> WW News Service Digest #125 > > 1) Mumia activists speak on Cuban TV > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 2) Fidel on Shaka: 'Executed simply for being Black' > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 3) Colombian revolutionaries vow to confront aggression > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 4) Former ambassador: Don't believe lies about Haitian elections > by "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 6, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >ROUNDTABLE ON U.S. PRISONS: >MUMIA ACTIVISTS SPEAK ON CUBAN TV > >By Gloria La Riva >Havana, Cuba > >During Shaka Sankofa's heroic struggle before his >execution, people around the world demanded a halt to his >murder. Nowhere was the consciousness about this case >higher than here in Cuba. > >For almost a week Cuba transmitted the news of Sankofa's >struggle and the crime of the U.S. "justice" system to the >domestic population and internationally in a series of >roundtable television programs, supplemented by Cuban radio >and newspapers. > >The first of these two-hour-long roundtable discussions on >U.S. prisons and the death penalty was aired on June 19. It >featured U.S. activists who are leading the fight for Mumia >Abu-Jamal and who organized to stop Sankofa's execution. > >Since the airing of that show, the complete transcript has >been published. Two million copies were distributed in >Cuba. The program was broadcast internationally in several >languages by satellite. It was also sent to every Cuban >embassy around the world. > >The HBO documentary on Mumia Abu-Jamal, "Case for a >Reasonable Doubt," was aired on Cuban national television, >which reaches the entire island, the night before this >historic roundtable. > >Participating in the roundtable were Pam Africa of MOVE >and the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia >Abu-Jamal; Mumia attorney Leonard Weinglass; Workers World >Party presidential candidate Monica Moorehead; attorney >Lennox Hinds; Rosemari Mealy, attorney and manager of WBAI >Pacifica radio; Gloria Rubac of the Texas Death Penalty >Abolition Movement, and Gloria La Riva of the International >Action Center. > >ANNIVERSARY OF ROSENBERG EXECUTION > >Moderator Randy Alonzo reminded the audience that June 19 >was also the 47th anniversary of the execution of Ethel and >Julius Rosenberg, "victims of the Cold War and the U.S. >legal system." > >Viewers saw a video segment of "Case for a Reasonable >Doubt" with Mumia speaking. > >The situation in Philadelphia was described by Pam Africa, >who has lived in that city all her life. She told how Mumia >had exposed police crimes after Frank Rizzo, earlier a >notorious police chief, became mayor. The Rizzo >administration carried out a virtual war on Black and >Latino Philadelphians. > >Africa said, "During that time, a young Black man by the >name of Cornell Warren, coming home from work, was >handcuffed with his hands behind his back, taken behind the >African American museum, deliberately shot in the back of >the head. > >"Winston X. Hood, another Black man, was beaten savagely >and then shot. None of the police officers ever did a day >in jail. Mumia's desire was to expose this." > >Rosemari Mealy, Mumia's friend during their teenage years >as Black Panther members in Philadelphia, talked of the >police attack on their party. "The Rizzo regime, working in >collusion with the FBI, organized a concerted attack >against the Black Panther Party and razed our organization. > >"Mumia Abu-Jamal emerged at 15 years old as a leader of >the Black Panther Party in Philadelphia, and this >infuriated the police department . to the point that we can >go to the FBI files, where he is identified as a threat >that had to be stopped." > >WEINGLASS ON THE POLITICS FACTOR > >Leonard Weinglass, lead attorney for Mumia, laid out the >legal scenario and the tremendous obstacles in the system >that are denying Abu-Jamal his right to a new trial. > >"In the system itself, politics, in most cases, is a >factor. The district attorney who ordered a death case for >Mumia became the mayor of the city of Philadelphia. Now he >is the national chairman of the Democratic Party. Had he >decided not to prosecute Mumia, he would not have become >the mayor, he would not be the chairman of the Democratic >Party. . > >"We have filed 29 separate claims that call for a new >trial for Mumia. Any one of those claims should give Mumia >a new trial, and we are waiting now to hear from this >judge. . We are convinced his innocence will be clearly >shown. But we have a problem. In 1996 the law was changed >[the federal Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty >Act, signed by Clinton], and it was changed in a way that >makes Mumia's appeal, even in the federal courts, very >difficult." > >The roundtable participants emphasized that the solidarity >movement and mobilizations throughout the U.S. and the >world will be the critical factor that forces justice in >the courts for Abu-Jamal. Pam Africa told of the breadth >and width of organizations and protests on every continent >for him. > >One of the coordinators of the Mumia support movement-- >Jeff Mackler of Mobilization for Mumia--spoke by telephone >on his visit with Abu-Jamal days earlier. > >The case of Shaka Sankofa, who was to be executed by the >state of Texas on June 22, was given major prominence in >this program and on all Cuban media in the following days. > >CUBANS HEAR OF SANKOFA CASE > >Gloria Rubac, longtime activist in the Texas death penalty >abolition struggle, explained to the Cuban audience that >"Shaka is from Houston, Texas, which is in Harris County. >Houston has executed so many people that if it were a state >it would be third behind Texas and then Virginia with the >highest number of executions. > >"In Shaka's case there was no evidence, except this one >woman who claims to have seen him. There was no blood, >there was no fingerprint, there was no confession, there >was no hair, nothing put him at this crime--except one >woman who mistakenly said it was Shaka who committed the >crime. > >"No court has ever heard the new evidence, heard the six >witnesses who all give a very similar description of the >killer, and it's not a description that matches Shaka >Sankofa." > >>From the moment that Sankofa's case was conveyed to the >Cuban people on television that night, he became a major >national figure. > >Lennox Hinds, well-known attorney and Rutgers law >professor, spoke of the repressive character of the U.S. >legal system against the masses, especially people of >color. "If we look at the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, we >actually see someone who is an example of the racist and >political application of the law. In the United States >there is the perception of justice which confuses many. . > >"But from the very inception of the United States of >America, in the very fabric of the country, we see racism >at play." Hinds brought up the cases of other political >prisoners--Leonard Peltier, Sundiata Acoli, Monda We Langa >and Sekou Odinga, among others. > >La Riva described the California prison system, the >largest in the world with 168,000 prisoners. She also spoke >of the massive corruption and brutality against Black and >Latino people by the Los Angeles Police Department. Many of >those victims of police brutality end up wrongfully >convicted, and in maximum-security facilities like Pelican >Bay State Prison. > >Monica Moorehead, national coordinator of Millions for >Mumia and WWP's presidential candidate, spoke on the >racist, anti-worker nature of the prison-industrial >complex. "There are two million people in U.S. federal, >state and local prisons. . That means that 25 percent of >the world's incarcerated people are in the United States. > >"Who's behind the growth of the prison-industrial complex? >It's mainly Wall Street firms and banks that finance the >construction of private prisons," she said. > >MUMIA'S SOLIDARITY WITH OTHER OPPRESSED > >Moorehead spoke of Abu-Jamal's many acts of solidarity >with struggles of the oppressed around the world, from >refusing to be interviewed by ABC TV during the lockdown- >strike of the workers there, to speaking out against the >prison-industrial complex. "That is why we feel that the >United States government, along with the ruling class that >props it up, wants Mumia silenced." Her speech was >extensively covered in the daily Granma national newspaper. > >Mumia Abu-Jamal prepared a solidarity statement to Cuba >that he recorded in Spanish for the show. The audience was >moved to hear him speak in Spanish to millions of Cuban >people, who need no convincing that the U.S. system of >capitalism is grinding down the masses of workers through >racism, poverty and exploitation. > >Since the show, Cuba has continued with extensive news >coverage of Sankofa's life history, his politicization in >prison, and his heroic call for justice as he was being >murdered. > >President Fidel detailed the facts of Sankofa's innocence >in a letter to 400,000 Cuban people attending a rally for >Eli n Gonz lez in Holgu°n province on June 24. He paid >tribute to Sankofa's courage in the face of such savagery >by Texas. (See accompanying article.) > >Cuba's national revolutionary media is doing more than >educate the Cuban masses about the system of repression in >the United States. Cuban media, mass organizations and the >Cuban leadership are actively taking a stand on behalf of >the most oppressed in U.S. society, especially Black people >who are victims of legalized lynching. > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <007d01bfe61b$72883da0$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Fidel on Shaka: 'Executed simply for being Black' >Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 20:53:34 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 6, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >FIDEL ON SHAKA: "EXECTED SIMPLY FOR BEING BLACK" > >[Reprinted from the June 24 edition of Granma >International.] > > > >Fidel recalled that in the hardest days of the battle for >Elian's liberation, the support of the U.S. people as a >whole rose to 70 percent, "which should not and will not be >forgotten." Within that support, which he described as >"decisive and admirable," he noted than 90 percent of >African Americans defended the rights of the child and his >father. > >In that context, he referred to the execution in Texas of >Shaka Sankofa, who, he said, "was murdered." Subsequently, >the Cuban president noted that independently of the legal >infractions attributed to Shaka with great emphasis by his >executioners when he was a marginalized adolescent living >in conditions of poverty and racial discrimination, "what >is unquestionable is that he was sentenced to death for an >alleged homicide when still a minor, without any >consideration or compassion whatsoever, and without his >guilt even having been proven." > >Fidel went on to affirm: "Everything done to him is in >contradiction with universally accepted legal doctrines and >principles." > >After his comments on the irregularities committed with >Sankofa, the Cuban leader stated that "it is generally >believed in the United States and throughout the world that >he was sentenced to death and executed simply for being >Black," on top of "the monstrous deed of subjecting him for >19 years to the funeral chapel or what is more bluntly >known as death row." > >Fidel emphasized that "Shaka Sankofa has shown the world >the bitter fruit of a social system where differences >between the richest and the poorest are infinite and where >individualism, egotism, consumerism, a generalized use of >firearms and violence reign as a philosophical foundation." > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <008301bfe61b$90d8dc60$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Colombian revolutionaries vow to confront aggression >Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 20:54:25 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 6, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >AFTER U.S SENATE VOTE: >COLOMBIAN REVOLUTIONARIES VOW TO >CONFRONT AGGRESSION > >By Andy McInerney > >The U.S. Senate took a giant step toward all-out war in >Colombia on June 21. > >The Senate voted 94 to five for a billion-dollar package >of military aid for the Colombian government. The package >is part of a much bigger $7.5 billion "Plan Colombia" that >is being orchestrated by the U.S. government. > >The reaction from Colombia was swift and defiant. "If the >people of Colombia are threatened, we will confront the >aggression," warned Simon Trinidad, spokesperson for the >Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC- >EP). > >"The Plan Colombia will raise more Manuel Marulandas," >Trinidad said. Manuel Marulanda, popularly known as >"Tirofijo"--Sureshot--is the legendary leader of the FARC- >EP. > >The Colombian Communist Party issued a June 23 statement >opposing the aid. "The approval of the Plan Colombia by the >United States Congress shows that a new chapter of military >intervention in Colombia is unfolding," the CCP's Executive >Committee wrote. The party called for a national >mobilization against the Plan Colombia. > >Before the Senate vote, 60 Colombian labor, human-rights >and community groups signed a declaration to the >international community opposing the Plan Colombia. "We >reject the Plan Colombia because it uses an authoritarian >concept of national security exclusively based on a >strategy against narcotics," the statement explained. > >"It will lead to the escalation of the social and armed >conflict. It fails to provide real solutions to drug >trafficking. It attacks the Indigenous populations by >destroying their culture and way of life." > >U.S. war package > >The $932 million approved by the Senate is primarily >designed to bolster the Colombian armed forces. The package >now needs to be reconciled with the $1.7 billion package >approved by the House of Representatives. > >The final package--attached to a bigger appropriations >package whose passage is all but assured--is expected to >total at least $1.3 billion. > >The centerpiece is an armada of 60 combat helicopters. The >House package includes 30 Huey II attack helicopters and 30 >advanced Blackhawk helicopters; the Senate package provides >60 Hueys. > >The package also provides funds for training three elite >counter-insurgency battalions, expanding the number of >Special Forces "advisers" beyond the 200-300 that the >Pentagon admits are already there. These battalions are >supposed to lead a "push into the south," referring to the >FARC-EP's stronghold. > >The Plan Colombia is marketed in the United States as part >of the "war on drugs." But any analysis of the aid package >and the current situation in Colombia reveals that this is >for public consumption only. > >The package is actually aimed at Colombia's powerful >insurgencies, the FARC-EP and the National Liberation Army >(ELN). > >Military aid has skyrocketed from around $50 million in >1998 to over $1 billion--a 20-fold increase in just two >years. Colombia is now the third biggest recipient of U.S. >military aid in the world. > >Study after study shows that drug traffickers in Colombia >maintain close connections to both the Colombian Armed >Forces and the political elite there. They have no >independent armed forces. > >Ruling-class crisis deepens > >The massive aid package is designed to prop up Colombia's >weak and notoriously corrupt ruling class. This regime is >currently facing depression-level economic conditions as >well as an unprecedented political and military challenge >from both the armed insurgencies and the mass movement. > >Unemployment in Colombia is officially over 20 percent; in >many areas it is over 50 percent. The Colombian peso has >lost over half its value against the dollar in the last >year alone. > >After a string of military defeats at the hands of the >insurgencies, the government of President Andres Pastrana >has been forced to the table for talks with the FARC-EP. >For the last 18 months, Pastrana has ceded a five- >municipality "demilitarized zone" to the FARC-EP so that >talks can be carried out. > >The talks have featured a series of "Public Audiences," in >which Colombians from around the country can travel to the >zone and make proposals for how they would address the >problems facing Colombia. These meetings have often become >popular speak-outs against the government's economic >policies that capitulate to the demands of the >International Monetary Fund. > >In the past two years, unions have led a series of general >strikes against Pastrana's economic policies. Peasants have >staged blockades of highways. In June, residents of the >Choc¢ province staged a general strike to protest the >government's neglect of the region. > >Few believe that the Plan Colombia can resolve this deep >crisis. "The U.S. aid is going to trigger a total crisis >and stimulate the war," political analyst Alejo Vargas told >USA Today on June 23. > >The package does signal a new level of struggle--a sign >that U.S. imperialism will not stand by quietly while its >representatives in Bogota are in trouble. Now U.S. >diplomats are twisting arms in Europe to approve more aid >at a high-level ministerial meeting in Spain in July. > >As opposition to the aid mounts in Colombia, Colombians >will surely be looking to the progressive movement in the >United States for allies and for solidarity. > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > >Message-ID: <008901bfe61b$a65a3b60$0a00a8c0@home> >From: "WW" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [WW] Former ambassador: Don't believe lies about Haitian elections >Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 20:55:01 -0400 >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >------------------------- >Via Workers World News Service >Reprinted from the July 6, 2000 >issue of Workers World newspaper >------------------------- > >FORMER AMBASSADOR: >DON'T BELIEVE LIES ABOUT HAITIAN ELECTIONS > >Former Haitian Ambassador-at-large Ben Dupuy and former >Consul to New York Guy Ferdinand addressed the media and >the public at the United Nations June 26. The two denounced >inaccuracies and violence-baiting by the U.S.-dominated UN, >Organization of American States and big-business media >concerning the senate elections held in Haiti in May. > >Dupuy blasted the leaders of these organizations for >violating their own rules prohibiting intervention in the >internal affairs of other nations. > >The Lavalas Party of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand >Aristide won the popular majority of senate votes at the >polls May 21. The OAS, with help from Reuters and the >Associated Press, launched an attack against Haitian >electoral officials, falsely claiming that vote-counting >procedures were in "defiance" of an OAS injunction. > >Dupuy said, "Our electoral law is very clear as to how >disputes are to be handled and by whom, and it is clearly >not by the OAS or the Associated Press or Reuters." > >Dupuy emphasized that the sovereignty of Haiti is at issue >and that as a sovereign nation, Haiti has the right to >determine its own destiny. > >Ferdinand and Dupuy also took the opportunity to make a >statement about Shaka Sankofa, saying, "We were horrified >by . the Supreme Court's decision to not hear the case of . >the almost surely innocent man who was executed by Gov. >George W. Bush's State of Texas last Thursday." > >-- Gery Armsby > > - END - > >(Copyleft Workers World Service. Everyone is permitted to >copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but >changing it is not allowed. For more information contact >Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message >to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
