Anonymous Comrade submits

"Globenet and Reporters Without Borders are honouring a cyber-dissident who is being prevented from informing us via the Internet. The first
prizewinner is Tunisian cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui, sentenced to two
years in prison. Yahyaoui's fianc=E9e, Sophie Piekarec, received the 7,600
euro Prize on his behalf at a ceremony in Paris. A young unemployed
university graduate and Internet enthusiast, Yahyaoui launched a news
website from within Tunisia in July 2001. It was the only way to express
oneself in this country of censorship. Using the = pseudonym Ettounsi,
Yahyaoui quickly began drawing lots of young visitors to TUNeZINE. His
recipe was humour and sarcasm. In July 2001, TUNeZINE began reflecting the concerns of human rights defenders by being the first site to post an open
letter to President Ben Ali from Judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui (Zouhair
Yahyaoui's uncle) criticising the complete lack of judicial independence
in Tunisia. Written mostly in the Tunisian vernacular, the posts of
Yahyaoui and his team upset the authorities. Tunisia's cyber-police, who
are among the most effective in the world, were ordered to track them
down. He was arrested in an Internet caf=E9 in a Tunis suburb on 4 June
2002 by ten plain-clothes policemen, who took him to his home and searched
his room, taking his computer equipment. During interrogation by members
of the Directorate for State Security (DES), an offshoot of the interior
ministry, he revealed the password to his website. He was also tortured.
After a summary trial, an appeal court sentenced him on 10 July 2002 to
two years in prison for "spreading false news."

Anarchist Prisoners' Legal Aid Network writes
"On Friday, June 13th political prisoner Free (Jeffrey Luers) was transferred to Disciplinary Segregation, commonly known as “the Hole”, at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP).

Free’s friends and supporters have been informed that “Free was sent to the hole for an article he wrote.” This would be the second time this year that authorities at OSP have responded to political expression with write-ups and time in the Hole. (Anarchist prisoners Rob “los Ricos” Thaxton and Brian McCarvill were both sent to the Hole for 120 days earlier this year, after allies on the outside sent them postcards as part of an anti-censorship campaign.)

Free is widely considered a political prisoner due to the 23-year sentence he received for an act of sabotage that injured nobody. The same week as his transfer to the Hole, the Eugene Human Rights Commission released a letter in support of a reduced sentence for Free, and suggesting that the original sentence was based on his political beliefs.

Now, Free is again being punished for his politics.

We encourage all individuals and groups to stand by Free during this time, and to demand his immediate reentry into general population at OSP.

Further details will be circulated as we receive them.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Write letters of support to Free (envelopes must contain a full name and return address):

Jeffery Luers #13797671

OSP

2605 State Street

Salem, OR 97310

2. Contact Oregon Department of Corrections Interim Director Ben de Haan and OSP Superintendent Brian Belleque. Demand that Free be immediately released back into general population.

Ben de Haan, Interim Director – ODOC

Oregon Department of Corrections

Central Administration Office

2575 Center Street NE

Salem, Oregon 97301-4667

Tel: 503-945-9090

Fax: 503-373-1173

Brian Belleque, Superintendent

Oregon State Penitentiary

2605 State Street

Salem, Oregon 97310-0505

Tel: 503-378-2445

Fax: 503-378-3897

Emails may also be sent to the Department of Corrections at:

DOC.Info@doc.state.or.us

3. Fundraise for Free! Checks and money orders can be made out to "Howl for Freedom" and sent to Free’s Defense Network, address below. To make a secure online donation, go to
http://www.freefreenow.org/appeal.html

Free, in his own words:
“My name is Jeffrey Luers. Most of my friends call me “Free”. I have been active since 1996 fighting for a range of issues such as animal rights, gender equality, anti fascism, eco-defense and others. These issues are not separate they are one struggle, one fight. My story is only a small part of a greater whole.

“In my lifetime I have witnessed an onslaught against the inhabitants of this world lead by the greed of industrialized nations. It is my belief that the oppression of people is rooted in the oppression and exploitation of nature. A fundamental disrespect for life that began with the conquest of Mother Nature and has lead to the conquest of humankind. I struck back. In an act of resistance designated to raise awareness and draw attention to a problem that affects every human being, every animal, every plant, and every form of life on this planet. I am speaking of global warming, air, soil and water pollution. We are in the midst of a global environmental crisis.

“On June 16, 2000 I ignited a fire that would forever change my life. I torched 3 SUVs. I took extra care and used specific fuels to ensure no one would be injured. Approximately 30 minutes after the fire was lit and extinguished, I was taken into custody by 3 undercover agents who had been following me, one of whom I would later learn to be a member of an anti-domestic terrorist unit. I was arrested on Criminal Mischief One, a charge that carries about one year. In the course of one week that charge would multiply into 10 felony counts, including 3 counts of Arson One. Getting to trial took the course of a year. By trial I had accumulated 13 felony counts, now including conspiracy with persons unknown. I was looking at a little over 100 years. I refused to take a deal.

“Trial was a joke, literally. We proved evidence had been tampered with, officers had lied and that the prosecutor had manipulated evidence to get a legal search. On top of that the judge refused to allow me to separate the trial. I had been charged with two different fires. Law requires that upon request separate offences must be tried separately. The final blow came when the judge threw out the testimony of my expert witness. In the end I was convicted of 11 felony charges. I was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months. I have no possibility of parole. This is only a summary of events that took
place in the course of a year.”

Web Resources on Free:

http://www.freefreenow.org/
http://www.breakthechains.net/prisoners/free/index .html

http://www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk/prisoners/free.h tml

Free's Defense Network

PO Box 50263

Eugene, OR 97405

email: freefreenow@ziplip.com

Anarchist Prisoners' Legal Aid Network

818 SW 3rd Ave. PMB 354

Portland, OR 97204 (USA)

weneversleep@ziplip.com"

Anarchist Prisoners' Legal Aid Network writes "Anarchists in Portland, Oregon have received confirmation that our comrade Brian McCarvill has been transferred from Oregon State Penitentiary.




Brian is a radical social prisoner, who was recently involved in a lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC), challenging their censorship and rejection of anarchist publications. The lawsuit alleged that ODOC frequently censored radical materials “simply on the basis that they portrayed the Anarchist circle-A symbol, the Anarchist Black Cross symbol, the Anarchist Black Flag, and the terms “Anarchism” and “Anarchist”[…]” This lawsuit, McCarvill v DeHaan et al, was settled by contractual compromise on April 22, 2003.




Brian stated that the compromise settlement gives him and similarly situated persons “the relief that they could reasonably have expected from the US District Court”. This development was thus seen by Brian’s supporters as a victory, especially as much of Brian’s legal work was done from Disciplinary Segregation ("The Hole"). Both Brian and his old cellmate, Rob los Ricos (Robert Thaxton), were sent to the Hole for 120 days after individuals on the outside, attempting to aid Brian’s legal work, sent in postcards featuring the anarchist “circle A” symbol and the message "This is not a gang symbol."




On May 15th, Brian was moved to Two Rivers Correctional Institution (TRCI) in Umatilla, Oregon. This was just over a week after he had emerged from Disciplinary Segregation for his misconduct report over the “circle A” postcards. It is clear that this latest maneuver from ODOC is due to Brian’s anarchism and his recent legal success. He writes: “I have been transferred for simple punishment / retaliation; they [ODOC] have sent me to the worst place that they possibly could have sent me.”




Much of Brian’s property was “lost” during his transfer, with only a small amount having shown up at TRCI so far. He has had a few recent problems with censorship and is considering this situation.




Worse still, Brian has for years suffered serious back pain (from two slipped disks, and calcium build-ups over fracture trauma). He has been sent to a prison where there are no chairs in the dayroom with back-supports. ODOC has, in Brian’s words, “full knowledge” of this situation. Brian is also attempting to get dentures – he hasn’t had any teeth at all since November 2002. Work was scheduled begin on these dentures late May at Oregon State Penitentiary. No work on dentures is done at TRCI, so it is possible that the authorities will move him yet again. It is imperative that Brian is transferred back to Oregon State Penitentiary.




We encourage those on the outside to begin a discussion on how to broaden and deepen our support for Brian, and for all other prisoners in struggle. The ideas for action at the end of this email are only starting points.


Further details will be circulated as we receive them.




HOW YOU CAN HELP



1. Write letters of support to Brian (envelopes must contain a full name and return address):
Brian McCarvill #11037967
Two Rivers Correctional Institution
82911 Beach Access Rd
Umatilla, OR 97882




2. Write to ODOC Interim Director Ben de Haan and Mitch Morrow, ODOC Assistant Director – Institutions Division. Demand an end to retaliation against Brian McCarvill, his return to Oregon State Penitentiary, and a guarantee of adequate medical care. De Haan and Morrow may be contacted at:
Oregon Department of Corrections
Central Administration Office
2575 Center Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97301-4667
Tel: 503-945-9090
Fax: 503-373-1173




Emails may also be sent to the Department of Corrections at: DOC.Info@doc.state.or.us
(Please send copies of all text messages and ODOC responses to APLAN for our records. Contact information below.)




3. Donate funds. As the Department of Corrections retaliates, Brian and his allies on the outside need to prepare for all potentialities.


• Donations for Brian McCarvill may be sent through the Anarchist Prisoners’ Legal Aid Network, or as checks / money orders made payable to "DOC for Brian McCarvill #11037967" and sent to:
Central Trust - ODOC
PO Box 14400
Salem, OR 97309-5077


• Funds for APLAN's ongoing prisoner support may be sent as concealed cash, or checks / money orders with "Pay to:" section left blank, to:
APLAN
818 SW 3rd Ave PMB 354
Portland, OR 97204




Thank you for your support!
Until all are free - APLAN outside collective"