Minneapolis, MN – I first met Lynne Stewart, and her husband Ralph Poynter, in the summer of 2008 at an anti-war conference in Ohio. When I met the famed “people’s lawyer,” she was in the midst of appealing her conviction for the bogus crime of vigorously defending her client. Lynne was humble and warm, and didn’t seem to notice that I was star struck as she signed on in support of the anti-war march I was organizing at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul the coming September.

Before our paths crossed again, both our lives were forever changed. In 2009, Lynne lost her appeal, and began serving a ten-year sentence for “material support for terrorism.” The 2008 RNC protest led to an investigation of me, and 22 others, for the same bogus crime. About a year into her sentence, from behind bars, Lynne penned a message of support to myself and the other grand jury resisters.

She wrote, in part, “We stand strong with the resisters who elect not to become part of the same prosecution team that has terrorized the world. Now the so-called Department of Justice (ha!) has decided to focus on support groups of the world's peoples and also on eco-terrorism. Why? Because they can! It sends a message to the people that it’s dangerous; don’t join, don’t resist. That message must once again be shouted down, first by the resisters who will go to jail and second by us, the movement who must support them by always filling those cold marble courtrooms to show our solidarity and by speaking out so that their sacrifice is constantly remembered… Resisters must be defended to the utmost of our strength and abilities.”

In the following years, I got to know Lynne through Ralph and their friend Betty Davis, who embraced me and my fellow grand jury resisters as comrades. Their determination was as inspiring as Lynne’s, who insisted that the fight for her freedom would always be linked to and serve the struggle to free all political prisoners. As they became more worried about Lynne’s health, and the failing health of our many political prisoners and prisoners of war, they began to speak about the prisons as “death camps.”

Tonight, reflecting on that, I feel alternately joyful and bitter. I am joyful because Lynne escaped that death camp. When the judge approved her release, there was no “compassion” – the government believed she spent her last months laying quietly on a death bed. I am joyful that they didn’t know her. Lynne was so much stronger than they could ever know. She did not languish. She lived. She organized, she spoke, and she loved. I am so thankful that in these years, she made a place in her life for me, and we became friends.

We lived far apart, but on a few occasions, Lynne put me to work making flyers for projects she had going in New York. She would send me the worst instructions – rough text, maybe some random images – and I’d try to make them look pretty and read smoothly on a page for her. I love that she would criticize me for including the wrong pictures – from the messages she had sent me – because they were politically off. I accept the criticism, comrade!

I’m not sure Lynne knew how much it meant to me to see her continue her work, even when her health tried to get in the way. I have my own serious health problems, and I aspire to remain as dedicated and hardworking as she is. I think we shared the view that there is no other choice. We don’t choose our bodies any more than we choose justice – both just are.

These thoughts of Lynne give me joy, but then my mind turns to bitterness. She was not only locked away from her family and the people’s movements for four long years, she was denied the health care she needed. Lynne was strong enough to outlive the predictions of those death camp doctors, but it’s impossible not to think that if she were free and had access to real health care during those four years, this amazing woman would have defeated the cancer that plagued her. That she would still be with us to celebrate another International Women’s Day.

It’s difficult to find a photo of Lynne Stewart without a smile on her face, a light in her eyes. She spent her life sharing that light with the world, standing up for the oppressed at every turn. Even from behind the prison bars, Lynne was a hero, and she will never be forgotten. And, because Lynne would be unhappy if I failed to say so, I’ll close by asking all who read this to do your part to change this rotten world we live in, and especially to win freedom for all our political prisoners and prisoners of war.

#MinneapolisMN #InJusticeSystem #Remembrances #LynneStewart #PoliticalRepression

“The U.S. government is targeting Rasmea Odeh because of the growing success of the Palestine solidarity movement, especially in the last five years. For example, Israeli Prime Minister and war criminal Netanyahu is facing opposition from some Democrats in Congress when he comes to speak,” said Al Klaver of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, who chaired the proceedings.

Rasmea Odeh greeted the filled to capacity room via live video stream. She was followed by speeches by Muhammad Sankari of the Rasmea Defense Committee in Chicago, Lumumba Bandele of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, people’s lawyer Lynne Stewart and her partner Ralph Pointer, as well as Bill Dores of the International Action Center.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression was founded in NYC in November 2010 and plans to organize an event coinciding with Odeh’s sentencing on March 12.

#NewYorkNY #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #LynneStewart #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #MuhammadSankari #LumumbaBandele

San José, CA – On Saturday, May 3rd, more than 60 people gathered at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in San José for a reception and program with Lynne Stewart organized by the South Bay Committee Against Political Repression with a generous donation of food for the reception from the National Lawyer’s Guild. The event raised more than $1100 to help with the health costs of Lynne Stewart who is battling cancer.

Long-time attorney, Lynne Stewart, had been imprisoned on a bogus ‘material support’ for terrorism charge, for her work defending an Egyptian cleric.

While the audience was gathering for the program, a taped message from Mumia Abu-Jamal was played, welcoming the release of Lynne Stewart. The program was opened by Masao Suzuki of the SBCAPR, who had been visited by the FBI in September 2010 at the same time that antiwar and international solidarity activists in the Midwest were being raided by the FBI and subpoenaed to a Federal Grand Jury. Karen Wald then read a solidarity statement from the Cuba 5 for Mumia and Stewart.

The first speaker was Ramona Africa, coordinator of MOVE, whose headquarter was bombed by the Philadelphia police in 1985. The bombing killed 11 MOVE members, including five children, and burned down an entire block of about 60 homes. She spoke about the MOVE 9, who have been unjustly imprisoned since 1978 for the death of police officer.

Jeff Mackler of he Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, spoke about Mumia who had been on death row from thirty years, before finally having the death sentence dropped in 2012. He said that the struggle to free Mumia continues. Ralph Pointer, Lynne Stewart’s husband, thanked the audience for their support in the struggle to free Lynne Stewart and then Dan Carpenter of the National Lawyer’s Guild introduced Lynne Stewart.

Lynne Stewart said that coming home from prison was a victory, and that “I am going to keep fighting so others can go home.” She stated that she had a special concern for women prisoners, who often were separated from their children. Lynne Stewart also spoke out for political prisoners in the United States, and urged the audience to go to the website of the National Jericho Movement to learn more about how to support political prisoners in the United States.

Following the speakers there was a question and answer period. Pam Africa of MOVE also came to the event but was not feeling up to speaking.

The San José event was part of a Bay Area tour with events in San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, and Sacramento sponsored by the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee, and KPFA.

#SanJoséCA #PoliticalPrisoners #LynneStewart #SouthBayCommitteeAgainstPoliticalRepression

Minneapolis, MN – On Feb. 15, a panel called, “Victories in Resistance, Solidarity Against Injustice” was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) to celebrate newly-won freedom and to reflect on how to do political prisoner solidarity which builds our movements.

The basement at the Minnehaha Free Space was packed for an emotional discussion that was alternately jubilant and sobering. More than 50 people gathered to hear from Lynne Stewart and CeCe McDonald, both recently released from prison. Sabry Wazwaz, an Palestinian activist and AWC member also spoke, along with AWC-member Jess Sundin, one of the Midwest activists targeted by an ongoing FBI and grand jury investigation.

Sundin explained the motivations for the event, “In 2010, the idea that any of us could become a political prisoner became very personal for me and other members of the Anti-War Committee. As many of you know, we were the targets of a two-year undercover investigation. Our homes and office were raided by the FB, and we were ordered to appear before a grand jury in Chicago. When each of us refused to testify there – to serve as witnesses against each other, our movements or our allies abroad – we made that decision in spite of the very real threat of imprisonment.

“While it was painful, as we made arrangements for who would care for our children if we were taken away, we felt we had no choice. Our testimony could have endangered the very lives of people like Samer Issawi, leaders of the people’s movements we had met on solidarity trips to Palestine and Colombia. And while on the one hand, it’s a decision you make alone, we never stood alone – Lynne sent a solidarity statement to one of our early rallies. Delicious lasagna made by CeCe was served at a community dinner to support us. And thousands of people across the country – and the world – joined us in demanding an end to the grand jury. We had our own victory against that grand jury – out of 23 people called, not one testified. And out of 23 grand jury resisters, not one was jailed for refusing to testify. The threat against us was very real, and very personal. But so was the solidarity.”

The government claims it is investigating anti-war and international solidarity activism as a form of “providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations.” Long-time attorney, Lynne Stewart, was also faced a ‘material support’ charge, for her work defending an Egyptian cleric accused of terrorism.

Lynne Stewart, speaking via Skype, was greeted by audience cheers. First, she thanked supporters for writing her in prison and encouraged people to keep writing other prisoners. She said that letters are important acts of solidarity that keep political prisoners from being isolated and called each one “a poke in the eye against imperialism.”

Stewart, who is battling stage four breast cancer, credited the movement with getting her out before she was ready to die. She said it was through the tireless work of supporters that the U.S. government decided it was more destructive to keep her in prison than to release her. 45,000 people signed the petition demanding Stewart’s compassionate release. She highlighted the work of her husband, Ralph Poynter, for her release. In speaking of his relentless picketing of the White House during blistering heat in August she said “Everyone should have a Ralph, and everyone does when we have a movement!”

The audience was moved to see Stewart in her first Midwest appearance since her release from prison.

CeCe McDonald was also warmly greeted by the audience which was eager to hear her speak about her experiences just one month after being released from prison. In June 2011, CeCe McDonald fought off a racist, transphobic attack. She was sentenced to 41 months in a men’s prison for second degree manslaughter, despite clear evidence of self-defense. She is an international symbol of the resistance and resilience of trans women of color.

McDonald said that community support also helped her win an early release from prison. She was proud that the movement had sent a loud and clear message that trans women of color were not disposable. She gave special mention to the CeCe McDonald Support Committee, several of whom were present.

McDonald described how the struggle around her case moved her forward politically, “I learned about my history, about the history of powerful Black women like Assata Shakur and Angela Davis through this process. It made me open up my eyes and learn to love myself more… It was my duty to prove a point, that they couldn’t turn me into a statistic and it was the people in the community who helped me.”

Anti-War Committee activist Sabry Wazwaz shared the words of Palestinian political prisoner Samer Al-Issawi, written in a message to his supporters on Day 209 of his hunger strike, “I draw my strength from my people, from all the free people, from friends and the families of the prisoners who continue day and night chanting freedom and an end to the occupation.” Wazwaz added some experiences of his own family, Palestinians confronting Israeli apartheid.

After a record 266 days on hunger strike, Issawi won his freedom in December 2013. During Issawi’s hunger strike he became a symbol of the epidemic of unlawful detention of Palestinians with no charges or trials by the Israeli government. He would only end his hunger strike with a promise of freedom and the right to return home, tying his demand to the universal Palestinian struggle for that right to return to homes and land stolen by Israel.

These cases inspired international support and attention not only because of the extreme injustice faced in each case, but also because Lynne Stewart, CeCe McDonald and Samer Issawi all spoke from behind the prison walls, to demand greater justice for all.

Jess Sundin called on those present to continue to fight for more victories against injustices. “The government has used its investigation of us to target our friends and allies across the country. First was Carlos Montes, Chicano leader from Los Angeles – we beat back their attempts to imprison him.” At this point, the crowd interrupted with applause.

She continued, “And now we have Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh. We know her from Chicago’s Arab American Action Network, where she works with Hatem Abudayyeh, one of the main targets in our case. Rasmea is charged with immigration fraud. Allegedly, in her application for citizenship, she didn’t mention that she was arrested 45 years ago by an illegitimate Israeli military court. To describe her past as though she was a some kind of terrorist, legitimately and legally arrested by the Israeli government, covers up that Israel occupies Palestinian land and arrests and tortures Palestinians systematically and illegally.

“Supposedly an immigration case, this stems at least in part from the investigation against us. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas, the lead prosecutor in our case, was at the courtroom, consulting with the assistant U.S. attorney who was presenting the indictment to the judge. The indictment against Rasmea reads more like one of his anti-terrorism cases than an immigration paperwork violation.”

Sundin urged action, “If the government wins its case against Rasmea, she faces imprisonment and deportation. We ask that all of you learn more about her story, and take action to stop the government from railroading her as part of its continuing repression of Palestinians and people who stand in solidarity with them.”

A collection was taken to support CeCe McDonald and to contribute to Lynn Stewart’s medical expenses. For information about how you could donate to help keep Stewart alive please go to: http://lynnestewart.org/.

The event was organized by the Anti-War Committee and endorsed by Communities United Against Police Brutality, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, MN Coalition for Palestinian Rights, MN Committee Against FBI Repression, MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Twin Cities Socialist Action, U of MN Students for a Democratic Society, Veterans for Peace (chapter 27), Welfare Rights Committee, and Women Against Military Madness.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalPrisoner #LynneStewart #USImperialism #CeCeMcDonald #InjusticeSystem

Minneapolis, MN – Jess Sundin, a spokesperson of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and an anti-war leader, hailed the Dec. 31 release of jailed attorney Lynne Stewart. Sundin stated, “People's attorney, Lynne Stewart, is a hero who was imprisoned for doing the right thing. She has always stood up for the oppressed and this is why people around the world have been speaking up to demand her freedom. After countless letters, phone calls and protests, we are overjoyed that Lynne's freedom has finally been won. I am so happy she's finally home with her family today. May this be the first of many freedoms in 2014.”

Stewart had been serving a ten-year sentence on bogus ‘material support for terrorism’ charges. U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ordered her let go on the grounds of “compassionate release.” The release order, signed by Judge Koeltl, states that Stewart has less than 18 months to live.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalPrisoners #JessSundin #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #compassionateRelease

Washington, DC – 50 people gathered at Columbia Heights Civic Plaza, July 12, to demand compassionate release for Lynne Stewart. Music and speakers rallied the crowd, reaching thousands of passersby at this busy square during evening rush hour. Undaunted by rain, protesters passed out hundreds of flyers and collected petition signatures urging the release of Stewart, imprisoned on bogus terrorism charges for her work as a defense attorney. Although Stewart has stage four cancer and qualifies for early release based on compassionate grounds, the Bureau of Prisons has refused to release her.

Speakers traveled from New York, Boston, Minnesota and Tennessee to join the growing effort to free Lynne Stewart. The D.C. rally follows actions earlier this week in Los Angeles and New York City and comes in the midst of an ongoing vigil in front of the White House. 23,000 people have signed the petition for her release and supporters are urged to continue collecting signatures and making calls to President Obama and to Attorney General Holder.

A drummer, a guitarist and singers played throughout the rally, performing the Cuban song, Guantanamera, and U.S. civil rights song, Eyes on the Prize. Spirits were high as protesters chanted, “What do we want? Free Lynne Stewart! When do we want it? Now!”

Stewart's husband, Ralph Poynter, opened the rally saying Stewart “knew what her job was: bringing truth and justice to those who never had truth and justice. When I say support those who support us, I'm talking about Bradley Manning. I'm talking about all those people who dared tell us the truth. I'm talking about Julian Assange, he dared to tell us the truth. Snowden, he dared to tell us the truth. And we have Lynne Stewart who dared tell us the truth and we must dare to support her.” He urged people to keep up the fight, “So dare to join me every day all day in front of that White House supporting myself, supporting you, supporting truth, supporting the history that we claim is a just history of a just people. Let us show the world that we have not been intimidated by this government that kills, murders, occupies and destroys around the world.”

Leonard Peltier, a political prisoner from the American Indian Movement, sent a statement that was read at the rally. Another powerful message came from Mutulu Shakur, in jail for liberating Assata Shakur. “My dear sister Lynne, the total disrespect of her personage enrages us. Our lack of ability to affect change in her condition continues to highlight the sad state of our abilities to muster political capital to alter the state of affairs. It begs the question, where can new find the process that is at least more productive than the present one... We have always fought and raised the slogan that health care is a human right. Are there no human rights for my sister, Lynne?”

Kazi Toure, former political prisoner from the United Freedom Front, came from Boston to address the rally. “That brings us back to the struggle that Malcolm was pushing for, the one of human rights, when we were dealing with civil rights. Its 40 years later, and we're still here talking about, can we get some human rights. Animals have more rights than we do. We're gonna have to do something to really save this sister's life – more than vigils, more than signing petitions, we have to do something more, or she's going to die in prison.”

Jess Sundin, international solidarity activist and grand jury resister from Minnesota, also addressed the crowd. “We need to fight back against this injustice, and we need to win. We need to fight like the 30,000 hunger striking prisoners in California. We need to fight like those who beat back apartheid in South Africa – heroes that the U.S. government called terrorists in the 80s, but history will remember as heroes. We need to win, like Carlos Montes, who beat prosecutors’ attempts to jail him for 18 years, spending not one day in prison. We need to win like Assata Shakur, who though she’s on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list, is living free in Cuba today. Like Carlos, like Assata, like Mandela, Lynne Stewart is a hero. It’s time to bring her home!”

Preston Gilmore came from Clarksville, Tennessee, and pledged to mobilize Students for a Democratic Society to join the growing struggle for Lynne Stewart's freedom. He said, “Lynne stands against anti-Muslim bigotry and against imperialism and endless wars. Currently, the U.S. government is waging a campaign of fear to criminalize and imprison Muslims and Arab-Americans at home, in an effort to justify and promote U.S. war and occupation in the Middle East and Asia. They are attempting to deter us from carrying forward the struggle against war and racism and advancing the movement. However, all we have to do is look to Lynne Stewart’s life of selfless struggle to realize the necessity of struggling against this system of injustice.”

To support Lynne Stewart, Sign the petition at LynneStewart.org and call to urge these offices to grant her compassionate release:

White House, President Barack Obama: 202-456-1414 Attorney General Eric Holder: 202-514-2001 Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels: 202-307-3250

#WashingtonDC #PoliticalPrisoners #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #RalphPoynter

People’s attorney Lynne Stewart was accused of “material support to terrorism,” for the defense of her client, Omar Abdel-Rahman in the mid-1990s. Her ten-year sentence, itself unprecedented for an attorney acting on her client’s behalf, has become a death sentence.

Stewart has breast cancer, which had been in remission prior to her imprisonment in November 2009. The cancer has now reached Stage Four, spreading to her lymph nodes, shoulder, bones and lungs. Compassionate release from prison would allow Stewart to access the medical care that is her only hope for survival, or at least to spend her final days with loved ones.

Jess Sundin, of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, opened the meeting in Ellison’s North Minneapolis office by explaining to three staffers that Ellison’s constituents want him to take action on Lynne Stewart’s behalf. Sundin, as well as Tracy Molm of the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society and Sarah Martin from Women Against Military Madness(WAMM), joined the effort in part because they are among the anti-war and international solidarity activists targeted by FBI raids and a Chicago grand jury investigating them for similar terrorism-related charges.

The grand jury resisters were joined by Bruce Nestor, of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Pepperwolf and Lucia Wilkes Smith of WAMM, and Eric Angell of the cable TV program, Our World In Depth.

Staff member Rebecca Lucero told the group that Congressman Ellison sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, supporting action on Lynne Stewart’s petition for compassionate release. According to her, Holder has not responded to the June 12 letter.

The group called on Ellison’s staff to go further – urging Ellison to make a public statement supporting Stewart’s release and to initiate a Dear Colleague letter for more members of congress to sign. While the office made no commitment, the activists pledged to keep the pressure on.

Supporters should continue spreading the word and making the calls to Washington, D.C., where Stewart’s husband, Ralph Poynter, is maintaining a vigil outside the White House this week. Calls should be directed to Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels at 202-307-3198, ext. 3; U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, 202-514-2001; and President Obama 202-456-1414.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalPrisoners #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression

New York, NY – Jess Sundin, of the Committee to Stop FBI repression, spoke on a panel at the Left Forum here, June 8. Entitled the “Targeted killings of Americans on American soil: the story of Lynne Stewart, political prisoners and all progressive struggles in America.” The panel included Ralph Poynter, husband of jailed people’s lawyer Lynn Stewart and a leader of her defense committee. Also speaking was Ricardo Jimenez and Luis Rosa, fighters for Puerto Rico’s independence who served long prison sentences, Sue Udry of the Defending Dissent Foundation, Reverend Pinkney, Pam Africa, and others.

Sundin’s speech follows:

Greetings comrades and friends. It's an honor and humbling to speak with you today, and especially to appear on such an esteemed panel – you represent some of the most important movements of our time. Many of you have been invaluable allies to myself and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Thank you for all of your work.

As Ralph [Poynter] says, the clock is ticking for our brothers and sisters, political prisoners behind bars. These men and women, freedom fighters, were targeted by a government that has no interest in justice.

We are talking about a government that is in the hands of vampires who have no shame. They built a country on stolen land, on the backs of stolen people, by exploiting the labor of working people – especially African slaves, and now super-exploited immigrant workers. They wage brutal wars to seize control of other nations' wealth, and they protect banksters and bosses who steal the jobs, homes and safety net that thousands of working people need for our survival. They pass laws to limit our rights to organize and pave the way for environmental destruction. We must bear in mind that those in power have no interest in justice. In fact, their interests run counter to justice at every turn. They thirst for profit and domination and it is no surprise that they act out against those who see that another world is possible, and who dare to fight for it.

In preparing for today, I thought back to when I first met Lynne [Stewart] and Ralph, in the summer of 2008 at an anti-war conference in Ohio. This was after her conviction for material support to terrorism and related charges, but before her sentencing. I had stars in my eyes when I met the famous people's attorney, Lynne Stewart. I was charmed by her warmth and openness, when she signed on in support of the anti-war march I was organizing at the RNC in Saint Paul the following September. At that time, I had no idea that organizing would send me down a similar path to Lynne. Undercover agents surveilled myself and other protest organizers and began to manufacture a case against us, also on charges of material support to terrorism.

In 2010, the FBI carried out coordinated raids at the homes of anti-war and international solidarity activists. When they arrived at our home at 7:00 a.m. on Sept. 24, we did not understand the scope of these events. We were focused on the battering ram poised at the door when my partner and our 6-year-old daughter opened it. It soon became clear that the government was targeting us, just as it had Lynne, as well as so many Arabs and Muslims before us, in an effort to silence dissent and clear the way for imperialist wars abroad. In all, nine homes were raided, 23 people were subpoenaed to the grand jury, and another brother, Carlos Montes, was targeted with felony charges going back to an old COINTELPRO-era case against him as a leader in the Chicano movement. We had to fight back.

We made several important decisions:

First, we refused to cooperate with the prosecution. Not one of us testified at that grand jury, even with the threat of imprisonment for refusing. We would not help the government make a case against our colleagues in the U.S., nor would we give them information that could endanger the lives and work of our comrades abroad.

Our resolve won the support of thousands, who protested, made phone calls, signed petitions, and hosted speakers around our case.

Our second important decision was to build a public campaign in defense of ourselves and our work. I was giving press interviews on my front lawn, while FBI agents carried boxes of my belongings out the front door behind me. We never apologized for our organizing; we stood by liberation movements from Palestine to Colombia, even those unjustly termed ‘terrorist’ by the U.S. government.

Our third important decision was to unite with others fighting repression, starting with other targets of the bogus ‘war on terror.’ We have worked in support of the Holy Land 5, directors of the largest Muslim charity in the U.S., targeted because they are Palestinian and stand with their people against the Zionist occupation. The men of the Holy Land 5 are currently serving sentences as long as 65 years, after the same prosecutor from our case won a conviction on material support for terrorism. Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan, Somali women from Minnesota, were just sentenced last month to 20 and 10 years, for sending a few thousand dollars to support the orphans and widows of the civil conflict in their homeland – material support for terrorism. These are just a few cases, there are hundreds, everyone of them a shameful miscarriage of justice. Defending them is a key part of our strategy to defend ourselves.

Earlier this year, our efforts to unite against repression brought me to the shadow of Carswell, the prison that holds Lynne today. There were two important rallies for Aafia Siddiqui. She is a Pakistani woman about my age, mother of three, who on Sept. 23, 2010, the day before the FBI raided my home, was sentenced to 86 years for a bogus charge of attempted murder of a U.S. soldier holding her captive in Afghanistan, five years after she had been kidnapped from the streets of Karachi.

Unless people of conscience can win her freedom, Aafia will die in Carswell. Shamefully, the same is true for Lynne Stewart, and many people at the protest for Aafia carried signs for Lynne. As I stood outside of Carswell, it struck me that I could die there too. I have significant medical problems, and would likely be imprisoned there if the government made its terrorism case against me. Truth be told, the same could happen to anyone who stands up and organizes against this criminal system run by corporate gangsters and thug politicians.

We have revealing news reports every day, like the idea that the NSA is conducting warrantless phone and Internet surveillance against all of us, all the time. You know, I had a young activist friend, just last night ask on Facebook, why should she care if the government knows who she's calling or what she's writing in her emails, because she's not doing anything wrong. Of course, I wasn't doing anything wrong either, but an undercover agent spied on me for two years, posing as a friend and comrade, recording and reporting on our conversations and meetings. We need to understand that when the powerful are not openly repressing us, they are gathering information to use to repress us later. Now we are all treated like criminals. We are all Lynne Stewart.

The latest attack on sister Assata [Shakur], like the one on Carlos Montes in our case, shows us that the enemy never forgets. Both of them are heroes. They were attacked during the COINTELPRO era for their work, but they couldn't catch them then. Now, 40 years later, the government is trying to bring back those old cases, and call them terrorists. But they are heroes.

I want to close by urging everyone here to take real action to win freedom for Lynne Stewart, Mumia Abu Jamal, Oscar Lopez Rivera, and all political prisoners. I'll begin with my own pledge: The CSFR will stand with you. We've won real victories in our case – no one was jailed for refusing to cooperate with the grand jury, and Carlos Montes beat back charges that could have landed him 18 years, to resolve his case with not one day in jail. It's time for more victories, bigger victories. Let's bring Lynne home.

#NewYorkNY #PoliticalPrisoners #JessSundin #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #HolyLand5 #NationalSecurityAgency

Lynne Stewart, a heroic and long-time progressive lawyer, is serving a ten-year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas for ‘material support of terrorism,’ after serving as defense attorney for Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman. On June 9 Fight Back! spoke with her husband, Ralph Poynter, about her case. Poynter is a Black community leader and retired New York City teacher.

Fight Back!: At the Left Forum, you organized a panel on political prisoners. How does Lynne's story relate to the general problem of political repression today?

Ralph Poynter: Lynne’s story is the same as all other political prisoners. Those who want to work toward a more decent society – no matter what way they work on it, by telling the truth, or acting on the truth – have become the automatic enemies of a destructive, corrupt state, and they act in that manner.

So Lynne is a political prisoner who defended those who were not supposed to get a defense. That is, the poor, the people of color and those involved in acts that did not harm anyone else, but the prohibition acts of certain drugs – and they left out alcohol and cigarettes, which are responsible for more deaths than all the others put together. And so Lynne defended these people, and she is paying the price.

Fight Back!: What is going on with Lynne's case today?

Poynter: Her legal case, we’re putting it before the Supreme Court, they call it certiorari. We’ve sent papers to see if the court is going accept the case. No one has challenged the Patriot Act through the Supreme Court on First Amendment rights, et cetera. This is one of the things that Lynne is doing legally.

And we’re asking for compassionate release because she is dying in prison. We want to get her out and get her to a facility in New York City. In Lynne’s own words, “If you are white, have a reasonable amount of economic support and certain notoriety, medical care is available to you in New York City.” We can have her survive long enough to carry her case to the Supreme Court, if she gets out of prison now, so she can access this medical care that is available to her in New York City.

Now, it is a race, no matter where she is. It’s a race for her life, and every day she’s in jail, it cuts down on her possibility of winning it.

Fight Back!: A lot of people know about Lynne’s case and there has been an outpouring of support for her, and for her compassionate release. What has been the impact of that support?

Poynter: We are hoping – today is Sunday – we are hoping that Monday we have a response from the government. We are hoping, but we are also planning Tuesday to have meetings to see our next step. We know the government knows about it. She has passed all of the legalities of compassionate release; she qualifies as the bill was written. But we also know that when Lynne went to prison, she was scheduled for an operation, and it was 18 months before they scheduled the operation in Fort Worth, Texas. So, they are in no hurry, and as I say, they are looking to kill her. And as the attending physician said, it was the worst case she’d ever seen, due to the delay. So this is nothing new.

We say we want treatment for her cancer. They’re delaying. We said we wanted treatment for her other physical problems, they delayed. This is death by lack of medical treatment in prison. But that makes Lynne no different than all the other political prisoners who are in jail. They suffer the lack of physical medical treatment.

Fight Back!: You’ve said people should keep making calls for Lynne. Tell us about those calls, and what else our readers can do to help Lynne now.

Poynter: The calls are going to the Office of the President, the Office of Eric Holder and the head of the prisons, Samuels. But the interesting thing is, she’s already qualified. Samuels said yes, the prison warden in Fort Worth said yes – that’s all that’s required by the statute of compassionate release and yet Lynne is still in jail.

And so we say, 'hey, it’s someplace. They just forgot about it, or they set it aside, or they’re waiting for her to die.'

So keep on calling. Keep on signing that petition in two places – change.org and iacenter.org

Keep on signing and calling until we change strategy, because we are running out of possibilities. Or we have to create some new possibilities, new actions, to make this government move. We have people fasting. Maybe we have to boycott something, maybe we have to pick a strategic place, maybe we have to block highways. Who knows what we will have to do? But the government will decide how far we have to go, because we’re running out of time very quickly.

Fight Back! urges our readers to answer this call for continued support.

Call and urge immediate compassionate release for Lynne Stewart:

Attorney General Eric Holder – 202-514-2001

White House President Obama – 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414

Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels – 202-307-3250

Follow the campaign, and sign the petition for Lynne’s compassion release at http://lynnestewart.org

#UnitedStates #PoliticalPrisoners #OppressedNationalities #Racism #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #RalphPoynter

Hello my name is Sue Udry with Defending Dissent Foundation and I am speaking in solidarity with Aafia Siddiqui on behalf of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. For those opposed to FBI raids and political repression in the U.S., Aafia Siddiqui’s incredible story makes a lot of sense. We know firsthand that the U.S. government will send heavily armed agents to invade people’s homes, wave automatic weapons in the faces of loved ones and children and take away notebooks, phones, computers, address lists of activists or anything they want. Political freedom in the U.S. is being repressed, from the anti-war 23 who formed the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, to the Occupy Wall Street movement, to the nearly 200 Arab-American and Muslim political prisoners held in solitary confinement and other punishment units that violate basic human rights.

We know the U.S. government is bullying and abusing anti-war activists in this country, so it makes perfect sense that in Pakistan or other countries where the U.S. is at war, that U.S. intelligence agents and the FBI would illegally spy on, kidnap, torture and murder people. We saw it in the U.S. war in Iraq, we see it in the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan and we see it carried out by soldiers and death squads under U.S. advisors in places like Colombia and the Philippines. In this context Aafia Siddiqui’s story makes perfect sense. For us, Aafia Siddiqui is the symbol of solidarity on International Women’s Day!

We ask you to support Aafia Siddiqui and to show solidarity with the 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists raided by the FBI and subpoenaed to a grand jury in Chicago in 2010. They refused to go to the grand jury, but two and a half years later, Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas continues to claim to be investigating them. Jonas, who imprisoned the Holy Land Five, is refusing to return the belongings of Palestinian-American leader Hatem Abudayyeh in Chicago. We ask you to join us in opposing political repression here at home and wars and oppression overseas. We can forge a new and better society here at home by ending the wars and oppression overseas.

#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #InternationalWomensDay #PoliticalPrisoners #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #LynneStewart #DrAafiaSiddiqui #DefendingDissentFoundation

Subpoenas

By Lynne Stewart

I began my career as a political movement lawyer. The government was rounding up the last of the diehard militants, many of whom had been underground, and prosecuting them as a part of the Panther movement.

They also subpoenaed anyone with any tangential relationship to those who had been arrested. I am talking about their daters, their lovers, their teachers, their religious leaders, their estranged relatives, those who had attended meetings, rallies etc.

All of these activities centered upon an expropriation in suburban New York of a Brinks armored truck and the people who were arrested then and later. Their purpose? To intimidate that branch of the movement that could be counted on to support militancy and troll for even the most insignificant crumbs of information that might be fitted together to enmesh suspects.

What happened? Most people who had been taped by the government lawyered up with movement lawyers, guided in part by the legal work of Bob Boyle and Guild lawyers who had written legal representation before Grand Juries which remains the standard on what to do and when to do it. A person subpoenaed is in the unenviable position of having only the vaguest idea of what the government may want and is faced ultimately with the choice of testifying against comrades or spending long months in jail.

They may even face a possibility of being indicted for contempt and facing a sentence that is completely up to a judge. In the face of this challenge in that day, I can only say that most people chose not to testify and to wait out the government. They gave up an existence as they were living it – jobs, relationships, and all that constitutes daily life, and they went to jail. And they stayed in jail for many months and they didn’t give in.

Now we are in another era – one that was not born from the euphoria and idealism of the 60s, and the government is once again arresting, subpoenaing and tormenting movement people, hoping they will become informants. And the reaction of the movement? We resist.

We stand strong with the resisters who elect not to become part of the same prosecution team that has terrorized the world. Now the so-called Department of Justice (ha!) has decided to focus on support groups of the world's peoples and also on eco-terrorism. Why? Because they can! It sends a message to the people that it’s dangerous; don’t join, don’t resist. That message must once again be shouted down, first by the resisters who will go to jail and second by us, the movement who must support them by always filling those cold marble courtrooms to show our solidarity and by speaking out so that their sacrifice is constantly remembered.

Our principle of non-collaboration has so far proved robust. There has been no wavering. Our support must continue to convince everyone involved that these are issues of principle. There can be no compromise. Resisters must be defended to the utmost of our strength and abilities.

Venceremos,

Love/Struggle,

Lynne Stewart

Carswell Federal Prison

#UnitedStates #September24FBIRaids #LynneStewart

Stewart is a 71-year old breast cancer survivor who was jailed for her work as a lawyer representing Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the ‘Blind Sheikh.’ Abdel-Rahman was accused of plotting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Stewart has a long career as a human rights champion, defending the poor, the oppressed and the unpopular, who rarely get good legal representation or a fair trial. For example Stewart legally defended high profile political prisoners such as former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member Sekou Odinga and controversial people such as Larry Davis, who was charged with killing some New York police officers.

In 2005 Stewart was convicted of conspiracy, providing material support to terrorists and defrauding the U.S. government, for allegedly distributing messages on behalf Abdel-Rahman. In October 2006, Judge Koeltl sentenced Stewart to two years and four months in prison. She started serving her sentence in late 2009. Then, in a highly unusual move, the federal prosecutor demanded that her sentence be increased to between 15 and 30 years. In July 2010, the judge upped her sentence to ten years after an appeals court decided Stewart wasn’t repentant enough, based on statements she had made to the press. This was nearly five times as long as her initial sentence and was shocking to most observers, considering Stewart was a 70-year old recent cancer survivor.

According to her support committee, the government repression against Stewart, “is an obvious attempt by the U.S. government to silence dissent, curtail vigorous defense lawyers, and instill fear in those who would fight against the U.S. government’s racism, seek to help Arabs and Muslims being prosecuted for free speech and defend the rights of all oppressed people.”

Speaking on the significance of the government attack on Stewart, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who also represented Abdel-Rahman in the case along with Stewart, said in a 2005 interview on Democracy Now!, “It is clear that Lynne Stewart and the truth and the Constitution of the United States are all victims of 9/11 and of a repressive government that is taking advantage of the fear that they have helped create arising from that that is destroying freedom in this country...This case would never have been brought except for the fear generated and the advantage that the Bush administration was taking of it by the events on Sept. 11, 2001. In ordinary times and circumstances, it would be recognized that everything that Lynne did was exactly what an effective attorney representing a client zealously would be obligated to do...I don’t know of anything that Lynne did that I didn’t do. We did what we had to do to represent our clients. And if you don’t do that, then you don’t have truth before the jury or before the public and you don’t have the Constitutional right to the assistance of counsel.”

Stewart’s recent transfer to Texas moves her further away from family and friends in New York, but in a letter to supporters on Dec. 19, she cites some improvements in conditions in the new facility, such as better food than at the prison in New York.

Donations can be sent to Lynne Stewart for her basic needs in prison by U.S. Post Office money order or business or government check, mailed to Federal Bureau of Prisons, 53504-054, Lynne Stewart, PO Box 474701, Des Moines, Iowa 50947-001 (payable to Lynne Stewart, 53504-054). More information on Lynne Stewart is at www.lynnestewart.org.

#UnitedStates #PoliticalPrisoners #LynneStewart #SheikhOmarAbdelRahman #RamseyClark