Torres and Julio Pabon Jr. are scheduled to appear before a federal grand jury on January 11, 2008. In the past, due to the fact that some pro-independence activists have traditionally refused to receive the subpoenas from the grand jury or to respond to its questions, many have ended up behind bars.

“Both the FBI and U.S. Dept. of Justice have made it clear that there is an ongoing investigation focused on the Ejercito Popular Boricua (EPB)-Macheteros. Special Agent Luis Fraticelli, who heads the FBI in San Juan, has said that the agency intends to capture Comandante Guasabara of the EPB, who is believed to have succeeded Filiberto Ojeda Rios in the leadership of the clandestine revolutionary organization. Ojeda Rios was assassinated by federal agents on September 23, 2005.

“The initial rumors that the recent subpoenas had been issued and served began to circulate almost simultaneously as the new progress report of the White House committee reviewing the colonial conditions of Puerto Rico was made public. The subpoenas, all served in New York City, are for appearances before the federal grand jury on January 11. Although many are surprised by the identity of some of the particular individuals targeted, this latest offensive by the U.S. federal government has not come as a total surprise to the Pro-Independence Movement, which has been organizing to prepare for an expected new wave of political repression and possibly arrests.”

Another activist informed, “The FBI seeking to intimidate these brothers and a sister have been submitting them to harassment visits at their homes and jobs. Then, upon failing to gain their cooperation, the three were subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury and testify or face incarceration. I guarantee that like in the past, this campaign will fail. It will once again fail like it did the many times in the past because the people of Puerto Rico understand that the FBI and Homeland Security are the same cowards who cruelly tortured, assassinated and incarcerated patriots and leaders of our nation since the illegal invasion and occupation July 25, 1898 of our nation.

“The people marched out in the streets in support of the great patriotic leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios and by the thousands attended his wake and burial. We marched and organized civil disobedience to stop the bombing of our beloved island of Vieques and succeeded in kicking the Navy out. We must resist and in unity build support for all those who are investigated, harassed, and jailed. We wholeheartedly stand firm and strong in support of these brothers and sisters who dare to struggle and dare to resist.”

Stop Grand Jury Witch Hunts!
U.S. Out of Puerto Rico!

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Close Guantánamo! Stop Torture! Punish the Guilty!

Numerous actions across the country demanded the immediate closure of the U.S. concentration camp at Guantánamo Naval base in Cuba. Demonstrators also demanded that government and military officials responsible for torture and holding hundreds of people in indefinite detention without charges be punished — beginning at the top with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The actions targeted U.S. state terrorism against the people and demanded that international and U.S. law be upheld. Major actions took place in Washington, D.C. and Miami. The DC action targeted the Supreme Court, which has authority to demand closure of Guantánamo but has failed to do so. Miami is home to the military’s Southern Command Headquarters, responsible for Guantánamo. Additional actions in various cities targeted the government at local federal buildings and commonly included dozens of people dressed as prisoners, with orange jumpsuits and black hoods. The hooded participants served to express participants’ stand with the people being held and focus on the government for its responsibility in torture and unjust and illegal imprisonment. More actions are being organized throughout the month of January.

Washington, DC

DC saw the largest actions, with hundreds of protesters, many of them from various political and rights organizations involved in defending the people at Guantánamo. More than 400 people joined the protest that marched from the national Mall to the Supreme Court. The action also included civil disobedience as dozens took their stands in and around the Supreme Court, demanding that it take action. Protesters succeeded in briefly closing down the courthouse. Eighty-two protesters were arrested. Many were denied food and water while incarcerated and released a day and a half later.

Miami, Florida

Various organizations and activists targeted the military for its role in oppressing the peoples worldwide and its torture and military commissions that go against the military code of conduct. They targeted the United States Southern Command Headquarters (USSOUTHCOM), responsible for the Guantánamo concentration camp. This targeting of USSOUTHCOM followed last year’s actions, where numerous organizations joined together to march to the Naval base at Guantánamo itself. The demonstration demanded that Guantánamo be closed and in meetings afterwards with the Cubans, joined them in their demand to immediately close Guantánamo and the entire U.S. Naval base and return the land that belongs to the Cuban people.

Langley, Virginia

On January 10 activists from the Washington Peace Center were joined by others for a vigil outside the main gates of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to oppose the secret CIA prisons and rendition (kidnapping) of people to such secret prisons as well as the CIA torture and destruction of tapes showing the CIA responsibility for torture. Many brought forward that the CIA, like the military, like all branches of the U.S. government, are required to uphold the law of the land which outlaws torture and all cruel and unusual punishment — no exceptions. The action also demanded that charges be brought against those responsible, at the CIA, military and all top government officials responsible.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More than a hundred people, organized mainly by the Brandywine Peace Community, gathered at noon in front of the Philadelphia Federal Building just yards from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. In steady rainfall, people stood and chanted with banners and signs. As the names of the nearly 300 people who remain imprisoned at Guantánamo were read, four people, in orange jumpsuits, black hoods and shackled together, came forward from the demonstrators. They stood forward in expression of the unity with the prisoners and rejection of U.S. torture, indefinite detention with no charges, and all the terrorism that is Guantánamo.

New York City

Even though there was torrential rain on Friday afternoon (January 11), more than one hundred protesters gathered in Foley Square to express their outrage against torture and to call for the closing of Guantánamo now. Among other actions, protesters dressed in orange succeeded in getting the issue of closing Guantánamo to a broad television audience, by being part of the audience for the Today Show.

Norwich, Connecticut

Thunder, lightning, and torrential downpours did not deter peace activists from marching to U.S. Representative Joe Courtney’s office to present a petition with about 300 signatures urging the closure of Guantánamo concentration camp and other U.S. detention camps. The march, organized by the Southeastern Connecticut Peace & Justice Network in conjunction with the War Resisters League and St. Francis House in New London, began at Chelsea Parade and culminated with a silent vigil in front of Courtney’s office in Courthouse Square.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Dozens of protesters gathered for a vigil on January 11 in front of the Federal Building. The action showed that people reject the U.S. terrorism imposed on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, including those imprisoned as Guantánamo, and the U.S. terrorism imposed on the people of New Orleans, including the imprisonment of large numbers of people following Katrina. Demonstrators demanded justice in New Orleans and Guantánamo.

San Francisco, California

On January 11, Bay Area activists staged a candlelight march through downtown San Francisco to demand that the U.S. government shut down the concentration camp, end indefinite detention, stop waterboarding and all other forms of torture, and repeal the Military -Commissions Act of 2006. Activists representing the Guantánamo prisoners, wearing orange jumpsuits, black hoods, and chains, led the march.

Among the various other cities where rallies, vigils, marches and meetings took place are: Atlanta, Georgia; Boise, Idaho; Boston, Massachusetts; Boulder, Colorado; Columbia, South Carolina; Corvallis, Oregon; Hollywood, California; Lansing, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Raleigh, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; San Antonio, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington; Waikiki, Hawai’i.

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The World Demands: Close Guantánamo!

More than 80 actions were held in 30 countries on every continent on January 11 to mark the International Day to Shut Down Guantánamo. From Warsaw, Poland to London, England, from Christchurch, New Zealand to Manila, Philippines, and in dozens of cities in the U.S., rights groups, social, religious and political organizations, veterans, retired and active military generals, women, workers, youth, students all stood together to demand the immediate closing of the concentration camp at Guantánamo. Actions also called for an end to all torture and terrorism by the U.S. government, and the release of all those held prisoner without charges. Many of the actions abroad took place in front of U.S. embassies.

Inside the U.S. many actions were organized in cities south, north, east and west (see article p. 15). Actions included sit-ins, rallies, vigils, marches, petitions, civil disobedience, teach-ins, and discussions. Many protesters here and worldwide wore orange as an expression of opposition to indefinite detention and torture. Orange is the color of the jumpsuits worn by the first Guantánamo prisoners and is also commonly used in U.S. prisons.

Over the past six years at least 800 people, including several teenagers, have been imprisoned at the concentration camp in Guantánamo. The vast majority has not been charged with any crime. In fact, to date only four are even scheduled for trial by military commission. People held at Guantánamo have been subjected to torture and other cruel and unusual punishment, such as solitary confinement, repeated and lengthy interrogation coupled with not being allowed to sleep, forced to remain standing for long periods, and more. It is estimated that about 300 individuals continue to be imprisoned at the concentration camp, although it is possible that more are being held in secret. According to the military, a camp for 10,000 “refugees” is also being built on the base.

The past and present torture of hundreds of people guilty of no crime and refused any trial has been well documented. The concentration camp has been repeatedly condemned and opposed by national and international rights organizations, including the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Red Cross, the International Federation for Human Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The camp openly violates international and U.S. law, including the uniform code of military justice, the Geneva conventions and other conventions on torture.

Retired Colonel Ann Wright, who took part in the protest action at the Southern Command in Miami, and in Cuba, at Guantánamo, last year, said, “All prisoners deserve humane treatment and fair trials, which is not happening in Guantánamo. U.S. federal courts, not military commissions, should hear the cases against those charged with terrorist acts and the infamous prison in Guantánamo should be immediately shut down.”

The latest indication of the government’s continued crimes and impunity is the dismissal on January 11, the International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantánamo, by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit of a lawsuit brought by four former prisoners against the U.S. government for torture. The people involved, from Britain, were held more then two years at Guantánamo. The court ruled that “detainees” were not “persons” and therefore did not have legal protections.

Another recent indication that the government fully plans to continue with Guantánamo-style concentration camps is the expansion of a similar concentration camp located on the U.S. military base in Bagram, Afghanistan, where more than 600 people are being illegally and unjustly imprisoned. Like Guantánamo, its systematic torture, abuse, and deaths of people imprisoned are well known and documented.

Protesters are standing firm in demanding that there be no impunity for U.S. government officials in all branches, whether the White House, military, Congress or courts, that sanction torture and illegal imprisonment, at Guantánamo, inside the U.S. or anywhere else.

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International Day of Action • January 11, 2008

No More Torture, No More Indefinite Detention, Shut Down Guantánamo!

International Federation for Human Rights

Today, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), a French organization representing its 155 member organizations from all regions of the world, its member league in the United States, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), and the U.S. group Witness Against Torture, will engage in various actions to demand an end to six years of torture and abuse at Guantánamo and justice for those detained indefinitely in direct violation of U.S. and international law.

January 11, 2008 marks six years of indefinite detention for nearly 300 men at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay. We, human rights defenders from all regions of the world, declare this day an International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantánamo.

Human rights advocates will march on the United States Supreme Court in Washington at 12 noon wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods, representing each of the men still detained at Guantánamo. Our organizations today formally appeal to the nine justices to affirm in Al Odah v. United States, a case in which CCR is a counsel, and Boumediene v. Bush, in which FIDH filed an amicus brief, what all the rest of the world knows: that torture and the suspension of habeas corpus (the right to challenge one’s detention) are not only immoral and unconstitutional, but are crimes for which U.S. officials must be held accountable.

Despite repetitive calls to close down Guantánamo — issued by the United Nations, the European Union, foreign government officials, human rights organizations, former members of the U.S. military and others — approximately 300 men are still being held at the base. Many of these men have been cleared for release but continue to languish in Guantánamo simply because they have nowhere to go — their home countries would persecute or torture them if they were returned, and the United States has refused to provide them safe haven. Some Guantánamo detainees have been forcibly returned to countries that are known to commit egregious human rights abuses despite the pleas of these men not to be sent there.

The situation at Guantánamo affect all regions of the world, because it has set a precedent encouraging other States to also legalize the erosion of human, civil and political rights in the name of the fight against terrorism.

We, human rights defenders from all regions of the world, solemnly call on the U.S. government to:

• Charge and try or release all detainees;

• Clearly and unequivocally forbid torture and all other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, by the military, the CIA, prison guards, civilian contractors, or anyone else;

• Pay reparations to current and former detainees and their families for violations of their human rights;

• Repeal the Military Commissions Act and restore habeas corpus;

• Stop forcibly returning detainees to countries where they fear torture or persecution; and

• Shut down Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, Bagram, and all other U.S. prisons overseas, including secret CIA detention facilities.

We also call upon European Union member States to resettle the Guantánamo detainees from third countries who would fear torture if they were sent back to their country of origin.

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Demand Candidates Take a Stand

Close Guantánamo Now!

Center for Constitutional Rights

Today marks a shameful anniversary — it is six years since the opening of the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Six years after the first 20 men arrived at the offshore prison camp, Guantánamo has held close to 800 men and become an international symbol of torture, abuse of executive power, and disregard for the rule of law. Guantánamo should be a central issue for the presidential candidates: please help us pin them down to concrete plans and solutions, not just vague statements. Write the candidates today and demand that they promise to close Guantánamo.

Hundreds of detainees remain imprisoned, and not one detainee has had a fair hearing before a real court despite the Supreme Court’s 2004 decision in our landmark case Rasul v. Bush that the men at Guantánamo have the right to habeas corpus. In December, we represented detainees before the Supreme Court yet again and await the decision this spring.

Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) is among those leading the legal battle to close Guantánamo, but it will take a commitment from all branches of our government to shut down the detention center safely and permanently. Many of the 2008 presidential candidates have said they will close Guantánamo, but promises often times are not backed up by action. President Bush himself has repeatedly said he would like to close Guantánamo, but many empty promises later, it still remains open.

And it is not just about closing Guantánamo, it is about making sure that detainees who are released are safely resettled without fear of further torture or indefinite detention. It is about closing U.S. detention sites — like Bagram in Afghanistan and the CIA black sites — that are scattered all around the world. It’s about rescuing our Constitution.

Take action today! Write to all of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates and demand that they promise to:

• Close Guantánamo and provide a detailed plan for how and when they would do so;

• End the use of torture, extraordinary rendition, and ghost detention;

• Rescind the legal memos that have been used by this administration to justify and redefine torture;

• Safely resettle all released detainees and work actively to find safe third countries for those who fear torture in their home countries;

• Abide by the Geneva Conventions, international law, and all of the treaties we have signed.

It is past time to move our country beyond Guantánamo, beyond torture, and beyond the impunity of the Bush administration and the executive branch. Let the Democratic and Republican candidates know that whoever is elected our next President must respect the rule of law and restore the Constitution.

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Yemen Calls on U.S. to Close Guantánamo

Press TV, Iran, January 12, 2008

Yemen’s president has officially asked the U.S. to close the Guantánamo Bay prison camp and release all prisoners to show its goodwill. “I hope that the United States releases all those held at Guantánamo, based on the principles of human rights, freedom and justice upon which your country was founded,” President Ali Abdullah Saleh told U.S. President George W. Bush in a letter.

According to Yemen’s media, about 100 Yemenis are being held at Guantánamo, making them the biggest group among the approximately 275 detainees there. “I am sure that such an undertaking would draw a wide positive response from peoples and countries around the world,” a senior Yemeni official quoted Saleh as saying in the letter.

Saleh said Yemen would study charges against the detainees and prosecute them under Yemeni laws. A security team from Yemen is to visit Guantánamo and meet with the detainees in early February, the official said. Washington has been under international pressure to close the prison in Cuba, which many human rights watchdogs say is illegal because detainees are being held there without charge.

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San Francisco Action Defends Right to Housing

Green Ribbon Campaign

Join us for a protest vigil as activists from across the Bay Area support the Green Ribbon Campaign, which was launched by activists fighting for affordable housing and Reconstruction for Black and working people of New Orleans, throughout the Gulf Coast and nationwide.

On January 26, people around the world will be taking to the streets to show that “another world is possible.” In a demonstration of our commitment to a better world, the people of the Bay Area will be holding a protest vigil to demand affordable housing and reconstruction of New Orleans, the Gulf Coast and black and working class communities everywhere. Join us at the home of Senator Dianne Feinstein as we call on her to step up to ensure the passage of the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act (SB 1668).

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Demonstrate January 26

Buffalo Defends Rights in Palestine and New Orleans

The Lackawanna Discussion Group -Commission on Rights (LDGCOR) calls on all concerned to join the International Days of Action to defend rights in Palestine, New Orleans and worldwide. U.S.-Israeli crimes in Gaza are such that dozens of Palestinians have been killed in a matter of days and all power to Gaza was shut down. 1.5 million people are being subjected to collective punishment and forced to go without lights and water, with hospitals and businesses forced to close and starvation being imposed on all.

But the Palestinians refuse to submit to U.S. dictate and Israeli occupation. Relying on their own organized resistance, they broke the siege. They bulldozed and blasted through the wall along the Egyptian border with Gaza, with tens of thousands pouring into Egypt to secure food, fuel and supplies for all Gazans. We applaud the firm resistance of the Palestinians and their stand to rely on their own efforts to secure their rights. We condemn the U.S. government for again blocking any action by the United Nations Security Council, and its continued protection, funding and support of Israel. It is the U.S. that makes all these crimes possible and which is responsible for them.

In New Orleans, the U.S. government is continuing its crimes against the peoples, refusing its duty to guarantee the right of Katrina survivors to return and rebuild. Now they are acting to make certain that thousands of families, most African Americans, are blocked from returning by demolishing public housing — housing that is useable, in buildings that are solid and suffered little damage.

Let Buffalonians again join peoples worldwide in rejecting these brutal attacks and all efforts by the U.S. to criminalize resistance and blame the peoples for the crimes of the U.S. Come and take a stand! Join LDGCOR along with Buffalo Forum to DEMONSTRATE this Saturday, January 26 at 1pm, Elmwood and Bidwell. Bring your signs and banners. Let us all unite together in action to defend rights!

Stop the Siege of Gaza! Oppose U.S.-Israeli Crimes!

No to Demolition of Public Housing in New Orleans!

Our Security Lies in Our Fight!

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Defend Public Housing
in New Orleans

Organizations in New Orleans are calling for demonstrations in support of the right to return and rebuild, including the right to housing for all. A main focus is stopping the demolition of public housing in New -Orleans, an attack demanded by the federal government and enforced at the state and local level. The actions for January 25 and 26 are seen as part of national and worldwide actions on these days in support of the Palestinians and against imperialist globalization. All of these demonstrations are bringing forward the demand for another world where the rights of all are placed center stage and making clear that the peoples everywhere are marching together to achieve this new world.

Organizers in New Orleans bring out that the attack on public housing are part of an overall attack by government on the public and public institutions, like schools, housing and hospitals. The federal government is attempting to make an example of New Orleans. It is using it as a testing ground for eliminating even the conception of government responsibility for the public and for meeting basic rights such as those to housing, schools and healthcare.

As part of the immediate struggle, organizers are targeting the Senate, where a bill that helps prevent some of the destruction of public housing, SB 1668, awaits passage. Demonstrators nationwide are urged to target Senate offices in their area to demand that the federal government do its duty to uphold the right to housing.

In its call for the actions, the Coalition to Stop the Demolitions, a main organizer in New Orleans, also encourages organizations and activists to go to New Orleans to join in doing out-reach, base-building and non-violent civil disobedience (contact action@peopleshurricane.org for more information). They ask that federal Congresspeople and Louisiana and New Orleans officials be bombarded with faxes, emails, phone calls and letters — demanding that these government officials uphold the right to housing, work to stop demolitions and pass legislation that provides funds and forces to guarantee the right to return and rebuild. Organizers are also calling for a boycott of Mardi Gras and the NBA All Star Game until the mayor and city council of New Orleans stand to oppose the demolitions and address the current housing crisis.

The Coalition has put forward the following demands:

• No Demolitions — reopen the existing public housing units and rebuild dignified housing at former public housing sites.

• Guaranteed one-to-one replacement for all public housing residents.

• All available public housing units should be made available for the homeless and those likely to face homelessness from the pending loss of rent vouchers and trailer recalls.

• Rent control (at pre-Katrina rates) to provide affordable housing so that all will be able to return to the city.

• Stop the privatization and gentrification of the city.

• The Federal government needs to suspend demolition until they complete their own investigation of Housing and Urban Development head Alphonso Jackson regarding the illegal no-bid contracts he awarded to his cronies.

Organizers in New Orleans also encourage everyone to join the struggle by:

• Producing media stories and get the word out (through articles, editorials, radio, television, and internet broadcasts) covering the struggle for housing and human rights in New Orleans and promoting the peoples’ just demands (using listserves, blogs, and websites).

• Help re-register Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Outreach by local activists to the IDPs still in their area is needed.

• Blitz major newsprint, TV, and cable media networks and demand that they cover the issue, including the many protests in defense of rights.

Defend the Right to Return and Rebuild! Housing is a Right! Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere!

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