Defense Team for Gerardo Hernandez Files Appeal in U.S. Court

 Aug. 20, 2012 cadenagramonte.cu

Miami, August 20.- The defense team for Gerardo Hernandez, one of the five Cuban anti-terrorists sentenced to long prison terms in the United States, filed an appeal today in Miami to overturn his conviction.

Attorney Martin Garbus introduced the 82-page affidavit in the U.S. District Court in Miami, to support the habeas corpus appeal for Gerardo and the reversal of his conviction, citing misconduct by the U.S. Government during the trial.

Gerardo, sentenced to double life plus 15 years, was detained in September 1998 along with Rene Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and Fernando Gonzalez, for monitoring violent groups in Miami that were organizing and carrying out actions against the island.

Through the affidavit, the defense team asks the court, on behalf of Gerardo, to order discovery from Washington of evidence that reveals payments to journalists to create a hostile atmosphere and influence the jury for a conviction.(Taken from Radio Havana Cuba)

Al-Awda- The Right to Return

Aug. 20, 2012 Al-Awda

This moving video was made by Jihane Al Quds. It is an invitation for you to
join us at Al-Awda's 10th Annual International Convention in San Diego
September 7-9, 2012. The video is short and to the point. The music is by Le
Trio Joubran.

Here is the URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Im0ko64CE



For the commemoration of the Palestinian refugees and their right to return to their homeland, join us for the 10th annual international Al-Awda convention in San Diego, CA.
Special guest: Marcel Khalife

Alexey Polikhovich - third anarchist, remanded for 6th of May riots in Moscow

Aug. 20, 2012 Avtonom

 

27th of July, Basmanniy district court of Moscow remanded Alexey Polikhovich for one month. He is 16th suspect for participating to rioting in Bolotnaya square 6th of May 2012, in day of inauguration of Vladimir Putin. He was third arrested anarchist - Aleksandra Dukhanina has been in a house arrest since 29th of May, Stepan Zimin has been in remand prison since 9th of July. Alexey Polikhovich was arrested in the evening of 25th of July, his house was searched and his computer was confiscated. Investigative committee of the Russian Federation is suspecting Alexey of having committed crimes according to parts 2 and 3 of the statute 212 of the criminal codex of the Russian Federation.(calls for and participation to a riot), and part 1 of the statute 318 of the criminal codex of the Russian Federation (violence against a representative of authority). Investigative committee presented witness statements of police, who attacked permitted demonstration, who claimed that Polikhovich was de-arresting people that day, and also a photograph of a masked person, whom they claimed to be Polikhovich. 

Investigator also read a written testimony from "E center", that Polikhovich "is a member and has connections in extremist organisations".

According to defence, prosecution has no case, and also presented a positive characteristics from his current workplace.

Alexey Polikhovich is 21 years old, he was conscripted to Northern Fleet (his photograph attached to this article is from his time in service). Currently Alexey is studying in Russian State Social University of Moscow in a conflictology program (he finished first year of his studies), and is working as a courier.

Polikhovich was part of the anarchist blocs during all the main oppositional actions during the winter, he joined Occupy in Moscow after inauguration of Putin, and also participated to defence of the Cagovsky forest in Moscow region. He was detained 6th of May.

Additional information: +7-985-247-20-65 (Moscow group of Autonomous Action)

You may donate for arrested through Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow: http://wiki.avtonom.org/en/index.php/Donate

Russian Anti-fascists are facing charges for making a movie

Aug. 20, 2012 Avtonom

(This is a partial English translation of a program, aired in Dozhd TV channel 17th of August, which is embedded below.)

Center of Counteraction Against Extremism ("E-Center") in the city of Vladimir did not liked amateur movie "Russian anti-racist skinheads", and they opened a criminal case against makers of the film. According to them, film incited hatred against "social group of skinheads and nationalists".
Ilya Vasyunin: Movie was first screened one year ago. I was in one of the secret screenings in Moscow. It is dangerous to publicly screen such movies, as such an event may be attacked by "social group of nationalists".

Film includes cuts from concerts of anti-fascist bands and interviews of such bands, from Russia and other countries of former Soviet Union.

Author visited several cities and screened the film, and in one of these cities, in Vladimir, he was detained. This happened one week ago, and soon he learned, that a criminal case has been opened against him.

Andrei Ivanov, author of the film: I came to the city of Vladimir, and I was arrested by E-Center officials. First they made drug tests, which did not revealed anything, alcometer also showed zero intoxication. I was detained and I spent in a police station all night, next day I was transferred to prosecution administration of the Vladimir region.

Movie does not include any calls - its purpose is just to show existence of such a subculture.

Sidorkina, lawyer of Ivanov: According to the prosecution, "Ivanov on purpose, with a goal of inciting hate or animosity according to membership in a social group of "skinheads", with nationalistic ideas, made a public movie screening of video "Russian anti-racist skinheads". Currently in all major cities, such as Nizhni Novgorod and Moscow, criminal cases are opened against Antifa.

Ilya Vasunin: This is not the first time, when statute 282 of the Russian criminal codex ("inciting hate against a group") is used against anti-
fascists. But this far no anti-fascists have been sentenced according to the statute, so it remains to be seen, how the case will stand on court.

Source: http://tvrain.ru/articles/vrazhda_k_natsionalistam_kak_sotsialnoj_gruppe...
To download Russian version of the film: http://narod.ru/disk/23231697001/Russian%20Anti-Racist%20Skinheads%20DVD%20(2011).avi.htm

To watch English version of the film in the youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R06SJKnNKqY

Call for action at Obama 2012 offices nationwide Sept. 6th during DNC

Bradley Manning Support Network call to action at Obama Campaign offices

Hundreds rally at Obama campaign offices for Bradley, veterans arrested (photos &
video) The Bradley Manning Support Network, Afghans For Peace and SF Bay Iraq
Veterans Against the War Call for Nationwide Actions at local Obama Campaign Offices
September 6th 2012 during the Democratic National Convention! Free Bradley Manning!

Since Army PFC Bradley Manning’s arrest in May 2010 for allegedly sharing the
“Collateral Murder” video and other evidence of war crimes and government corruption
with the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, progressives and human rights activists
have been asking, “Why isn’t President Obama stepping in to help Bradley?”
After all, it was President Obama who in May 2011 declared with regards to protests
in the Middle East,
“In the 21st Century, information is power; the truth cannot be hidden; and the
legitimacy of governments will ultimately depend on active and informed citizens.”

On Thursday, August 16, US military veterans in Portland OR, Oakland CA, and Los
Angeles CA, occupied Obama 2012 campaign offices and faxed a letter of demands to
the Obama campaign’s central office. Those letters began:
As those who have spent years serving our country, we have faith that as
Commander-in-Chief, President Obama will do the right thing in answering our
request.

The letter went on to list the following demands:

That President Obama retract and apologize for remarks made in April 2011, in which
he said Bradley Manning “broke the law.” Because President Obama is
commander-in-chief, this constitutes unlawful command influence, violating Article
37 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and prevents Bradley from
receiving a fair trial.

That President Obama pardon the accused whistle-blower, taking into consideration
his 800 days of pretrial confinement. UN torture chief Juan Mendez called Manning’s
treatment “cruel and inhuman,” as it included nine months of solitary confinement at
Quantico despite Brig psychiatrists recommending relaxed conditions.

The Bradley Manning Support Network maintains hope that justice will prevail and
that President Obama can be the vehicle of change on this issue, but first he needs
to hear loud and clear from veterans and civilians across the country that the
American people want amends for the unlawful torture of Bradley Manning, and believe
he should be freed.
Organizers of the August 16 West Coast actions are now urging others to join them in
a nationwide effort to hold actions at many more local Obama campaign offices on
September 6th, the day of candidate’s nomination acceptance speech. We want to share
messages of support for Bradley with Obama campaign offices from coast to coast.

Please contact mailto:%20emma@bradleymanning.org for more information about
attending and/or organizing an event.

________________________________

Donate now to the Bradley Manning defense fund.
For more information about the defense fund click here.

________________________________

Veterans occupy Oakland & Portland
campaign offices for Bradley, 12 arrested Six veterans and activists in Oakland,
and six more in Portland, OR, were arrested Thursday night at Obama campaign offices
for occupying the spaces in solidarity with accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower PFC
Bradley Manning. Dozens of veterans and anti-war demonstrators coordinated a West
Coast set of actions that also included protests in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and
Seattle. Among the approximately 100 Oakland protesters was Iraq War veteran Scott
Olsen, who participated in the sit-in, said, “We occupied the President’s campaign
office to raise awareness about the injustices Bradley Manning has endured. Bradley
has sacrificed for us, doing what was right despite potentially spending the rest of
his life in jail.”
Read more...

An update on the situation of Belarusian anarchist prisoners

Belarus ABC

Mikalai Dziadok (4,5 years) is finishing his 3rd month in a solitary cell after having refused to work on Saturdays. Work is obligatory in Belarusian penal colonies, but is regulated by the Labour Code, which prescribes that a person shouldn’t work more than 40 hours a week. Mikalai was forced to work more on Saturdays, but refused to do so. He was punished with 6 months of solitary confinement on June 1st. During this period he is deprived of all dates, phone calls and food supply from the outside.

Ihar Alinevich (8 years) served 14 days in a punishment cell for refusing to clean the inner yard of the colony. This work is done only by certain prisoners who relate to the downcasts*. Thus, the prison administration tries to make him the downcast as well. In Belarusian prisons the downcasts do all the dirty work, eat and work in the distance, they are objects of humiliation and often used for sex by other prisoners. The pressure can be the result of the fact that Ihar’s mother started publishing his prison diaries. Earlier he refused to sign a petition for mercy.

Aliaksandr Frantskevich (3 years) was put in a punishment cell for refusing to clean the cell, which is the work for the downcasts. Before that he was visited by a top-rank policemen, who had organised the arrests of anarchists in autumn 2010. He tried to intimidate Aliaksandr and hinted at the necessity to sign the petition for mercy. Moreover, other prisoners get punished for having contacts with Aliaksandr.

Jauhen Vas’kovish (7 years) doesn’t receive any letters from people other than his parents. The censor only shows him empty envelopes. He informed that he had also been asked to sign the petition for mercy, but refused to do so.

Artsiom Prakapenka (7 years) conducts a hunger strike since August 8th and is now in a punishment cell. Artsiom was forced to work in the first shift, thus he cannot make a special vegetarian lunch for himself, as he had done before, when he worked in the second shift. He also refused to sigh the petition for pardon and receives letters only from parents.

Pavel Syramolatau (7 years) signed the petition for pardon in June, but has not been released so far.

* There is a strict hierarchy in post-soviet prisons, according to which several “casts” are distinguished. Every cast has a certain scope of rights and duties. The hierarchy is now not so strict as before, but still the prison authority has to put up with it. Sometimes it uses the hierarchy in its own interests.

“Blatnye” – professional criminals, part of ‘mafia’ or organised groups outside of prison, are on top of the hierarchy. They are in charge of illegal supply of food, tea, cigarettes and cell phones in prison. They guarantee the ‘prison law’ and judge conflicts between other prisoners. Usually don’t work.

“Muzhiki” – ordinary prisoners, the most numerous group. They work, don’t fight for the power in prison, don’t collaborate with the prison administration.

“Kozly” (trusties, ‘activists’) – prisoners, openly collaborating with the prison authority, working for the administration (librarians, different managers, etc.). It is frowned on to get in touch with this cast.

“Opuschennye” (the downcasts) – gays, people that are used for sex (even if they are not gay), prisoners, sentenced for paedophilia, rapists, and people that get in touch with the previously mentioned. It is enough to take something from the downcast, to touch him or to eat with him at one table to be considered a downcast as well. They don’t have any rights and usually do the dirty work – washing toilets, etc. They always live separated from other prisoners.

The prison authority tried to break the ‘laws’ and mix all kinds of prisoners, but it always resulted in mass disorders and suicide attempts. For any prisoner it is better to die or get punished than to be labelled a downcast by others and serve the rest of the sentence in humiliation. It is almost impossible to change your cast.

Murder anniversary brings sorrow and controversy in COINTELPRO case

• August 17, 2012 Examiner.com
• By: Michael Richardson

Larry Minard murdered August 17, 1970

Credits: Official photo

The bombing murder of patrolman Larry Minard, Sr. in Omaha, Nebraska, forty-two years ago, August 17, 1970, still haunts the Midwestern city. The killing of Minard was blamed on the Black Panthers and two of its leaders, Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Langa (formerly David Rice) were convicted and continue to serve life sentences at the maximum-security Nebraska State Penitentiary. However, the prosecution of the case was tainted by withheld evidence on the identity of the 911 caller who lured Minard to his death in a booby-trapped vacant house. The order to withhold a lab report came from J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as a part of a massive, illegal, clandestine counter-intelligence operation code-named COINTELPRO.

West Omaha with its tony new subdivisions and shining shopping centers is a world away from the remnants of the Near-Northside, Omaha’s “ghetto”, where weedy vacant lots are more common than houses. On North 24th Street the remains of a neighborhood still in the clasp of crime, fear, and poverty are evident. The new Omaha has forgotten Larry Minard and moved on, while the Near-Northside, Minard’s former beat, still remembers the fallen officer. But Minard is not remembered for his heroism, instead, he is remembered as another victim of Hoover’s COINTELPRO plot to destroy the Black Panthers.

Ever since the controversial April 1971 trial that convicted Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Langa, now known as the Omaha Two, doubt about their guilt has openly surfaced in the Near-Northside. Just last weekend an event was held at the Malcolm X birthplace featuring the new film COINTELPRO 101 and a discussion about the Omaha Two as political prisoners. Meanwhile, new Omaha it seems, just doesn’t want to know of such things. Earlier this summer the Omaha City Council voted not to even hear a request to reopen the Minard murder investigation which was based on new information not available at trial about J. Edgar Hoover’s tampering.

J. Edgar Hoover conducted his own secret war on political activists he deemed subversive. The COINTELPRO operation lasted fourteen years, was nationwide in scope, and consumed vast amounts of FBI resources. Many of the COINTELPRO misdeeds were illegal had a lethal ferocity. Hoover hated no group as much as the Black Panthers and personally commanded the secret activities of his agents.

In Omaha, the FBI director was particularly upset at the lack of “imagination” against the Black Panthers and chided Special Agent-in-Charge Paul Young for a lack of results. Minard’s murder provided the FBI with a perfect scenario, pinning the crime on the Black Panther leadership. Young sprang into action the day of the bombing and proposed to Assistant Chief of Police Glen Gates that the FBI take custody of the incriminating 911 recording which captured the voice of a killer. Two days later, before Larry Minard was even buried, J. Edgar Hoover gave the order to FBI Crime Laboratory director Ivan Willard Conrad to not issue a report on the identity of the 911 caller. Hoover let the anonymous caller get away with murder to make a case against the Omaha Two.

The jury that convicted Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Langa never got to hear the crucial 911 tape or even know of its existence. The jury also never knew about the existence of COINTELPRO in Omaha and the jury was never informed of Hoover’s orders to get the Black Panther leadership off the streets.

Every August the anniversary of Larry Minard’s murder brings an unheard call from Omaha's Near-Northside for justice and the date brings annual sorrow and controversy.

For more information on the Omaha Two