SAN FRANCISCO EIGHT in the 80S, However, the ABC Began to Gain W H at IS the ANARCHIST BLACK CROSS FEDERAT I O N ? Popularity Again in the US and Europe
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$2 A B C F U P D A T E Q UA R T E R L Y P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E A B C F Wi n t e r 2007 "Any movement that does not support their political internees is a sham movement." - O. Lutalo Issue #47 SAN FRANCISCO EIGHT In the 80s, however, the ABC began to gain W H AT IS THE ANARCHIST BLACK CROSS FEDERAT I O N ? popularity again in the US and Europe. For years, the A B C ’s name was kept alive by a The Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) began provide support to those who were suff e r i n g number of completely autonomous groups shortly after the 1905 Russian Revolution. It because of their political beliefs. scattered throughout the globe and support- formed after breaking from the Political Red In 1919, the org a n i z a t i o n ’s name changed ing a wide variety of prison issues. Cross, due to the group’s refusal to support to the Anarchist Black Cross to avoid confu- In May of 1995, a small group of A B C Anarchist and Social Revolutionary Political sion with the International Red Cross. collectives merged into a federation whose Prisoners. The new group, naming itself the Through the 1920s and until 1958, the org a n- aim was to focus on the overall support and Anarchist Red Cross (ARC), began to pro- ization worked under various other names defense of Political Prisoners and Prisoners vide aid to those Political Prisoners who but provided the same level of support as the of Wa r. were refused support by the PRC. other groups working as Anarchist Black Various groups have since merged in In the early decades, the organization had Cross. numerous networks throughout the globe chapters throughout Europe and North After 1936, the ABC expanded its aid to working on various prison issues. T h e America. These chapters worked together to places such as Greece, Italy and Spain. Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) provide assistance to prisoners only in In 1958, the organization collapsed but has continued its mission to focus on the aid Russia. Soon other groups, such as the r e e m e rged in 1967 in London, England. and support of Political Prisoners. We take Latvian Anarchist Red Cross, emerged to Once again ABC chapters spread throughout the position that PP/POWs demand our top provide aid in other Eastern European coun- the globe providing support for imprisoned p r i o r i t y. We strive to continue with the same tries. Armed with the ideas of mutual aid a n d comrades. Sadly, by the end of the 1970s dedication and solidarity to our fallen com- s o l i d a r i t y, these groups worked tirelessly to only a handful of ABC chapters still existed. rades as those before us have shown. Introduction: The ABCF is: “Crucially important to maintaining the anarchist integrity of this org a n i z a t i o n PRISONER’S COMMITTEE is the fact that Branch Groups and Support Groups are freely autonomous to OJORE LUTALO BILL DUNNE take on whatever initiatives they can to further the Unity of Purpose of the #59860 / Box 861 10916-086 A B C F. So long as these initiatives do not contradict any preexisting agree- Trenton, NJ 08625 Box 2068 Inez, KY 41224 ments (Tactical Unity) that have been made by the A B C F, it is not necessary SEKOU KAMBUI USP Big Sandy 113058 / BOX 56 for all groups to approve of and/or agree with programs, projects or work of SCC (B1-21) HANIF BEY other ABCF collectives.” [from the ABCF Constitution and Structure] Elmore, AL 36025 295933 / Box 759 Big Stone Gap, VA JAAN LAAMAN 24219 The following definitions are used to describe the below terms whenever W41514 / Box 100 they appear in the ABCF Update or any other ABCF literature. South Walpole, MA 02071 P o l i t i c a l P r i s o n e r ( P P ) : A person incarcerated for actions carried out in ABCF GROUPS support of legitimate struggles for self determination or for opposing the NJ ABC PHILLY ABC illegal policies of the government and/or its political subdivisions. [Special New Address PO Box 42129 International Tribunal on the Violation of Human Rights of PP/POWs in Coming Soon! Philadelphia, PA 19101 U.S. Prisons and Jails, Dec. ’90] JAX ABC PO Box 350392 WINNIPEG ABC P r i s o n e r o f Wa r ( P O W ) : Those combatants struggling against colonial and Jacksonville, FL 3D-91 Albert St. 32235-0392 alien domination and racist regimes captured as prisoners are to be accorded Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 1G5, Canada the status of prisoner of war and their treatment should be in accordance with MONTREAL ABC the provisions of the Geneva Conventions Relative to the Treatment of P.O.B 42053 SUCC LA ABC Jeanne Mance Prisoners of War of 12 August, 1949 (General Assembly resolution 3103) PO BOX 11223 Montreal QC Whittier, CA 90603 H2W 2T3 Canada New Issue of 4strugglemag 2007 Freedom for PP/ P O W s Issue #8 Out Now! Writings by Political C a l e n d a r Prisoners and edited by Bill Dunne. Av a i l a b l e online at: www. 4 s t r u g g l e m a g . o r g . This year's calendar focused on the theme of immigration, and fea- Writers include: Jaan Laaman, Rene Gonzales, tures work by many political prison- Kevin Rashid Johnson, Herman Bell, etc. ers, including Tom Manning, David Gilbert, Herman Bell, A l v a r o Paper copies are available (four dollars, free Hernandez, Jeffrey "Free" Luers, to prisoners) by emailing the MOVE 9, the Cuban 5 & more.. [email protected] ORDER YOUR COPY N O W ! or writing to: $15/$9 for prisoners 4 s t r u g g l e m a g Certain Days c/o QPIRG P.O. Box 42053 C o n c o r d i a Succ. Jeanne Mance 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. O. Montreal QC H2W 2T3 Canada Montreal, QC H3G 1M8 CANADA www.abcf.net 1 ISSUE #47 Spring 2007 Tsutomu Shirosaki is Transferred On February 12, Political Prisoner embassies in Rome and Jakarta. He is cur- Tsutomu Shirosaki was notified by prison rently serving a 30-year sentence for the authorities to pack up his belongings for a attacks against the US embassies. transfer to an unknown location. Shirosaki Tsutomu Shirosaki claims that he was was then transferred to Oklahoma City not a member of either the AIIB or the FTC- which is a transfer center. For sever- JRA. The false claims of his membership in al weeks Tsutomu was kept at Oklahoma either group or the attacks are nothing more City instead of transferring to his perma- than retaliation by the Japanese govern- nent location. ment and their allies for the liberation of It was not until early March that revolutionaries by the Japanese Red A r m y Tsutomu was once again transferred- end- - Shirosaki being one of those revolutionar- ing up at USP Terre Haute in Indiana. i e s . For those unaware of Ts u t o m u Ts u t o m u ’s current address is: Shirosaki, he is accused of being a member of the Anti-Imperialist International Tsutomu Shiro s a k i Brigade (AIIB)- a group the authorities 2 0 9 2 4 - 0 1 6 claim is associated with the Japanese Red FCI Terre Haute Army (JRA). Shirosaki was accused of an P.O. Box 33 attack against British, Japanese and US Terre Haute, IN 47808 Judge Reopens Omaha Two Case On January 3, 2007, a ruling published later learned from an FBI document court. Judge Spethman disagreed with by the Douglas County District Court obtained under a Freedom of Information Broom, saying, "That determination is Judge Richard Spethman has eff e c t i v e l y request that the 911 tape had been sup- reserved for future proceedings." reopened the 35-year-old wrongful con- pressed as part of the effort to frame both The Douglas County Attorney's off i c e viction of Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Poindexter and we Langa for the murder. is considering an appeal of Judge Langa [formerly David Rice]. Mondo we Langa has exhausted his Spethman's order. Bartle says that he The ruling was made on a petition filed "post conviction relief," and Ed thinks the voice comparison will set his by Ed Poindexter's attorney, Robert Bartle Poindexter is now in the early phases of client free. Bartle is now faced with the of Lincoln, Nebraska. The petition his post conviction relief eff o r t s . considerable task of getting a court in requested an order from the court to com- Poindexter and we Langa have maintained Spokane, Washington, to compel Peak pel a voice exemplar [sample] from Duane their innocence for the past 35 years and [who has changed his first name to Peak, the then 15 year-old who testified at have maintained that Duane Peak did not Gabriel] to provide the voice sample. trial that he made the 911 call that lured make the 911 telephone call that night. Peak has refused to return reporters' phone police to a vacant home at 28th & Ohio People who have heard the tape have said calls seeking comment.