HEARTS AND MINDS
Political prisoners' rights attacked, including right to counsel
In the wake of the horrific attacks of September 11, Federal authorities have with no legitimate reason severely restricted the most basic civil rights of a number of political prisoners.
WHAT WE KNOW: Political prisoners Sundiata Acoli, Carlos Alberto Torres, Richard Williams, Jose Solis, Antonio Camacho Negron, Juan Segarra Palmer, Philip Berrigan, Tom Manning, Marilyn Buck and others were put in isolation following the September 11 attacks. Philip Berrigan, Tom Manning, and Marilyn Buck have recently been released back into general population. No reasons were given by authorities for this punitive move except in some cases "for their own protection" or "for investigation." At least some have been held completely incommunicado. Marilyn and Sundiata, and maybe others, were denied access even to their lawyers and religious advisors.
PLEASE CALL, WRITE OR FAX the Attorney General and the Bureau of Prisons at the addresses below. Bear in mind that while the issues at stake are great, the letters and calls should focus specifically on the prisoners' right to counsel and getting them back into general population. These people have all been in prison for long terms and had absolutely nothing to do with the events of September 11 -- as the prison authorities well know. through all their years in prison they have had few or no write-ups. Keep it simple: Why is this person in segregation? Why can they not have visits, especially from their lawyers? What is this about? What makes you think this person is suddenly a threat?
It would also be very helpful to send personal mail to as many political prisoners as you can, to give them moral support and to let the prisons see that they are not forgotten. Even brief greetings count for a lot. Address lists can be found on the Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC) website at http://prisonactivist.org/pps+pows/pplist-alpha.shtml, the Nuclear Resister at http://www.nonviolence.org/nukeresister and The Jericho Amnesty Movement at http://www.thejerichomovement.com
It is important to protest these restrictions and reaffirm rights for all, for if the Administration can eliminate Constitutional rights for these vulnerable activists, they will be encouraged to "suspend" these rights for others.
Please pardon any double postings.
In solidarity,
Friends of Marilyn Buck
fombuck@yahoo.com
ADDRESSES
Attorney General John Ashcroft
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
E-mail AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. [and indicate for Attorney General in subject]
Phone (202) 353-1555
Fax:(202) 514-5331
Kathleen Hawk Sawyer
Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street NW Washington, D.C. 20534
Fax: (202) 514-6620
Phone: (202) 307-6300