Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera says, “Ricardo Palmera is a Colombian patriot and freedom fighter who deserves the support of both the Colombian and American peoples. Palmera has done nothing wrong, only to love his country and fight for the Colombian people. As a peace negotiator and arranger of prisoner exchanges for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – the FARC – Palmera’s extradition and solitary confinement in the U.S. is outrageous. The U.S. government is out of bounds. This trial should not be happening. It violates the sovereignty of Colombia.”

In early March, the new Colombian foreign minister, Fernando Araujo Perdomo, demanded that the Swedish government shut down a conference that was hosting a speaker from the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. The conference proceeded and support for Ricardo Palmera is now being organized in Europe. Back in Washington D.C. at a March 19 pretrial hearing, Judge Hogan discussed radically limiting the scope of Palmera’s testimony in his upcoming trial.

Burke commented, “This trial will be grossly unfair. It will be difficult to win. Judge Hogan is seeking to gag Professor Palmera – to not allow the same testimony as the first trial. The American jurors were swayed by Palmera’s words and understood he is no criminal. That Palmera is a man who chose to fight for the people, for liberty and equality. The jurors understood Palmera’s only alternatives were exile or worse – a violent death at the hands of right-wing paramilitaries. In the first trial, Professor Palmera cleverly put U.S. intervention and the undeclared U.S. war in Colombia on trial. Judge Hogan will do everything in his power to make sure the U.S. prosecutor wins this time.”

Free Ricardo Palmera!

Picket line and press conference for Ricardo Palmera’s freedom!

March 26, 2007 / 8:30 a.m. picket line / 9:00 a.m. press conference

Federal Court Building (333 Constitution Ave. NW)

#WashingtonDC #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #RevolutionaryArmedForcesOfColombiaFARC #JudgeHogan #FernandoAraujoPerdomo

Ricardo Palmera was a peace negotiator for Colombia’s rebels – the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. He was kidnapped in Ecuador and extradited to the United States where he sits in solitary confinement.

Palmera’s first trial ended with a hung jury. Afterwards, presiding Judge Hogan had to recuse himself from the case, when the it came to light that Hogan was secretly colluding with the prosecution. The upcoming trial will be presided over by Reagan appointee, Judge Royce C. Lambert.

“The U.S. government has no right to proceed with this case,” says Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. “He has done nothing wrong. Palmera has spent his entire life fighting for social justice and the liberation of the Colombian people, who live under a U.S.-backed death squad government.”

Mick Kelly, also of the National Committee, urges all progressive people to join the June 4 protest, stating , “The Bush administration is trying to criminalize the fight for justice and freedom. Everyone should keep their eyes on this trial. There are reports that Palmera will not be allowed any witnesses on his behalf and that the prosecution will try to limit what Palmera can talk about. The only fair trial is no trial – and we need to demand Professor Palmera’s immediate release.”

Free Ricardo Palmera!

Picket line and press conference for Ricardo Palmera’s freedom!

June 4, 2007; 8:30 a.m. picket line, 9:00 a.m. press conference

Federal Court Building (333 Constitution Ave. NW)

Washington, D.C.

#WashingtonDC #News #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #JudgeHogan

Washington D.C. – The chant “Free Ricardo Palmera! Hands off Colombia!” rang out in front of the Federal Courthouse here, June 4, as members of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera held a picket line to demand his release. The picket line coincided with the onset of Palmera’s second trial. Members of Students for a Democratic Society from Asheville, North Carolina and the Colombian Action Network participated in the protest.

Palmera’s first trial ended with a hung jury. Presiding judge Thomas Hogan then had to remove himself from the case, when the defense brought to light Hogan’s secret maneuvering to give the prosecution an unfair advantage. Reagan appointee Judge Royce C. Lambert is presiding over the current trial. .

“Ricardo Palmera is a hero who has devoted his entire life to working and fighting for the liberation of the Colombian people,” said Mick Kelly, of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera, speaking outside the courthouse. “He has done nothing wrong. The only fair trial is no trial and what is going to take place in that courtroom is the real crime. There are reports that Ricardo Palmera will be allowed few or no witnesses on his behalf. And we know that a number of the witnesses for the prosecution are liars who can not keep their stories straight.”

After the picket line and press conference, supporters of Palmera entered the courtroom where the final stages of jury selection were under way. Palmera flashed a big smile as his backers discreetly raised their fists and gave him the thumbs up sign.

Palmera, who is also known as Simon Trinidad, is a leading member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and represented the rebel group in peace negotiations with Colombian government. Palmera was kidnapped in Quito, Ecuador by the FBI, brought to Colombia and sent to United States. Currently he is in solitary confinement in Washington D.C. Incredibly enough, he is charged with ‘hostage taking,’ in relation to an incident in Colombia where the FARC shot down a plane that had some U.S. mercenaries on board.

The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera is organizing a:

Picket line and press conference for Ricardo Palmera’s freedom

June 18, 2007; 8:30 a.m. picket line, 9:00 a.m. press conference

Federal Court Building (333 Constitution Ave. NW)

Washington, D.C

#WashingtonDC #News #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #RevolutionaryArmedForcesOfColombiaFARC #JudgeHogan

Ricardo Palmera is a peace negotiator for Colombia’s rebels, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. He was kidnapped in Ecuador and extradited to the United States where he’s held in solitary confinement. Palmera is a political prisoner who should not be on trial in the U.S.

Professor Palmera’s first trial ended with a hung jury and Judge Hogan declared a mistrial. Afterwards, Judge Hogan was caught cheating along with U.S. Prosecutor Ken Kohl. Hogan was forced to step down.

Judge Royce Lambert replaced Hogan on the bench and presided over Palmera’s second trial. Palmera won a victory of sorts again when the jury could not agree on four counts against him, including ‘terrorism’ and kidnapping charges. However, the Bush administration got what it wanted because the jury found Palmera guilty of being part of a ‘conspiracy to kidnap’ referring to his membership in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

The FARC is a 28,000-member rebel army that controls wide areas of Colombia, where it acts as the de facto government. The FARC plans to overthrow the corrupt U.S.-backed government, distribute land to the peasants, replace drug crops with food crops and end foreign corporate domination of the economy by empowering workers to run things.

“The U.S. government has no right to put Ricardo Palmera on trial, and the upcoming drug trial is ludicrous,” says Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. “Putting the FARC on trial for drug trafficking is the same as looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The evidence simply does not exist. The U.S. government can only insinuate or fabricate the evidence.”

Burke continues, “Palmera is a good man who has done nothing wrong. Ricardo Palmera continues to fight for social justice and the liberation of the Colombian people from his prison cell. President Bush is desperate because of growing public concern about lying, cheating and Colombian President Uribe’s ties to narco-traffickers and paramilitary death squads. The truth is all coming out now.”

Angela Denio, also of the National Committee, urges all progressive people to join the Aug. 20 protest, stating, “It will be interesting to hear Ricardo Palmera defend himself and sway the jury through his testimony again. The tragedy here is that paid professional liars and drug traffickers looking for lighter sentences will be given more time to testify than Professor Palmera. The Bush administration is criminalizing the fight for freedom and justice. People around the world are watching the travesty of Palmera’s trial. In his other trials, Palmera was not allowed witnesses, and the judge and prosecutor limited what Palmera could say. The only fair trial is no trial – we demand Professor Palmera’s immediate release.”

Picket line and press conference for Ricardo Palmera's freedom!

Monday, Aug. 20

8:30 a.m. picket line, 9:00 a.m. press conference

Federal Court Building (333 Constitution Ave. NW)

Washington, D.C.

For more info contact Tom Burke at 773-844-3612 or Mick Kelly at 612-715-3280.

#WashingtonDC #News #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #FARC #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #JudgeHogan