Jericho 98 Thoughts from
Political Prisoners in Leavenworth
JERICHO 98 as many people already know and we hope many more soon will know is the nationwide March 27th rally in Washington DC, calling for the recognition and release of all political prisoners in America. In these remaining weeks before the rally, wed like to make a specific appeal to all justice and freedom loving people to seriously make the, acknowledgedly costly and significant, effort to come to Washington on March 27.
Here are some of the principal reasons we think this rally is so important. By important we mean not only for us, the political prisoners, but for the Freedom Struggle overall.
Two separate International Tribunals, empanelled under the authority of universally recognized international law and procedure, have heard the specific cases of over 100 American political prisoners and called for the U.S. government to release us. The "Special International Tribunal on the Violation of Human Rights of Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War in United States Prisons and Jails," convened and heard testimony in New York City in December 1990. The "International Tribunal of Indigenous Peoples and Oppressed Nationalities in the USA," convened and heard testimony in San Francisco in October of 1992.
From Guatemala to Cuba to South Africa and many other countries, political prisoners are being released and the U.S. government has publicly and positively commented on these moves. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa is even pardoning the confessed police torturers and murderers of leaders like Steve Biko. Yet anti-apartheid activists in the U.S. continue to languish in prison, unseen, locked down and with no foreseeable release dates for decades to come.
Come to Washington on March 27
Help blow the JERICHO horn for justice and freedom.
February 1998
Leavenworth federal prison
Jaan Karl Laaman, Ohio 7 political prisoner in captivity since 1984
Tom Manning, Ohio 7 political prisoner in captivity since 1985
Leonard Peltier, AIM political prisoner in captivity since 1976
Luis Rosa, Puerto Rican POW in captivity since 1981
This message is posted on the internet, on the RW Online at rwor.org