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Feb 4, 25
Filed under: Featured, In Contempt
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!
Feature: Interview with Julio “Comrade Z” Zuniga
In the following interview, we speak with Julio “Comrade Z” Zuniga, an anarchist and organizer with the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC) and whose work is published at Mongoose Distro. A profile in the Texas Observer wrote of Zuniga:
He prefers to be called Alex, but many of his contacts inside and outside of prison know him as “Comrade Z.”
He’s the man people who have been at the Memorial Unit (formerly called Darrington), a 1,610-bed state prison in southeast Texas, point to when asked about organizing on the inside. Like everyone else locked up in Texas who is physically and mentally able, Zuniga, a 44-year-old from San Antonio, was required to work without pay while housed at Memorial, near the unincorporated town of Rosharon, from 2018 to 2023. He tended livestock and labored in the agricultural fields, where he’d cut weeds and harvest carrots, cabbages, and onions. Before these fields were owned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), they were plantation land worked by slaves.
While he grew up on the South Side of San Antonio, Zuniga spent some of his youth in the rural outskirts of Laredo. This was the extent of his previous exposure to agriculture, but he took to farmwork somewhat easily. “I love animals, and I love playing with dirt,” he told the Texas Observer in a March interview.
But, as he began reading about the history of the land he was working and its roots in slavery—and as he learned more about labor movements—he started advocating for himself. He would occasionally refuse to work, telling officers he wouldn’t return to the fields until he received requested safety gear like boots and masks. He’d get slapped with a disciplinary case—prison policy says that anyone who refuses to work can lose visitation privileges, be confined to their cell, or receive other punishments that can affect their chances of parole. Zuniga is currently about 11 years into a 15-year sentence.
In the end, though, Zuniga said that pushing back would usually get him the things he asked for.
In 2019, he became involved with the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC), a prisoner-led arm of the 119-year-old labor union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). “Sometimes they say it’s illegal [for prisoners to unionize], but it’s not,” Zuniga said. “It’s just frowned upon. But it works.”
Check out Comrade Z on Mongoose Distro here and an interview on The Final Straw here. Enjoy the interview!
In Contempt: Can you say a bit about how you got involved in organizing, and any other biographical information you think readers should know?
Comrade Z: Thank you for having me on your awesome platform!
It’s surprising to know that the same person that was cause for the multitudes of suicides back in 2019 has been rewarded for her genocide, and is now a regional director in South Texas, and has another genocide in operation as we speak. She has been killing her way to the top, and everyone working for the agency loves her for it. Angela Chevalier, just this past week five+ people died, before the weekend even began!
I’ve been a Wobbly for a while, I stepped down to give my mental health a chance to recuperate, it has and I’m in a war now, battling for rehabilitation and college programs to be implemented on all of the South Texas prisons, there are absolutely no programs here, it’s a corpse and sexual assault factory.
I’ve got community members standing with me in solidarity and seeking assistance from IWOC members, with outside liaison training, and more, they need assistance in getting us into the courts for a class action lawsuit, since we are all under threat of death, and/or assault in its many forms by Angela Chevalier and her wannabe gangster wardens.
IC: Have you had any notable victories in the struggle? Have there been any major setbacks,and what have you learned from them if so?
Z: Mongoose Distro is our greatest achievement still, and I hope that we can upgrade soon into a podcast upon my release, they can’t keep me here forever, and as they say, the way I act now is the way I will act in the world.
Well, the Texas Observer has helped launch this cause far and wide, and there’s more to come. I wish I could share more, but we are at war, the enemy is watching us and we are actively posting all personal Information of criminal guards, wardens, and directors. All of that information will be made available to the South Texas community for their own needs.
IC: What are your main requests for your readers? What are the best ways for people to get involved?
Z: As I said, we are at war now, IWOCs are needed to train my community to be better outside liaisons, we need phone zaps to strategic areas, we need mass emails to USDC district clerk to allow us a class action lawsuit in South Texas for a multitude of human rights violations including no power or peer outlets in cells on 11 building, damaged water lines, 12 building is compromised on the roofs, genocidal acts by Regional Director Angela Chevalier, sexual assault team on Connally unit under the gang intelligence officer creating hostile environments to intentionally oppress a targeted vulnerable community. Grievance department refusing to allow our due process, law library refusal to allow due process, Disciplinary department refusal to allow due process, no rehabilitation programs, no college opportunities, no vocational opportunities, Major Ashfaq weaponizing our food, it’s a complete disaster here, and all the most egregious acts can be found in the Nexis Lexis app.
Reach out as quickly as possible, my needs are clear, Texas needs help in combating the First amendment rights violations by Securustech and TDCJ to confiscate tablets without cause, only to stop people from talking about their criminal acts and sexual assault ring. Why are these people still allowed to work here?
Thank you, and go hard, send more media to me at the address listed below. All available IWOCs please contact my outside supporters asap!
Contact the Texas Observer about reports made here, also Mongoose Distro is accepting donations for a t-shirt project of Comrade Z artwork.
Solidarity and Sabotage, Z
You can write to Z at:
TDCJ
Julio A. Zuniga #01961551
PO Box 660400
Dallas, TX 75266-0400
Or contact him via Securus. For more background on Z’s situation, you can read this recent update on Mongoose Distro, or this Texas Observer article on organizing in Texas prisons. Michelle Pitcher, a journalist who has worked closely with Z, was recently interviewed on The Final Straw.
New Year’s Eve Noise Demonstrations
In keeping with a long tradition, 2024 ended and 2025 started with rowdy noise demos being held outside jails and prisons. It’s Going Down has general roundup of demos that took place, and you can find more detailed reports from Chicago, Asheville and Montreal. Internationally, demos and actions took place over the new year in solidarity with Greek comrades facing repression in an ongoing case.
Political Prisoner News
Some sad news, antifascist prisoner Alex Stokes in New York had his recent appeal denied. From a report:
Ten days after members of the neo-fascist Proud Boys were pardoned for their seditious conspiracy conviction stemming from their actions on Jan. 6th, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., an appellate court in New York declined to overturn the conviction of Alex Stokes Contompasis. Contompasis is serving 20 years after stabbing two Proud Boys who were reportedly attacking those countering a so-called “Stop the Steal” rally at the Statehouse, also on January 6th, 2021.
The 5-0 ruling Thursday, noted that Contompasis, who often goes by his first two names, had failed to prove his use of a knife to stab one person and attempt to stab another was justified self-defense. Proud Boy Dominic Wierzbicki started a fight that resulted in his brother James P. Warner and local Proud Boy chapter leader Douglas Michael Ruso being stabbed. Wierzbicki turned himself into police in March 2021 and was charged with third-degree assault and possession of a weapon in the fourth-degree. These charges ultimately resulted only in Wierzbicki being fined.
The ruling claimed that video contradicted Contompasis’ contention that he had rushed to the aid of a friend who was being roughed up and was nearly knocked out by the first stabbing victim, causing Contompasis to swing his knife wildly in an effort to protect himself.
While the ruling also noted the panel took letters of support from community and the one misdemeanor on Stokes’ criminal record into consideration when making their decision, it largely depended on Contompasis’ social media posts which they claimed lacked remorse.
The family said they are planning to appeal to the New York State Court Appeals.
“Heartbroken doesn’t begin to cover how we feel,” a post on Instagram reads. “I want to thank everyone for your support. It’s not easy to speak truth to power but this community has given me the strength and courage to keep going. I meant it when I said this account was created as an act of love. As long as Alex is away, and even when he gets back, I’ll be doing my part to help people trapped in this abusive and draconian carceral system.”
Follow Free Alex Stokes on Instagram, here. For information on how to write to Alex, go here:
Alexander Contompasis 22B5028
Upstate Correctional Facility
PO Box 2001
Malone, NY 12953
Although Biden refused demands to grant Leonard Peltier clemency until the very final moments of his presidency, he has now commuted the remainder of Peltier’s sentence. Leonard will still be required to stay in home confinement and has not been pardoned, and had been experiencing serious health conditions during his imprisonment.
The campaign to free Chicano anarchist prisoner Xinachtli has launched a recruitment drive, and is looking for BIPOC volunteers to get involved. You can contact them at 2024xinachtlifreedomcampaign@gmail.com, or check out their Patreon.
Imam Jamil al-Amin, an elderly Civil Rights/Black Power leader formerly known as H. Rap Brown, needs urgent medical attention and has a serious tumor growing on his face. A call-in and email campaign is being organized to demand his emergency medical transfer.
Supporters of Caleb Freestone, who is serving a year in Federal prison for graffiti on fake “crisis pregnancy centers have shared an update on his situation and ways to support him.
Mexican anarchist political prisoner Miguel Peralta’s case has returned to the Supreme Court. An event against prisons and for the unconditional freedom of Miguel Peralta will be held in Mexico City on March 1st.
The Rattling the Cages series of talks continues, as a recent talk between Eric King, Josh Davidson and Sarah Falconer discussing their project is now available to watch on here.
The next event, “Abolition is a Family Affair,” a panel discussion with the family members of political prisoners, will be broadcast on February 22nd, and another discussion, featuring former members of the George Jackson Brigade, will take place on March 22nd. Transcripts of the previous events have now been turned into zines, which you can download here. Eric King also recently took part in a podcast interview discussing Leonard Peltier and the safety of trans prisoners, and another podcast interview on trans prisoners with Margaret Killjoy.
Bilal Sunni-Ali, a former Black Panther political prisoner, contributor to the book Look for Me in the Whirlwind, and member of Gil Scott-Heron’s band, has passed away, and a celebration of his life will be held in Atlanta, Georgia on March 23rd.
There’s an ongoing call to contact New York governor Kathy Hochul in support of a commutation request for Joy Powell.
Long-term Black Liberation prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal recently recorded a special message in support of the “Merrimack 4,” who were convicted for an action against a company supplying weapons to Israel.
Supporters are calling on people to send messages of support for Jorge “Yorch” Esquivel:
In Mexico, Lucio has died, the beloved cat of Jorge “Yorch” Esquivel, with whom he shared six years of his life before he was kidnapped by the state. One of Jorge’s greatest desires was to be reunited with Lucio when he gets out of prison—the nightmare of more than two years he has already lived behind bars on fabricated charges devoid of any evidence.
This is just one of the many things that happen in prison, and the impact of course is much greater when one is on the inside. To some it may seem insignificant, but for Jorge it was his beloved compañero and the helplessness of not being able to hug him and say goodbye is painful.
We invite and encourage folks to send letters and greetings to Jorge. It’s a tough moment for him. The support would be much appreciated.
Letters and greetings can be sent to yorchlibre@gmail.com.
George Floyd Uprising Defendants and Ongoing Cases
Casey Goonan’s support team have shared a recent update, confirming that Casey’s non-cooperating plea agreement has been accepted. Sentencing will take place on April 8th. At a recent hearing, a large group also mobilized in solidarity with Casey. From a recent update:
We estimate that up to 100 people turned out in support of Casey at their plea agreement hearing on Tuesday, 1/14. Supporters and family filled several pews in the courtroom with many more in the lobby outside and even more downstairs outside the federal building where the local Coffee Not Cops collective supported with coffee, tea, and snacks over the course of the afternoon.
In brief, the judge accepted the plea agreement and the terms of the negotiated plea agreement were read out. After the hearing was adjourned, outside the courthouse, a statement prepared by Casey and their legal team was read to supporters and press.
“Dr. Goonan plead guilty today to one count of arson and took responsibility for four additional arsons. As outlined in the plea agreement, these acts were undertaken in response to the University of California’s and the federal government’s treatment of pro-Palestine protesters. Dr. Goonan’s sentencing will occur on April 8th, Related to the sentencing hearing Dr. Goonan will provide additional information contextualizing their actions within Dr. Goonan’s mental health struggles and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
We have already spoken with Casey on the phone and let them know about all the support and love for them inside and outside the courtroom. They send their love and thanks to all! Requests and guidelines for letters of character to be included in Casey’s pre-sentencing report will be forthcoming soon. Stay tuned. Casey will still be at Santa Rita Jail up through their sentencing process.
Write to Casey here:
Casey Goonan #UMF227
Santa Rita Jail
5325 Broder Blvd.
Dublin, CA 94568
Peppy and Krystal’s support crew have published an update and joint statement from the defendants. Peppy has been sentenced to 60 months in the federal system, of which 18 months have been served already, so he hopes to be able to reach a halfway house around March 2026, while Krystal was given three years of supervised release. They have also been ordered to pay over $50,000, so donations are urgently needed. Peppy and Krystal’s support team also are encouraging people to order stickers here.
Brandon Jemar Pickett, a defendant facing charges related to the 2020 George Floyd uprising in South Carolina, has pled guilty to interfering with law enforcement, with sentencing to take place at a later date.
Portland uprising defendant Malik Muhammad has been transferred to Snake River Correctional. From his support group:
Malik was recently transferred to Snake River Correctional in Eastern Oregon. While it is a relief that he is out of the torturous conditions in solitary confinement at OSP, it is also bitter that he is being moved much farther from his home base in Portland. Nonetheless, his staunch resistance and our solidarity will continue wherever he is.
If you have a moment, please drop him a note of support and solidarity to help ease this transfer. Let’s give him a morale boost and make sure the guards know that people outside have his back.
Write to Malik here:
Malik Muhammad #23935744
Snake River Correctional Institution
777 Stanton Blvd
Ontario, OR 97914-8335
René, a Little Rock uprising defendant who was recently released, is asking for donations as they are required to pay restitution while looking for a place to live.
A defendant in Portland was given 10 days in jail for an action at a UPS facility, connected to UPS’s support for the Atlanta Police Foundation and Cop City.
We are ecstatic to report that the charges against our member and independent journalist @alissaazar.bsky.social were DROPPED. This is a strong reminder of the power of public pressure as protecting press freedom becomes even more critical. Read Alissa's story: buff.ly/40u8Qub
— National Writers Union (@thenwu.bsky.social) 2025-01-24T22:08:12.738Z
Charges against Alissa Azar, an independent journalist covering a Palestine solidarity encampment in Portland, have now been dropped. You can read some of Alissa’s thoughts on the experience here. A statement posted to the National Writers Union wrote:
On May 2nd, 2024, I was arrested while reporting on the ground at Portland State University. I was documenting the police’s actions as they cleared an encampment and library occupation in support of the liberation of Palestine when, later that evening, I was arrested by the Portland Police Bureau while filming the violent arrests occurring in the park in front of the PSU library.
Following my arrest, I faced consistent harassment from the police until I was finally let out of jail early the next morning. This harassment included racist remarks, sexual harassment, misogyny, a cop taking a selfie with me as I was in handcuffs, and the persistent interruption of all my phone calls.
This experience has highlighted the critical importance of press freedom and the rights of journalists to report on public events without fear of arrest or intimidation. The need for transparency and accountability in our institutions grows increasingly urgent. And under a Trump presidency, protecting our First Amendment rights is more important than ever.
My trial was set to begin on January 27th. I was offered a plea deal multiple times, but I refuse to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit. My commitment to uncovering the truth and informing the public remains steadfast, even in the face of these challenges.
As of this morning, after seeing all of the support and the pressure campaign to drop the charges, the DA’s office dismissed the case. The new DA is highly concerned with optics at the moment, and worried about the increased attention, so I genuinely don’t think this would have been possible without all of your support.
I urge our community to continue advocating for our constitutional rights. I appreciate the union’s support during this time and I want to offer my deepest gratitude for standing by my side.
A call has been put out to support Dandelion, a trans prisoner in Florida. For more info, head over to Midwest Books to Prisoners.
California Wildfires
The wildfires in California have seen over 1,000 prisoners risking their lives fighting the wildfires for wages of around $10.24 per day. It’s been confirmed that one of the imprisoned firefighters is antifascist prisoner Jesse “Tall Can” Cannon, who can be contacted at:
Jesse Cannon #BX4822
Konocti #27
13044 State Highway 29
Lower Lake, CA 95457
Communities Mobilize in the Face of ICE Raids and Threats of Mass Deportations
Prism has published an article on how the Biden administration helped build a huge machine of detention and deportation, which will now be inherited by the incoming Trump regime.
The efforts to protect immigrants through collective solidarity are having an impact: Trump “Border Czar” Tom Homan has already said that Know Your Rights education is “making it very difficult” to arrest people.
Early actions against immigration raids and the mass deportation agenda have taken place in California’s Central Valley and at Gary/Chicago International Airport in Indiana. Check roundups of growing protests and student walkouts on It’s Going Down.
Teen Vogue and Truthout also have great articles out on rapid response networks.
Phone Zaps and other Prisoner Requests
A phone zap has been called in support of prisoners at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia, who are facing censorship and electricity being cut off to some cells. The support crew for Lucasville Uprising prisoner Greg Curry have also organized a phone zap in response to reports that he was housed in a block with no heat during freezing temperatures.
Ferguson Uprising prisoner Joshua Williams is due to be released at the start of 2026, having served a sentence of around 10 years for his participation in the uprising, after being arrested when he was still a teenager and spent his entire twenties in prison. If you can offer support to help him through the post-release period, please reach out to him at:
Joshua Williams #1292002
C/O Digital Mail Center-Missouri DOC
PO Box 25678
Tampa, FL 33622-5678
Or via Securus.
Revolutionary Texas prisoner Monsour Owolabi has been moved from solitary confinement to closed custody. He is currently trying to raise funds to pay a legal team to look at his wrongful conviction, and also looking for people to help him with a book project. If you can help with either, please reach out to:
TDCJ
Monsour Owolabi #01856112
PO Box 660400
Dallas, TX 75266-0400
Or via Securus.
Randy “Smiles” Platt, an antifascist prisoner held in the Federal Supermax at ADX, is facing increased threats. You can contact him at:
Randy Platt 20764-081
USP Florence Admax
PO Box 8500
Florence, CO 81226
People Against Prison Abuse Forms
Inside organizers and their loved ones have begun forming a new network, People Against Prison Abuse, aiming to increase coordination and resistance to brutal prison conditions. For more information, you can sign up via this form.
Chuckawalla closed in California. But is it really?
From Oakland Abolition & Solidarity:
As of November 1st, 2024, Chuckawalla Valley State Prison has officially closed its doors and CDCr has transferred thousands of prisoners to other facilities across California. Although the facility itself is emptied out of prisoners, CVSP is following the pattern of previously shuttered CDCR facilities by entering a “warm shutdown” mode, in which a skeleton staff remains to keep the physical facility maintained. On paper the closure of CVSP appears to paint CDCR’s capacity as eroding, but like all of the CDCR facilities in “warm shutdown” mode, it protects carceral capacity and the option of being reopened if demanded by the powers that be. As CURB writes in their press release:
“According to the Legislative Analyst Office (LAO), a nonpartisan state entity that provides assessments of California policy decisions, closing CVSP is expected to free up over $100 million in ongoing funds annually. These savings could be even greater. For now, closed California prisons such as CVSP are being kept in “warm shutdown” mode, in which millions are allocated for staff and maintenance of basic facility operations even after the prison has been emptied. Fully closing the current deactivated facilities, as well as five additional prisons as recommended by the LAO, could save the state over $1 billion annually and an additional $2 billion in capital costs over the next decade.”
We previously discussed the closure of this prison and back in ourAugust newsletter before the transition to a warm shutdown had been finalized. In anticipation of this closure, the town had already started to explore how else to boost the town’s viability via the carceral economy:
“One suchrecent article describes the imminent closure of Chuckawalla Valley State Prison near the town of Blythe in Eastern Riverside County which borders the Colorado River. The author writes: “Two things bring people here, prisons and water, and this tiny desert town is losing both.”
Town officials have hired a PR firm for the first time ever and are lobbying the state to instead close CRC-Norco, another prison also in Riverside County, in an attempt to save “Chuck.” They also imagine alternative futures, such as reopening as an immigrant detention facility (and presumably locking up migrants fleeing increasingly hostile living conditions back home, climate breakdown, land theft, violence, and lack of economic opportunity fueled by US imperialism).”
International Gathering Against Prisons, July 18-20th
A new invitation has been shared for an international gathering against prisons, happening in Argentina from July 18-20. The organizers write:
The importance of these types of gatherings, which lead to international and reproducible agitation, are essential for sharing experiences in the war against domination. To continue the initiative of the International Gathering of Anarchist and Antiauthoritarian Practices against Borders which was organized by compañerxs in Tijuana, Mexico, on this occasion the invitation is to reflect on our practices around the subject of prisons, taking into account the intensity and varied forms in which prisons inhabit us. Necessary to the antiauthoritarian struggle, it is essential to amplify our reflection on prisons and how they not only manifest in a determined time and space, but also how they are embodied in our everyday lives, even in nature and non-human animals.
Read the full call, here.
General Prison News and Abolitionist Media Updates
A prisoner letter-writing event is being organized in Portland for Saturday February 8th.
The ACLU of Delaware has filed a lawsuit against the Delaware prison system and Vaughn Correctional Center after a brutal raid in late 2024. Vaughn, the prison at the centre of the lawsuit, saw a historic uprising at the start of Trump’s first term in 2017.
Filler Distro has started selling a new pack of anti-repression and opsec zines.
For the Discourse/Flood the Deck is a new publication aimed at prisoners, you can find the first issue here.
Firestorm Bookshop have issued a new statement of non-cooperation with law enforcement.
Biden’s clemency for some drug offenders has been described as a welcome step, but incomplete in freeing prisoners of the drug war. Meanwhile, two of the death row prisoners who were offered commutations by Biden have refused to accept them, fearing that they would negatively affect their legal cases. The last acts of the Biden administration also included sending 11 Guantanamo Bay detainees to Oman.
The Final Straw Radio recently broadcast a new interview with a longtime anarchist on lessons about facing state repression, while recent episodes of Kite Line Radio have shared talks from the Pittsburgh anti-repression convergence and an interview with Orisanmi Burton on Tip of the Spear, his new book about the Attica revolt.
In Cook County, Illinois, a newly-elected judge has been reassigned from her role in the pretrial division, where she was responsible for deciding whether defendants in criminal and domestic violence cases were jailed, confined to electronic monitoring, or released, after being found sharing images of a Black child whose foot was outfitted with “My First Ankle Monitor.”
Imprisoned Texas writer Jason Renard Walker has published a new article looking at the incoming Trump administration. Mongoose Distro recently shared an article on the experiences of a white Muslim in the Ohio prison system.
Unicorn Riot has extensive coverage of the campaign to free Philip Vance, a Minnesota prisoner who has been held since 2004 after being framed for murder by a corrupt police squad that was later disbanded.
IDOC Watch have shared a video from an event to free the Pendleton Two, and have organized an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Pendleton prison uprising.
International
Perhaps the biggest piece of international prisoner news this month is the mass release of Palestinian political prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal. Solidarity networks have published a list of names released in the first and second parts of the mass release. January also saw a week of action for the freedom of all Palestinian prisoners, as well as 85 new prisoners being arrested under administrative detention orders, and police raids on the families of released prisoners. The Addameer network has also published a new report on conditions for detainees in Israeli prisons.
Following on from the mass release of prisoners from Syria’s notorious prison system with the fall of Assad regime, a new call has been issued to commemorate the life of Syrian anarchist and political prisoner Omar Aziz on the anniversary of his death, February 16th.
In the UK, a Running Down the Walls event was held in Glasgow on January 19th to raise money for Palestine Action prisoners. A call-in campaign was organized to support the “Filton 18,” who are being held awaiting trial on charges related to actions against companies supplying weapons to Israel, and has apparently had some success in enabling them to receive mail. However, the prison system still continues to target the Filton 18 through measures such as arbitrarily cancelling visits.
A recent trial against UK climate activists ended with the jury failing to reach a decision, while members of the Filton 18 have entered a “not guilty” plea in court. An animal liberation case is also currently going through the UK courts, but subject to heavy reporting restrictions until the trial is over. The British section of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee has shared a report that prisoners have taken over a wing of HMP Swaleside, after previously raising a grievance with the support of the IWW.
In Italy, terrorism charges have been dropped against anarchist prisoner Alfredo Cospito and 11 other anarchists associated with Vetriolo magazine. You can read Alfredo’s statement to the court here.
Mongoose Distro has shared an appeal for solidarity with Sidiq, an Indonesian anarchist prisoner.
There was a call for an international week of action from 10-16 January in solidarity with Greek anarchist prisoners Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis, and a gathering was held at the court in Lamia in solidarity with Nikos. You can read a new article from Greek anarchist prisoners Marainna M and Dimitra Z here, along with a second article from Dimitra.
From the Chilean prison system, anarchist prisoners Mónica Caballero Sepúlveda and Marcelo Villarroel Sepúlveda, Mapuche political prisoner Héctor Llaitul, and two of the vegan anarchist defendants from the Caso Susaron case, have all shared new writings.
A former prisoner who was held at the same prison colony as Russian anarchist prisoner Azat Miftakhov has shared his experiences of how prison staff targeted Azat. Viktor Filinkov, one of the antifascist defendants convicted in the Network case, has now been released and deported to Kazakhstan.
Seven antifascists who had gone into hiding after being wanted in the Budapest antifa case have now handed themselves in to the German police. Attempts to extradite Gino, another antifascist defendant in the same case, have been delayed in court. Nanuk, an antifascist prisoner held in a German prison as part of the Antifa Ost case, has been denied all mail and is confined to his cell 22 hours a day.
A crowdfunder for the Suiza 6, members of the anarcho-syndicalist CNT union in Spain facing charges for picketing at a pasty shop, has raised nearly €100,000.
Uprising Defendants
See Uprising Support for more info, and check out the Antirepression PDX site for updates from Portland cases. You can also check With Whatever Weapons for regularly-updated zines listing current prisoners. To the best of our knowledge they currently include:
Tyre Means 49981-086
USP Victorville
US Penitentiary
P.O. Box 3900
Adelanto, CA 92301
Margaret Channon 49955-086
FCI Tallahassee
P.O. Box 5000
Tallahassee, FL 32314
Malik Muhammad #23935744
Snake River Correctional
777 Stanton Blvd
Ontario, OR 97914
Montez Lee 22429-041
FCI Ray Brook
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 900
Ray Brook, NY 12977
Matthew White #21434-041
USP Terre Haute
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
Matthew Rupert #55013-424
USP Big Sandy
US Penitentiary
P.O. Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224
José Felan #54146-380
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
David Elmakayes 77782-066
FCI McKean
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 8000
Bradford, PA 16701
Khalif Miller #70042-066
USP Big Sandy
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224
Alvin Joseph 1002016959
Hays State Prison
PO Box 668
Trion, GA 30753
John Wade #1003510744
PO Box 3877
Jackson, GA 30233
Aline Espinosa-Villegas #22814-509
FMC Carswell
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127
Address letter to Angel, address envelope to Aline A Espinosa-Villegas.
Mujera Benjamin Lunga’ho #08572-509
FCI Forrest City Medium
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 3000
Forrest City, AR 72336
Christopher Tindal 04392-509
FCI Cumberland
PO Box 1000
Cumberland, MD 21501
Upcoming Birthdays
Alvin Joseph
Alvin Joseph is a Georgia George Floyd uprising defendant, convicted of damaging police vehicles.
Birthday: February 4
Address:
Alvin Joseph 1002016959
Hays State Prison
PO Box 668
Trion, GA 30753
Kamau Sadiki (Freddie Hilton)
Kamau Sadiki is a former member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, who was convicted of a 30-year old murder case of a Fulton County Police Officer found shot to death in his car outside a service station. At his trial, the judge ruled that statements by a witness who heard other people discussing their participation in the shooting, and stated that he had nothing to do with it, could not be accepted as evidence. The state recently attempted to amputate his foot despite this not being medically necessary, but were forced to back off by outside solidarity.
Georgia uses Jpay, so you should be able to send him a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search”, then selecting “State: Georgia, Inmate ID: 0001150688.”
Birthday: February 19
Address:
Freddie Hilton #0001150688 (address card to Kamau, envelope to Freddie)
Augusta State Medical Prison
Bldg 13A-2 E7
3001 Gordon Highway
Grovetown, GA 30813
United States
Luis Sierra (Abdul-Haqq El-Qadeer)
A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Luis in relation to the uprising, Vaughn defendants continue to face retaliation. Luis is also a contributor to “Live from the Trenches,” the Vaughn 17 zine.
Delaware appears not to have an inmate email system.
Birthday: February 19
Address:
Luis Sierra #00455723
Delaware DOC – 1101
PO Box 96777
Las Vegas, NV 89193
Byron Shane “Oso Blanco” Chubbuck
Also known as “Robin the Hood,” Oso Blanco is serving 80 years for bank robberies to raise funds for the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas.
The Federal system uses Corrlinks, a system where a prisoner must send a request to connect to someone on the outside before they can exchange emails, so if you’re not already connected to Oso then you’re best off just sending him a card or a letter.
Birthday: February 26
Address:
Oso Blanco (Address envelope to Byron Chubbuck, address card to Oso Blanco)
#07909-051
USP Victorville
Post Office Box 3900
Adelanto, California 92301
Alex Stokes Contompasis
Alex Stokes is an antifascist prisoner sentenced to twenty years for his part in a fight with Proud Boys at the New York state capital on January 6th, 2021.
New York uses JPay, so you should be able to send him a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search,” then selecting “State: New York, Inmate ID: 22B5028”.
Birthday: February 26
Address:
Alexander Contompasis 22B5028
Upstate Correctional Facility
PO Box 2001
Malone, NY, 12953
Aleksei Golovko
Aleksei Golovko was detained on 5 March 2021 under a criminal case against the anarchist movement from Brest region. ABC Belarus add “We are unaware of his political views, but since he is detained under the anarchists’ case, we consider it important to support him in every possible way.” On September 6, 2022, Aleksei was sentenced to 12 years in a reinforced regime colony and a fine of about $8,800.
Belarusian prisons will usually only accept letters in Belarusian or Russian, so if you don’t speak one of those languages your best bet is to email your message to belarus_abc(AT)riseup.net or use this online form and they should be able to translate your greetings and pass them on.
Birthday: February 26
Address:
(Belarusian or Russian letters only – use this form for English messages)
IK-15, Slavgorodskoye shosse, 183 p/o Veyno, g. Mogilev, 213105, Belarus
Aleksey Igorevich Golovko
photo via: Off the 99 on Mastodon
