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News and Views from the People's Struggle

Uhuru3

By staff

Uhuru 3 and their loved ones and legal representatives gather in front of the courthouse for a press conference.

Tampa, FL – On December 16, around 100 supporters from across the country rallied at the Sam M. Gibbons Federal Courthouse in Tampa, Florida for the sentencing hearing of the Uhuru 3: Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel. In September, the Uhuru 3 were found not guilty of acting as unregistered agents of the Russian government but were unfairly convicted of “conspiracy” to act as unregistered agents of the Russian government.

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By staff

Omali Yeshitela \[a la derecha\]  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – El jueves 10 de octubre, el abogado Leonard Goodman presentó una moción posterior al juicio en nombre de los Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess y Jesse Nevel – pidiendo al juez William Jung una “sentencia absolutoria por el cargo de conspiración” o un nuevo juicio por ese cargo.

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By staff

Omali Yeshitela \[right\].  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – On Thursday, October 10, Attorney Leonard Goodman filed a post-trial motion on behalf of the Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel – asking Judge William Jung for a “judgment of acquittal on the conspiracy charge” or a new trial on that charge.

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization

On September 12, 2024, three leaders of the African Peoples' Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru Movement were convicted on the charge of conspiring to act “as agents of the Russian government within the United States without prior notification.” The charge carries up to five years in prison. The jury found them not guilty of the charge of already acting as unregistered foreign agents.

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By staff

Tampa, FL – On September 10, the sixth day of the trial of the Uhuru 3, members of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) and Uhuru Solidarity Movement charged with “acting as agents of a foreign government,” both the prosecution and defense finished presenting their arguments. The courtroom was packed full of supporters of the defendants.

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By Gage Lacharite

Tampa, FL – The trial of the Uhuru 3 entered its second week on Monday, September 9. The 17th floor courtroom of the Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse in downtown Tampa was packed with observers from across the country and across social movements, there to support the defendants.

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By staff

Tampa, FL – As the trial of the Uhuru 3 enters its second day, the prosecution calls its first witnesses. The Uhuru 3 are members of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru Movement who are charged with conspiracy and “acting as agents of the Russian government within the United States without prior notification.” The courtroom was packed with supporters of the defendants. Many had traveled from all across the country to be there.

The prosecution first called Professor Brian Taylor, a professor of political science, to the stand as a witness. Taylor’s role in the trial was to provide background information on the Russian intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB). When other witnesses were questioned, it was revealed that there was no proof of any of the defendants or the Russian nationals being agents of the FSB.

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By Chrisley Carpio

Tampa, FL – On September 3, at the Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse in downtown Tampa, the trial of the Uhuru 3 began. At 8 a.m., over 50 supporters of the defendants gathered across the street for a press conference and then a rally.

“We will beat these charges and we will put be the ones to put the state on trial,” said Mwezi Odom of the Hands Off Uhuru Defense Campaign.

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By Lauren Pineiro

Rally demands "Drop the charges against Uhuru 3."  | Fight Back! News/staff

St. Petersburg, FL – “We’re going to beat you in the court, and then when we do that we’re going to beat you in the streets,” said former NYC Councilman Charles Barron. He was talking about the fight for justice for the Uhuru 3, addressing a crowd of 125 community members and activists. The crowd gathered outside the Uhuru House in Saint Petersburg, Florida on August 31 to rally around the Uhuru 3, three Uhuru Movement leaders facing 15 years in prison for their international solidarity work.

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By staff

Los Angeles event demands charges against the Uhuru 3 be dropped.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Los Angeles, CA – In a packed room of Black and Chicano activists, high school students, and other supporters, a May 23 forum was held in support of the Hands Off the Uhuru 3 movement. The Uhuru movement is led by the African People's Socialist Party, which is facing political attacks by the FBI.

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