“From Dachau with Love”

Press Release of the German Network against the Death Penalty and Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

“Understand that … people are dying who could be saved, that generations more
will die or live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act.”

George L. Jackson, former Black Panther activist
( September 23, 1941 – shot to death by prison wardens on August 21, 1971)

The German “Network against the Death Penalty” and the “Coalition to Free Mumia
Abu-Jamal” wish the Californian Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown a pleasant and
instructive sojourn in the Federal Republic of Germany, which as we have heard
will include a visit to the memorial at the concentration camp of Dachau. We
also ask him to learn from German history and to see to the imposition of humane
prison conditions in California immediately upon his return to the United States.

We welcome the Californian Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown, his wife Anne Gust
Brown and their entourage in our country. We very much welcome the fact that
Governor Brown is interested in his German roots. We also very much welcome that
he is not only interested in the German conditions in 1848 – the time when his
grand-grandfather emigrated – but also in Germany’s more recent history. At any
rate, that is what we conclude from his planned visit to the KZ Memorial Dachau.

But there is one thing we would welcome even more, namely, if his visit in
Dachau would cause Governor Brown to ensure, immediately after his return to the
U.S., decent present conditions in the prisons under his authority, to put an
end to solitary confinement, to decree the immediate release of about 10,000
prisoners already ordered by the courts, to give the prisoners access to
appropriate medical care, and to end enforced sterilization of female prisoners.
And moreover, to take action to end the death penalty, to end life imprisonment,
and to end the current wave of mass incarceration in the U.S.

More than 43 years ago, the imprisoned Black Panther activist George Jackson
used to sign his letters from the Californian St. Quentin Prison with the words
“from Dachau with love.” The concentration camp Dachau existed from March 22,
1933 until its liberation by U.S. troops on April 29, 1945. At first, it was
exclusively used for political prisoners, which is one of the reasons for George
Jackson’s allusion to this darkest chapter of German history. But most of all,
he wanted to use this provocative salute to direct attention to the inhumane
prison conditions he and thousands of other prisoners were subjected to.

Today, the prison conditions in California and the U.S. are far worse than even
almost half a century ago!In California and nationwide, more than 80,000
prisoners are in prolonged or permanent solitary confinement, a condition which
diverse UN human rights institutions say constitutes torture. For these reasons,
at present about 30,000 prisoners in California prisons are on a hunger strike
and refuse to work.

For these very same reasons, California is now the scene of the largest prison
revolt in the history of mankind.

And Governor Brown is the man politically responsible for the root causes of
this strike.

We ask you, Governor Brown, to set an example. In their time, the U.S. Army
consigned the inhumane prison conditions at Dachau to the trash heap of history.
The same thing should happen now to the unbearable prison conditions in the
prisons of the United States – and especially the prisons in the State of
California, which you govern. Act! Put an end to these prison conditions!

 www.freiheit-fuer-mumia.de

Comment: RE: 20130729 Für menschenwürdige Haftbedingungen

der kalifornische Hungertreik tritt in die entscheidende Phase - mehr und mehr Gefangene fallen in die Bewusstlosigkeit. Der Rest führt den Kampf aber unbeirrt weiter fort. Der US Supreme Court hat dem Bundesstaat diese Woche ein paar Ohrfeigen gegeben und nun schickt Kalifornien einen Sekretär, um mal ein wenig Gesprächsbereitschaft anzutäuschen. Wenn jetzt noch mal richtig Druck kommt, haben die (überlebenden) Gefangenen eine Chance, endlich zu gewinnen.

Könnt ihr bitte (trotz Sommerpause) eure FB und anderen Social Media nutzen, dem etwas mehr Öffentlichkeit zu bringen? Es wäre schön, so etwas nicht nur zu "liken", sondern die Infos selbst immer mal wieder in euren Profilen und entsprechenden Gruppen zu posten, damit es mehr Menschen wahrnehmen und selbst aktiv werden.

Sally, 03.08.2013 18:08

 RE: 20130729 Für menschenwürdige Haftbedingungen

heute wurden sieben AktivistInnen festgenommen, die sich für mehrere Stunden an den Haupteingang des Elihu M. Harris State Building's im Zentrum Oaklands angekettet haben. Sie unterstützten mit dieser Aktion die Forderungen der hungerstreikenden Gefangenen im US Bundesstaat Kalifornien, die sich bereits in der 5. Woche (!) ihres Kampfes gegen Isolationshaft und andere brutale Haftbedingungen befinden.

weitere Informationen auf Indymedia: CA Hungerstreik: 7 Festnahmen in Oakland http://de.indymedia.org/2013/08/347420.shtml

Sally, 05.08.2013 19:29

 RE: 20130729 Für menschenwürdige Haftbedingungen

Mumia Abu-Jamal ,der afroamerikanische Journalist und Schriftsteller, ist bereits über 32 Jahre in Gefangenschaft. Er wurde in einem von Rassismus, Klassenjustiz und politischer Repression bestimmten Verfahren für einen untergeschobenen Mord ohne haltbare Beweise zum Tode verurteilt. Das löste mehrere Jahrzehnte heftiger politischer Auseinandersetzungen aus, in deren Folge nicht nur die Hinrichtung des ehemaligen Black Panthers verhindert werden konnte, sondern auch die Todesstrafe und die Masseninhaftierung in den USA generell in die Kritik gerieten.

Bitte unterschreibt die Petition : www.bring-mumia-home.de

Joe, 29.08.2014, 7:12

Comment

If you like a crypted answer you may copy your public key into this field. (Optional) Public Key

To prevent the use of this form by spam robots, please enter the portrayed character set in the left picture below into the right field.

CC license   European Civil Liberties Network   Bundesfreiwilligendienst   We don't store your data   World Beyond War   Use Tor router   Use HTTPS   No Java   For Transparency