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

Washington D.C. – Protesters from eight U.S. states gathered here at the start of a new trial for Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera, Aug. 20. The protesters chanted, “Free Ricardo Palmera! Stop Plan Colombia!” and “The people of Colombia are under attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!” The activists then proceeded into the Washington D.C. Federal Court building.

Inside the spacious ceremonial courtroom, under the historical portraits of U.S. Supreme Court judges, the solidarity activists waved, held clenched fists in the air and smiled to Ricardo Palmera as he entered. Professor Palmera raised his clenched fist and then held his open hands over his heart – once again happy to see his American and Colombian supporters. Judge Royce Lamberth read the charges against Professor Palmera and instructed the jury pool of nearly 100 people. The charges accuse Ricardo Palmera, a leading peace negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), of producing and trafficking five kilograms or more of cocaine to the U.S.

Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera was at the opening day of the trial and said, “The U.S. government has no right to put Ricardo Palmera on trial. This trial is ridiculous. 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 continued, “Palmera is a good man who has done nothing wrong. He is fighting for social justice and the liberation of the Colombian people from solitary confinement in a U.S. prison. President Bush is desperate because of growing public concern about lying, cheating and corruption. Now the truth is coming out about Colombian President Uribe’s ties to narco-traffickers and paramilitary death squads. Bush is backing the wrong side in Colombia’s civil war. Bush is behind the bad guys and the drug traffickers.”

Angela Denio, also of the National Committee and a member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) said, “We were happy to see Ricardo Palmera and hope he is successful in defending himself and can 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.”

Professor Palmera’s first U.S. trial on terrorism and kidnapping charges ended with a hung jury and Judge Hogan declared a mistrial.

Afterwards, Judge Hogan was caught cheating with U.S. Prosecutor Ken Kohl and 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 belonging to a ‘conspiracy to kidnap’ referring to his membership in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

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 working people to run things.

The FARC wants the workers and peasants to rule instead of foreign corporations, rich landlords and drug traffickers. Professor Palmera joined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia back in 1989, following the extermination of his fellow Patriotic Union (a political party) members by the Colombian state and its death squads. Over 4000 Patriotic Union members were murdered – including two presidential candidates, eight congressmen, 70 councilmen, dozens of deputies and mayors, hundreds of trade unionists, communist and peasant leaders, students and youth. Professor Palmera, in his dedication to building a just and peaceful society, joined the FARC when all avenues to reform were closed. Today, Ricardo Palmera continues his fight for the Colombian people and the oppressed and exploited everywhere.Washington D.C. – Protesters from eight U.S. states gathered here at the start of a new trial for Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera, Aug. 20. The protesters chanted, “Free Ricardo Palmera! Stop Plan Colombia!” and “The people of Colombia are under attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!” The activists then proceeded into the Washington D.C. Federal Court building.

Inside the spacious ceremonial courtroom, under the historical portraits of U.S. Supreme Court judges, the solidarity activists waved, held clenched fists in the air and smiled to Ricardo Palmera as he entered. Professor Palmera raised his clenched fist and then held his open hands over his heart – once again happy to see his American and Colombian supporters. Judge Royce Lamberth read the charges against Professor Palmera and instructed the jury pool of nearly 100 people. The charges accuse Ricardo Palmera, a leading peace negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), of producing and trafficking five kilograms or more of cocaine to the U.S.

Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera was at the opening day of the trial and said, “The U.S. government has no right to put Ricardo Palmera on trial. This trial is ridiculous. 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 continued, “Palmera is a good man who has done nothing wrong. He is fighting for social justice and the liberation of the Colombian people from solitary confinement in a U.S. prison. President Bush is desperate because of growing public concern about lying, cheating and corruption. Now the truth is coming out about Colombian President Uribe’s ties to narco-traffickers and paramilitary death squads. Bush is backing the wrong side in Colombia’s civil war. Bush is behind the bad guys and the drug traffickers.”

Angela Denio, also of the National Committee and a member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) said, “We were happy to see Ricardo Palmera and hope he is successful in defending himself and can 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.”

Professor Palmera’s first U.S. trial on terrorism and kidnapping charges ended with a hung jury and Judge Hogan declared a mistrial.

Afterwards, Judge Hogan was caught cheating with U.S. Prosecutor Ken Kohl and 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 belonging to a ‘conspiracy to kidnap’ referring to his membership in the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

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 working people to run things.

The FARC wants the workers and peasants to rule instead of foreign corporations, rich landlords and drug traffickers. Professor Palmera joined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia back in 1989, following the extermination of his fellow Patriotic Union (a political party) members by the Colombian state and its death squads. Over 4000 Patriotic Union members were murdered – including two presidential candidates, eight congressmen, 70 councilmen, dozens of deputies and mayors, hundreds of trade unionists, communist and peasant leaders, students and youth. Professor Palmera, in his dedication to building a just and peaceful society, joined the FARC when all avenues to reform were closed. Today, Ricardo Palmera continues his fight for the Colombian people and the oppressed and exploited everywhere.

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

We demand freedom for Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera. The U.S. imprisonment and trials of Ricardo Palmera are a violation of the sovereignty of Colombia. Palmera has done nothing wrong. To the contrary, he is a freedom fighter in the service of the people of Colombia. Palmera fights against the corruption and terror imposed on his country by President Bush and those dreaming of U.S. Empire.

Professor Palmera is a political prisoner of Bush and company. He is held in solitary confinement outside of Washington D.C. – NO family, NO friends, NO reporters, not even his own Colombian lawyer is allowed to visit. Palmera has committed no crime, but only dedicated his whole life to the Colombian people.

Professor Palmera’s trial is bizarre. The first trial ended in a hung jury, so Palmera was retried on the same charges. At the start of the second trial, Judge Hogan had to step down because he was caught cheating with the U.S. prosecutor Ken Kohl. Hogan’s replacement Judge Lamberth refused to allow Palmera any witnesses. At the same time, Judge Lamberth allowed the U.S. prosecutor dozens of witnesses – paid informants, lying convicted drug runners, and corrupt Colombian government officials.

THE ONLY FAIR TRIAL IS NO TRIAL!

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

Monday, January 28, 2008, 8:30 AM picket line

9:00 AM 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

www.freericardopalmera.org

#WashingtonDC #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #NationalCommitteeToFreeRicardoPalmera #Statement #PoliticalPrisoners #JudgeHogan #JudgeRoyceLamberth #paidInformant

Ricardo Palmera, who served as a peace negotiator for Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and is now a political prisoner held the U.S., had faced Prosecutor Kohl at past trials. In two previous trials, prosecutor Kohl failed to prove terrorism charges against Professor Palmera.

In the last case, Kohl was caught colluding with the judge and the judge had to step down. Kohl’s cheating set the stage for Judge Lamberth to take over. In the retrial, Judge Lamberth approved dozens of prosecution witnesses, while not allowing Palmera even one. U.S. prosecutor Kohl’s sentencing arguments were outrageous distortions.

In response, public defender Bob Tucker argued for a lesser sentence. Tucker’s arguments emphasized the political background of the trial and the U.S. government’s intervention in Colombia’s civil war. Tucker spoke of how Judge Royce Lamberth influenced the jury by instructing them to use wide definitions in finding Ricardo Palmera guilty of belonging to a conspiracy – the FARC. Tucker also pleaded to the judge to show some leniency due to Palmera’s honesty in his testimony, contrasted with the coached testimony and lies of many prosecution witnesses.

For the next hour, Ricardo Palmera spoke with honor and pride. These are excerpts:

“I speak as a member of the FARC, an insurgent organization that takes up arms against the Colombian government. I have been a member since 1987. The Colombian oligarchy has used arms to oppress the people; this gave rise to the FARC, which uses arms to free them. The FARC are part of the Colombian people. They use arms and protests and various other ways to express opposition to the violent and elitist regime.”

Professor Palmera spoke about various FARC leaders, like Marulanda, and their backgrounds including farmers, workers, indigenous, women and student leaders and their struggle for a “pluralistic, democratic and peaceful Colombia with social justice.” Later he added “The ruling regime uses a policy of violence – employing murder, assassination, threats and death squads to keep themselves in power.”

Palmera went on to speak about economic inequality. “Latin America represents the greatest economic disparity. Colombia is third in Latin America in economic and social disparity. 24 million Colombians live below the poverty line and subsist on one or two dollars per day.”

Referring to the trial, Palmera said, “What takes place here is a political trial from beginning to end, no matter what the U.S. government may try to claim. The political nature of this trial is pleasing to me because it allows me to present the ideas of the FARC and the Secretariat to the judge and the jury, and to explain the ideas and goals of the FARC to the American people. I am also quite satisfied because despite the great lengths the U.S. government went to, the jury did not find me, Ricardo Palmera, guilty of being a terrorist, which I believe the U.S. government has mistakenly classified the FARC as. I take the opportunity here, on behalf of the FARC and myself, to make a condemnation of all terrorism no matter its origin. I will never forget that it is the terrorist actions of the Colombian state that brought me to become a member of the FARC and I will never allow it to become our practice.”

“The FARC – and I as a member of the FARC in particular – reject extradition. It is a neo-colonial policy that violates the sovereignty of the Colombian people. It is used as a weapon by the U.S. to blackmail men and women who fight for a just cause, including Sonia and myself. On the charge of conspiracy itself, I bear no guilt. The charge pertains to problems in my country and not beyond. It reflects real problems of the conflict and ways to exchange prisoners on both sides. I sent a letter to FARC leader Marulanda asking that my freedom not become a barrier for the freedom of others in Colombia. I think that the Prisoner Accords will become an important factor to achieve peace and justice in Colombia. A political solution has always been a part of any conflict and it has always been part of the FARC platform to find a political solution. As I have already had a meeting with the U.S. Department of State, I am willing for further meetings to take place to increase dialogue. When I joined the FARC, I was aware I might lose my life or liberty to obtain peace and justice for the Colombian people.”

Palmera’s arguments were coherent and clear. He was unrepentant and defended all of his actions on behalf of the Colombian people. He described and spoke with pride about the FARC and its leadership. Palmera thanked the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera for their support. He thanked Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba for meeting with him prior to the sentencing. Then Palmera ended his speech with slogans and a quote from Bolivar: “Viva La FARC! Viva Marulanda! Viva Bolivar!”

Following Ricardo Palmera’s speech, Judge Royce Lambert praised Ricardo Palmera’s intelligence, his belief in principles, and while emphasizing his own ‘judicial independence’ sentenced Palmera to 60 years in prison, calling him a terrorist and saying his activity in Colombia broke U.S. law. A few months earlier, Judge Lamberth would not allow criminal proceedings against the executives of Chiquita Banana who armed and paid right-wing paramilitaries to kill union workers and leaders.

Tom Burke of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera said, “This verdict is the equivalent of a life sentence for Ricardo Palmera. It is a slap in the face to the Colombian people and anybody who believes in the sovereignty of their own country. Professor Palmera can be proud that despite solitary confinement, cheating prosecutors and biased judges, he has beaten nine other charges during three trials. Like their wars in Iraq and Colombia, the Bush administration “made an underestimation” in deciding to put Ricardo Palmera on trial. Palmera’s speech was brilliant.”

It remains to be seen whether Ricardo Palmera or Colombian revolutionary Sonia, held in a Fort Worth, Texas prison, will be included in any prisoner exchanges. The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera plans to protest an upcoming re-trial of Ricardo Palmera in late March.

#WashingtonDC #News #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #PoliticalPrisoners #RevolutionaryArmedForcesOfColombia #JudgeHogan #JudgeRoyceLamberth #KenKohl #juryTampering

As you read this, Professor Palmera is held as a political prisoner in solitary confinement by the Bush regime. However, it is the war criminal President Bush and the corrupt, narco-trafficking President Uribe of Colombia who are the criminals deserving of punishment.

The extradition, trials and imprisonment of Ricardo Palmera have nothing to do with justice. Those who fight for the exploited and oppressed, both our brothers and sisters in the oppressed countries as well as those of us within the U.S. empire, cannot receive justice in U.S. courts. U.S. courts are of, by and for the rich.

Ricardo Palmera’s trials are a joke, a mockery of justice. Chief Judge Hogan was caught cheating and forced to step down, only to be followed by the biased rulings and extreme sentencing from Judge Royce Lamberth. The U.S. judges and prosecutors are more corrupt than those in Colombia. As Palmera himself said, “My trials are political from start to finish, no matter how much the U.S. government denies it.”

Ricardo Palmera should not be tried in U.S. courts. It is a violation of the sovereignty of the Colombian people. Colombia is its own country; the U.S. has no place putting any Colombian revolutionary on trial. The Bush administration is expanding its interference in Colombia through these trials. It furthers the U.S. war strategy, known as Plan Colombia, that brings nothing but poverty, misery and death to the Colombian people.

The U.S. has intervened in Colombia’s civil war for 44 years. The civil war involves the armed insurgency of the FARC – peasants and workers – against the corrupt thieving elite that runs the Colombian state. The U.S. is on the wrong side; it is on the side of the big capitalists, big landowners and those who are up to their elbows in the blood of Colombian trade unionists and peasant organizers. U.S. corporations are robbing Colombia blind of its natural resources while arming and paying paramilitary death squads.

The U.S. military commands the Colombian military through the Pentagon’s U.S. Southern Command. There are at least 800 U.S. ‘military advisors’ and 500 ‘military contractors’ participating in Colombia’s civil war. The U.S. Command, the Colombian military and the paramilitary death squads kill thousands every year, displace hundreds of thousands from their homes and unleash a reign of terror upon the people. The U.S. is losing its counter-insurgency war in Colombia, so it is thrashing around for new ways to preserve the rule of the rich Colombian oligarchs.

The trials of Ricardo Palmera and comrade Sonia are a desperate attempt by the Bush regime to criminalize the Colombian national liberation movement, to claim FARC are not freedom fighters. Under Bush and company’s new paradigm of the ‘war on terror,’ national liberation struggles are portrayed as criminal, not political.

From the sands of Iraq to the mountain peaks of the Philippines to the rain forests of Colombia, we know the armed people’s movements against imperialism are gaining strength and strategically defeating the might of the U.S. and its military. Uncle Sam is growing older and weaker, while brave men and women – ordinary peasants and workers – along with revolutionary and patriotic people rise to join forces to overthrow corrupt despotic regimes backed by the U.S. The true criminals are the imperialists of the developed countries, led by the Bush administration and its massive military. Anti-imperialists, revolutionaries and communists throughout the world stand in solidarity with Ricardo Palmera and comrade Sonia.

In the 21st century, the FARC carries forward the legacy of Simon Bolivar, of Che Guevara, of Colombia’s revolutionaries. Today, FARC commander Manuel Marulanda represents the living embodiment of these revolutionary icons. The Venezuelan government recently recognized the status of belligerence the FARC-EP is entitled to; it recognized the FARC’s legitimacy as a political-military force for national liberation and swept away the ‘terrorist’ label that Bush wrongly promotes.

The FARC-EP stand firmly at the head of an unstoppable movement that will bring peace and justice to Colombia and Latin America. The revolution in Colombia promises to turn all existing social relations upside down and put workers and peasants in power!

Free Ricardo Palmera!

You can jail the revolutionary, but you will never jail the revolution!

Long Live the FARC!

#UnitedStates #Colombia #RicardoPalmera #Statement #PoliticalPrisoners #RevolutionaryArmedForcesOfColombiaPeoplesArmyFARCEP #JudgeHogan #JudgeRoyceLamberth #USSouthernCommand