Statement of the Organising
Committee of
the International Evening in
Solidarity with Political Prisoners in
Dear
comrades and friends,
On
behalf of organising committee of tonight’s program that includes revolutionary
and democratic anti-imperialist organisations from Turkey, Iran, Philippines
and India, an event that has the support of local and international
organisations, we welcome you to this international event in solidarity with
political prisoners across the world.
We
hold this event in order bring together experiences of people’s resistance and the
struggles of political prisoners from different countries. We remember people’s
martyrs, the thousands of heroes and heroines that have laid down their lives
upholding the aspirations of the workers, other toiling masses and the most
down trodden sections of each country.
Their
struggle and their resistance in the face of the inhumanity of the imperialist
powers, reactionary regimes and their hench men, in its very essence re-creates
and gives rise to the deepest values of selflessness and sacrifice that moulds
the spirit of new generations of freedom fighters that join the growing ranks
of revolutionaries fighting for social liberation against the parasitic system
of exploitation and plunder, monopoly capitalism that rules all of us.
The
spirit of revolutionary defiance is exactly what the imperialist powers and
reactionary regimes wish to crush. Committing more crimes and atrocities they
develop more hi-tech tools and processes to physically and mentally torture and
bring their captives to submission. Yet at every turn they fail miserably to
crush the militant and defiant spirit of the heroic political prisoners that
arise from the midst of class struggle to fight and resist oppression.
The
imperialist powers and the reactionary regimes in their service have never
succeeded and will never succeed to stifle the struggle of the workers and the
toiling masses and quench the desire of the oppressed people of this world to
be free from war, exploitation and plunder.
Lets
us just look briefly at some of the recent historical lessons. Lesson that
reactionaries can not learn and that we as the people must not overlook.
In
Iran, in the summer of 1988, following defeat in the eight year reactionary war
with Iraq, the regime of Islamic republic who had used the war to consolidate
its rule through intensifying suppression and terror in the country and had
filled the prison with communist and other revolutionary and progressive
militants, in order to avert the danger of mass uprising and revolution
commenced on a horrendous crime. From June till September 1988, the regime and
its henchmen eliminated at least 18,000 political prisoners. This crime against the people of
Yet
not long after, the struggle of the workers and other toiling masses, women and
students and national minorities re-emerged threatening the very existence of
the murderous regime. In July 1999, during the presidency of Mr Khatami, the
smiling Mullah, a favourite of the western media, once again the students
opposing the repressive regime launched a six day uprising that tore of the
mask of the so called liberal mullah. The criminal regime clamped down and
demanded the severest punishment for the Students. 1500 students were arrested
and many were given long prison sentences. But resistance continued.
Following
the coming to power of Mr Ahmadinejhad, repression, terror and murder has
continued unabated. In the last year
alone, the just struggles of workers, students, women and other oppressed
sections of society have been violently attacked.
In
January on the eve of the strike to free its leaders from prison the
independent Bus drivers
As
the struggle of the oppressed people of
In
The
heroic political prisoners succeeded to get concessions and force the regime to
accept the communal units where political prisoners maintained their own
quarters. Every attacks and attempt to impose isolation cells and impose a more
severe regime in prisons failed as a direct result of resistance from inside and
out side prisons. Following the rise of armed struggle for national self
determination by the Kurdish nation in 1984 the numbers of prisoners increased.
Resistance too, intensified.
In
September 1999, at Ulucanlar prison the regime attacked and savagely killed 10
prisoners. Despite clear evidence of the involvement of paramilitary forces in
this massacre, the criminal regime blamed the killings on other political
prisoners and initiated and new campaign to impose F-type isolation prisons. In
October 2000, the political prisoners launch a new campaign of heroic
resistance to stop the transfer of political prisoners to the newly built
F-type isolation prisons. Hundreds of prisoners joined ranks and entered
indefinite hunger strikes. The regime faced with this resistance, on
The
resistance however continues. In the last year alone, the regime has launched
new offensives against Kurdish people and has arrested tens of progressive
intellectuals and revolutionaries.
On
21st September, only two weeks ago, the regime and it repressive forces
attacked the progressive newspaper Atilim, radio freedom and several workers’
unions and other socialist press. In one scoop they arrested around 170
progressive and revolutionary militants.
No
isolation cells have ever stopped the resistance of the political prisoners nor
have these been effective against the struggle of the oppressed.
In
Since, the late 80’s the peoples’ movement against the
reactionary Indian rulers that claim to be the largest democracy in the world
and their local henchmen has once again gathered momentum. Once again dalits,
workers and peasants are being massacred and revolutionaries eliminated through
fake encounters. These are instances that revolutionaries and popular figures
are abducted tortured and killed while the state claims they were killed during
armed conflict. Once again prisons are filled with progressives who are
detained without trial for years.
In December 2005, Comrade Prasad, a long standing
popular leader was abducted during a visit to a medical centre and disappeared
for over a week. After widespread national and international protests the
authorities announced that he was arrested and imprisoned awaiting trial.
Comrade Prasad is not alone; there are thousands of political prisoners in
In
the
Today
with the intensification of struggle of the oppressed people of the Philippines,
the Arroyo regime, another US puppet, has decide to use Marcos as her
inspiration and has launched terror campaigns and curtailment of democratic
rights. The regime of Arroyo is responsible for at least 763 murders, as
extrajudicial killings of the democratic and legal activists since coming to
power in 2001. Today there are at least 300 political prisoners in the
Since
January 2006 the Arroyo regime under the guise opposing a possible military
coup launched a new wave of arrests and intimidation. Since February 25, the
regime has arrested Representative Crispin Beltran ex-chairman of the KMU (the may First workers
The
resistance continues and the liberation struggle of the workers and the
oppressed peoples of the
Despite
the untold crimes and atrocities perpetrated by the imperialist powers and
reactionaries, despite the region of tyranny across the world, the resistance
of the people united in their struggle against this unjust system continues.
The militant resistance of political prisoners across the world demands
effective internationalist intervention and solidarity.
Comrades
and friends,
Lets
us join together to salute the heroic struggle of all political prisoners
across the world that resist the incarceration, torture, isolation and
ill-treatment imposed on them by the reactionary and tyrannical regimes in
power.
Let
us salute thousands of men and women who continue to resist the onslaught of
capital in prisons and torture chambers in each country. Lets us join together
to reject the imperialist powers and their domination of the world that
regenerates tyranny, expands reaction and foments violence against the people.
Lets us join together to promote the spirit of militant defiance amongst the
widest section of the masses that we can reach.
§
Let us join together on the 18th anniversary
of the massacre of political prisoners in
§
We join together to condemn the criminal regime in
Turkey that in 1999 launched the Ulucamlar massacre of the political prisoners
and continues to attack the freedoms and democratic rights of the people living
in Turkey.
§
Lets us join together to condemn the reactionary
rulers in
§
Lets us join together to condemn the US puppet Arroyo
regime that since coming to power in 2001 has sponsored the extrajudicial
killing of at least 763 individual and since February 2006 has imprisoned a
revolutionary popular leader Crispin Beltran. Let us join and support the
International campaigns to stop the killings in the
Comrades
the defence of political prisoners and their rights is an inseparable part of
the struggle for national and social liberation. We are joined tonight to
declare our determination to fight and defend our comrades and the best sons
and daughters of the masses of the oppressed as part of our common struggle for
liberation against imperialism and all reactionaries.
We
are certain that internationalism will finally defeat imperialism and all reaction!
Down
with US imperialism and all other imperialist powers!
Down
with imperialism and all reaction!
Down
with the reactionary regime of Islamic republic!
Down
with the fascist Turkish regime!
Down
with the reactionary and expansionist regime in
Down
with the
Victory
to the social liberation struggle in all countries!
Long
live the heroic resistance of the political prisoners!
Long
live international solidarity.
Down
with imperialism and all reaction!
Free
all political prisoners!