Washington DC – Sonia, a Colombian revolutionary and political prisoner of the U.S. government, was found guilty in a U.S. Federal Court here, Feb. 20. Sonia’s trial is part of a Bush administration plan to criminalize Colombian freedom fighters.

Sonia, whose full name is Anayibe Rojas Valderrama, is a soldier for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and a woman of high moral character. A poor peasant who joined the revolution to end poverty and oppression in Colombia, she is now awaiting sentencing. Her whole life has been dedicated to changing society and to ending poverty and misery.

There was nothing fair about Sonia’s trial and a guilty verdict was nearly certain from the start. There was no physical evidence presented. Her trial mainly consisted of the testimony of four U.S. government paid informants who lied. There were no defense witnesses and Sonia was never called to defend herself or explain the political situation and U.S. intervention in Colombia. The jury had little chance of ever understanding the case due to ignorance about the 42 year Colombian civil war, the growing revolution led by the FARC and the deepening military intervention of the U.S.

Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera states, “The Bush administration is conducting a dirty war in Colombia and Sonia’s trial and imprisonment violate the sovereignty of Colombia. The U.S. government already runs the Colombian military and their paramilitary death squads. Now Bush is using the U.S. courts to try to criminalize freedom fighters, like the FARC, who are gaining popularity and strength in Colombia.”

Concerning the conviction Burke said, “Sonia’s drug conviction is completely phony. How can U.S. spy satellites take photos of your dog in your back yard, but there are no pictures of the FARC with drugs? The FARC running drugs is like weapons of mass destruction in Iraq – a big, big lie so an illegal war can continue. Bush’s friend, Colombian President Uribe, is the one connected to the paramilitary drug runners and he is close to being taken down for it.”

Another Colombian revolutionary, Ricardo Palmera, a peace negotiator for the FARC will face a retrial in March. His last trial ended with a hung jury. The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera will be protesting at the first day of the retrial of Ricardo Palmera on March 26 in Washington D.C.

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