Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 24 statement from the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera.

Mark Burton es el abogado del revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera. Palmera es un preso político de los EE.UU., que actualmente permanece en la prisión de súper-máxima seguridad en Florence, Colorado. Mark Burton es una de las pocas personas que puede visitar y comunicarse con Palmera. Hay una campaña por la libertad de Ricardo Palmera para que pueda participar en las conversaciones de paz en Colombia, que suceden en Cuba. Ricardo Palmera es conocido popularmente como Simón Trinidad en Colombia. Para obtener más información, consulte www.FreeRicardoPalmera.org.

Mark Burton is the lawyer for Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera. Palmera is a political prisoner of the U.S., currently held in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison. Mark Burton is one of the few people allowed to visit and communicate with him. There is a campaign to Free Ricardo Palmera so he can take part in ongoing Colombian peace talks happening in Cuba. Ricardo Palmera is popularly known as Simón Trinidad in Colombia. For more information see www.FreeRicardoPalmera.org.

We celebrate the release of the Cuban Five – political prisoners held by the U.S. government for 16 years. Their freedom also marks a positive change in relations between the U.S. government and Cuba. Many anti-war and international solidarity activists who worked towards their release are raising their glasses to toast this victory!

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Jan. 18 statement from the Peace Delegation Revolutionary Armed Forces on the imprisonment by the U.S. of Colombian revolutionary, Professor Ricardo Palmera. Known in Colombia as Simón Trinidad, Palmera was kidnapped, brought to the United States and is now serving what amounts to a life sentence. For more information from the FARC Peace Delegation: http://farc-epeace.org/ For information from the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera: http://www.freericardopalmera.org/ After 10 years behind bars, Simón Trinidad has to be repatriated

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) have chosen Ricardo Palmera as one of their negotiators for Colombian peace talks. Professor Palmer is a political prisoner held in solitary confinement by the U.S. government in the Florence, Colorado Supermax prison. Palmera’s supporters in Colombia and around the world are demanding that Palmera be set free and that the U.S. government stop interfering in Colombia’s internal affairs. The FARC put Palmera’s name forward as one of the three main negotiators after peace negotiations were announced last week.

In order to preserve democratic appearances, power brokers may limit repression to intimidation and creating divisions within dissident ranks. Surely, those targeted with the threat or reality of jail time, or cowed by abusive, freewheeling investigations do remember. Yet activists who are spared or members of the general public either never knew, or may forget.

Orem, UT – Tom Burke from the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera spoke to students at Utah Valley University, Oct. 27. The event, sponsored by the Revolutionary Students Union, brought in many students wanting to know more about the U.S.-held Colombian political prisoner, Ricardo Palmera and the situation in Colombia.

El día 3 de diciembre del 2007, el revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera (Simón Trinidad), se enfrenta a una sentencia condenatoria en la Corte Federal del Distrito de Columbia, en la ciudad de Washington D.C.Estados Unidos (EE.UU.). El Comité Nacional para la Libertad de Ricardo Palmera (CNLRP), llenará el salón de la corte en apoyo a este bravo luchador por la libertad de Colombia.

Washington D.C, abril 21, 2008 – La administración Bush en su propia corte sufre una fuerte derrota, en su intento de enlodar al revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera (Simón Trinidad) con acusaciones y cargos de tráfico de estupefacientes.

El presidente Bush y el gobierno de Estados Unidos (EE.UU) le han dado una cachetada al pueblo de Colombia al dar una condena de 60 años de prisión al revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera.(Simón Trinidad), quien es un héroe de la gente colombiana, él ha dedicado su vida a la lucha de los trabajadores y de los campesinos y los pobres. Fue responsable de negociar procesos de paz y del intercambios humanitarios de presos por las las FARC ( Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo ), en cumplimiento de estas misiones fue detenido en Ecuador..

Línea de piquete y conferencia de prensa por la libertad del revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera, injustamente encarcelado y enjuiciado varias veces en Washington, D.C., Estados Unidos (EE.UU)

Demandamos la libertad del revolucionario colombiano Ricardo Palmera ( Simón Trinidad ). Su detención, encarcelamiento y juicios son una violación de la soberanía de Colombia. Palmera no ha cometido crimen alguno como tampoco ha hecho nada malo. Ni mucho menos en los EE.UU. Es todo lo contrario, él ha sido un luchador al servicio del pueblo colombiano. Palmera ha luchado en contra de la corrupción y el Terrorismo de Estado, que le ha impuesto a su país la política del presidente Bush y Cía.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. We urge all of our readers to join this effort.

The struggle to support Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera and to oppose Facebook censorship continues, with a new campaign launched July 18. Facebook banned the “Free Ricardo Palmera!” group and is refusing to reinstate Tom Burke’s personal account, despite an appeal. The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera was stunned by a June 30 notification that Facebook was removing the “Free Ricardo Palmera!” group, claiming it was “hateful, threatening or obscene.”

_The struggle continues _

A partial victory was won today, July 12, in the struggle against facebook’s attempted censorship of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera (NCFRP), with the reinstatement of the account of National Committee activist Josh Sykes, followed a few hours later by the reactivation of the account of Angela Denio. After the “Free Ricardo Palmera” facebook group, with more than 700 members from around the world, was shut down by facebook on June 30, the National Committee began a fight to recover this valuable resource. In response, on July 7, facebook disabled the accounts of the three administrators of the group, National Committee activists Josh Sykes, Angela Denio and Tom Burke.

Fight Back! interviewed Josh Sykes of the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera about facebook shutting down the “Free Ricardo Palmera” group on June 30. Then, on July 7, facebook disabled Josh Sykes’ personal account, along with the accounts of Angela Denio and Tom Burke.

Asheville NC – In a move to censor the voices of solidarity and human rights, Facebook shut down the “Free Ricardo Palmera!” page, claiming it violates their terms of use.

Detroit, MI – Fight Back! interviewed Tom Burke, spokesperson for the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera, at the U.S. Social Forum.