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Mar 1, 23

In Contempt #26: Fight to Free Mumia Continues; Keith LaMar on Hunger Strike; Repression Ramps Up

In this column, we present our monthly roundup of political prisoner, prison rebel, and repression news, happenings, announcements, action and analysis. Packed in as always are updates, fundraisers, and birthdays.

There’s a lot happening, so let’s dive right in!

Political Prisoner News

In political prisoner news, February 16th was an international day of actions to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, which saw longshore workers from ILWU Local 10 shut down the ports of Oakland and San Francisco.

Mumia’s grandson has also recently been interviewed about the 42 years of his grandfather’s political imprisonment.

An event to welcome Dr Mutulu Shakur home after his 37 years as a political prisoner was held in Los Angeles on February 27th.

A call-in campaign in support of Black Liberation prisoner Kamau Sadiki was successful in getting him his blood pressure medication after a delay.

Indigenous political prisoner Oso Blanco has released a new book, The Blue Agave Revolution. The long-running political prisoner support project Certain Days have put out their call for submissions for the 2024 calendar, with a deadline of May 1st.

Anarchist and antifascist political prisoner Dan Baker has been moved to solitary and had his Corrlinks access cut off, for reasons which are unknown at time of writing.

Long-term US political prisoner Ana Belen Montes was released at the start of 2023, after 20 years in extreme isolation for sharing US military information with the Cuban government. In a statement on her release, she wrote:

I am more than happy to touch Puerto Rican soil again. After two rather grueling decades and in need of earning a living again, I would like to pursue a quiet and private existence.

Therefore, I will not participate in any media activities. I encourage those who wish to focus on me to instead focus on important issues, such as the serious problems facing the Puerto Rican people or the US economic embargo on Cuba. Who in the last 60 years has asked the Cuban people if they want the United States to impose a suffocating embargo that makes them suffer?

The pressing need for global cooperation to halt and reverse our destruction of our environment also deserves attention. I as a person am irrelevant. I am unimportant, while there are serious problems in our global homeland that demand attention and a demonstration of brotherly love.

Uprising Defendants and Ongoing Cases

The Uprising Support collective have launched a new instagram page, @2020uprisingsupport. They report that uprising defendant Alvin Joseph has been moved to solitary confinement and would appreciate support.

A number of alleged Atlanta forest defenders continue to be held in jail, and a phone and email zap was launched in support of Emily Murphy, who’s been denied vegan food while incarcerated. A recent episode of Kite Line Radio interviewed Emily and one of her friends, and reported that “As of February 24th, it seems as though protest and a flood of calls from outside have forced the jail to begin providing adequate vegan meals, shifting the struggle to Emily’s release and defeating the state of Georgia’s wider campaign of repression and intimidation.”

Unicorn Riot have published a report on the prospect of RICO (racketeering) charges being brought against forest defenders, and you can read a short statement on the subject from CrimethInc. here. You can also listen to this podcast interview from IGD with the Earth First! Journal on their fight against RICO charges back in 2017. 

Unicorn Riot have also published an article on the situation in Florida, where the FBI have been carrying out targeted harassment of local activists in connection with Jane’s Revenge graffiti. As mentioned in last month’s column, two people are being charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a law designed to protect people seeking abortions from protesters targeting abortion clinics, for allegedly spraying graffiti on anti-abortion “pregnancy centers”, and face up to twelve years in prison.

Puget Sound Prisoner Support have published a community notice regarding ongoing FBI harassment and new charges in the Washington state area. Donations are requested for the legal defense of Jorge “Yorch” Esquivel, an anarchist compañero from Mexican city fighting trumped-up drug charges, anyone who can help is encouraged to contact [email protected] for more information.

Magda Soberanes and Karla Tello, two women facing charges for alleged involvement in occupations carried out by the Mexican feminist movement, have now been released from pre-trial detention and will be now be able to continue fighting their charges on the outside.

General Prison News and Abolitionist Media Projects

Keith LaMar/Bomani Shakur, a prisoner on death row from the Lucasville uprising with an execution date this year, has launched a hunger strike against increasing harassment from the prison administration. The retaliation from the prison system has increased since a true crime podcast, The Real Killer, started a series focusing on his case and raising the question of his innocence. For more information on his situation, you can listen to this interview from Kite Line Radio, or check the Justice for Keith Lamar facebook, insta, or twitter pages for more frequent updates.

The struggle to get adequate medical treatment for Kevin “Rashid” Johnson continues, and Maryland prisoner Peter “Comrade Pitt” Mukuria has written a new article about it.

The case of Texas prisoner Jason Renard Walker, who has faced years of retaliation from both the administration and gangs for his journalism, has now been picked up by PEN America as part of their work with imprisoned writers. PEN are circulating a petition/open letter demanding that Jason be given adequate protection after repeated attempts on his life.

A family in Alabama are suing the Walker County Sheriff’s office after their relative Antony Mitchell died at the hands of Walker County Jail staff, who tased him and then locked him inside a freezer.

The new podcast series, The Alphabet Boys, which details how the FBI used informants in the George Floyd uprising in the Denver area and is worth checking out.

IDOC Watch have launched a recent email and phone zap in support of Khalfani Malik Khaldun, who continues to face medical neglect at Westville Correctional Facility.

The Final Straw Radio show recently broadcast a new interview with revolutionary North Carolina prisoner Joseph “Shine White” Stewart. Recent articles from the San Francisco Bay View include California prisoners Jessie Milo and Talib Williams writing on prison abolitionism.

Recent episodes of Kite Line Radio have covered the campaign to close Rikers in New York, resistance by migrants held at the Northwest Detention Center, and the policing of gender and sexuality.

Mongoose Distro continues to regularly publish new writing by prisoners, including the latest issue of Pennsylvania prisoner zine IB64, anarchist prisoner Dan Baker on the death of Tortuguita, and other writings by Virginia prisoner David Annarelli, Texas prisoner Steven McCain, and Texas anarchist prisoner Jamon Hestand.

International

On Friday, February 24th, Italy’s highest court of appeal rejected anarchist prisoner Alfredo Cospito’s appeal against the restrictive 41 bis isolation regime. Alfredo has been on hunger strike since October 20th. The Italian prosecutor general had apparently requested that the 41 bis measure be overturned in Alfredo’s case, but his request was ignored by the court. Alfredo had begun taking potassium tablets to stay alive, but has now stopped in response to the court’s decision. One response from Italian anarchists has been translated into English here, and another, calling for an international campaign of attack against the Italian state, is here.

For more information on Alfredo’s case, see these write-ups from CrimethInc. and It’s Going Down. You can read a recent update on his health here, and the international solidarity with his case has included a hunger strike by a number of revolutionary prisoners in Greece, along with another hunger strike by anarchist and subversive prisoners in Chile.

In Athens, Greece, Kostas K, a comrade accused of a 2007 attack on vehicles belonging to a government minister, was acquitted in court.

Belarus ABC have published a full review of repression against anarchists in 2022, and their first monthly report of 2023, covering repression in January. In more bad news from Belarusian courts, antifascist prisoner Kristina Cherenkova’s appeal against her sentence for “instigating social hatred” of the police was rejected.

Palestinian prisoners are launching a major campaign of resistance, building up to a mass hunger strike to coincide with the start of Ramadan on March 22nd.

Uprising Defendants

Everyone should support the defendants facing charges related to their alleged participation in the George Floyd uprising – this list of our imprisoned comrades needs to be getting shorter, not longer. See Uprising Support for more info, and check out the Antirepression PDX site for updates from Portland cases. The status of pre-trial defendants changes frequently, but to the best of our knowledge they currently include:

Tyre Means 49981-086
USP Beaumont
PO BOX 26030
Beaumont, TX 77720

Kelly Jackson 50288-086
FCI Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution
37910 N. 45th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85086

Margaret Channon 49955-086
FCI Aliceville
PO Box 4000
Aliceville, AL 35442

Isaiah Willoughby 49960-086
FDC SeaTac
Federal Detention Center
PO Box 13900
Seattle, WA 98198

Malik Muhammad #23935744
Oregon State Penitentiary
2605 State Street
Salem, OR 97310

Jacob Michael Gaines #81973-065
FCI Sheridan
P.O. BOX 5000
Sheridan, OR 97378

Jacob asks that people include an email address associated with their corrlinks account so he can return an email instead of a letter.

Cyan Waters Bass #23905849
Oregon State Correctional Institution
3405 Deer Park Drive SE
Salem, Oregon 97310

Gavaughn Streeter-Hillerich #19203494
Oregon State Penitentiary
2605 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97310

Montez Lee 22429-041
FCI Ray Brook
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 900
Ray Brook, NY 12977

Matthew White #21434-041
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. BOX 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808

Matthew Rupert #55013-424
USP McCreary
P.O. Box 3000
Pine Knot, KY 42635

José Felan #54146-380
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 33
Terre Haute, IN  47808

Dylan Robinson 45802-013
USP Leavenworth
P.O. Box 1000
Leavenworth, KS  66048

David Elmakayes 77782-066
FCI McKean
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 8000
Bradford, PA 16701

Christopher West 04670-509
USP Canaan
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 300
Waymart, PA 18472

You can also buy fundraiser clothing for Christopher “Brother Hush” West here.

Andrew Augustyniak-Duncan
Smart Communications/PA DOC
Andrew Duncan-Augustyniak / QN9211
SCI Rockview
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733

Nicholas Lucia 06868-509
FCI Petersburg Low
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 1000
Petersburg, VA 23804

Ellie Brett 14822509
FCI Petersburg Medium
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Petersburg, VA 23804

John Wade 14762509
FCI Beckley
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 350
General & Legal Mail
Beaver, WV 25813

Alvin Joseph 1002016959
Hays State Prison
PO Box 668
Trion, GA 30753

Shamar Betts 22080-043
FCI Hazelton Federal Correction Inst.
P.O. Box 5000
Bruceton Mills, WV 26525

Diego Vargas 55070-424
FCI Allenwood Medium
PO Box 2000
White Deer, PA 17887

Adam Walton 55322-424
FCI Forrest City Medium
PO Box 3000
Forest City, AR 72336

Olivia Marie Hull
Kent County Correctional Facility
703 Ball Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Howard Eugene Nall #586907
Newberry Correctional Facility
13747 E. County Road 428
Newberry, MI 49868

T’Andre Buchanan 67637-060
Milan FCI
PO Box 1000
Milan, MI 48160

Upcoming Birthdays

Reverend Joy Powell

As a pastor and a consistent activist against police brutality, violence and oppression in her community, Rev. Joy Powell was warned by the Rochester Police department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption. On many occasions Rev. Joy had held rallies and spoke out against the police brutality and “police justifications” in Rochester NY. As a result, Rev. Joy was accused and convicted of 1st Degree Burglary and Assault.

An all white jury tried her; the state provided no evidence and no eyewitnesses. Rev. Joy was not allowed to discuss her activism or say that she was a pastor. The person that testified for her was not allowed to tell the court that he knew Rev. Joy through their activist work and through the church. Furthermore the judge Francis Affronti promised he was going to give her a harsh sentence because he did not like her. She was convicted and given 16 years and seven years concurrent.

The New York system uses Jpay, so you can send her a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search”, then selecting “State: New York, Inmate ID: 07G0632”.

Birthday: March 5

Address:

Reverend Joy Powell #07G0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 1000
Bedford Hills, NY 10507-2499

Kevan Thackrar

Kevan Thakrar has been fighting for his life for the last 11 years after a wrongful conviction. In 2008 at the age of 20 Kevan began serving a life sentence, with a minimum term of 35 years, under the highly controversial “joint enterprise” doctrine.

Kevan’s refusal to submit to racist abuse from prison guards has made him a target for reprisals. Notably, in 2010 he suffered a premeditated attack in his cell by HMP Frankland guards. When he fought back he was charged with attempted murder and GBH, and put in solitary confinement, where in one form or another he remains to this day. The charges were sufficiently brazen that a jury cleared him unanimously in a rare victory against the testimony of prison officers.

Despite his success in court, Kevan has been isolated in Closed Supervision Centres (a ‘prison within a prison’) across the country. Closed Supervisions Centres are the most extreme form of imprisonment in the UK, modeled on the “supermax” prisons in the United States, and Kevan’s testimony is one of the few sources of information available to those on the outside. They are the ultimate punishment in the British prison system and subject people within them to brutal dehumanisation, degradation and demonisation.

Kevan Thakrar is a key voice from inside the UK prison system today, writing extensively on the conditions endured by people held in the worst prisons in the country. He is an IWW/IWOC member and has worked closely with groups such as Bristol Anarchist Black Cross. You can read a recent article from Kevan, “A Decade of Discrimination Amounting to Torture”, here.

UK prisoners can be emailed using emailaprisoner.com

Birthday: March 9

Address:

Kevan Thakrar A4907AE
HMP Belmarsh – Segregation Unit
Western Way
Thamesmead
London, SE28 0EB
UK

Ruchell “Cinque” Magee

Ruchell is the longest held political prisoner in the U.S., having been locked up since 1963. Politicized in prison, he later participated in the Marin County Courthouse Rebellion, the attempted liberation of political prisoner George Jackson. Although critically wounded on August 7, 1970, Magee was the sole survivor among the four brave Black men who conducted the courthouse slave rebellion, leaving him to be charged with everything they could throw at him.

California uses Jpay, so you can send him a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search”, then selecting “State: California, Inmate ID: A92051”.

Birthday: March 16

Address:

Ruchell Cinque Magee #A92051
T 115
California Medical Facility
Post Office Box 2000
Vacaville, California
95696-2000

Azat Miftakhov

Azat Miftakhov is a Russian anarchist who was arrested and tortured for allegedly breaking a window in an office of Putin’s United Russia party, and has now been given a six-year prison sentence for this alleged act. If you wish to send a message to Azat, the best thing to do is probably to contact his support team at [email protected].

Birthday: March 22

Mikita Yemelyanau

Mikita Yemelyanau is an anarchist political prisoner from Minsk, Belarus, serving a four-year sentence for an arson attack at a pre-trial detention center and for throwing paint at a court. Both actions were in solidarity with Dzmitry Palijenka, another anarchist political prisoner. On 11 March 2022, Mikita was sentenced to 2 more years in prison for gross violation of prison rules.

Letters written in any other language than Russian or Belarusian may not reach prisoners in Belarus, but if you contact Belarus ABC at belarus_abc(AT)riseup.net or using this online form, they can translate your message and send it on for you.

Birthday: March 24

Address (for Russian or Belarusian letters only):

Emelyanov Nikita Vladimirovich
IK-11, ul. Rokossovskogo 118
Volkovyssk, Volkovysski r-n
Grodnenskaya obl., 231900
BELARUS

photo: Philly Anti-Capitalist

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A monthly report on prison rebels, State repression, and news from an abolitionist perspective.

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