Resist to Win: Address to Revolutionary Prisoners

From March 21 to 23, 2025, delegations from Zurich, Geneva, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Milan, Turin, Rome, Brussels and Toulouse met for the biannual Red Help International conference. It took place at a time of intensifying inter-imperialist contradictions amid the multidimensional crisis of capitalism, characterized in particular by the arms race in Europe and the rise of reactionary forces.

We discussed the importance of the fight for the detained revolutionaries in Europe, from the BR-PCC in Italy and PCE(r) GRAPO activists in Spain, to the persecution of Nikos Maziotis in Greece and the arrest of Daniela Klette after 30 years in clandestinity in Germany. The opening of her trial is also a reminder of the choice of revolutionary protagonists, such as in the RAF and in today’s anti-fascist movement, who have decided to continue their struggle underground. A choice that requires us to develop our solidarity. We welcomed the recent release of Comrade Arenas, General Secretary of the PCE(r), and Leonard Peltier, activist with the American Indian Movement. Both after decades of imprisonment and militant continuity.

At a time when the genocide in Palestine has redoubled in intensity, the analysis of the situation on the ground and our tasks in the face of it took an important place in our exchanges. The truce agreement imposed by the Palestinian resistance in January was discussed as a victory – partial but real. It led to the release of over 1,770 Palestinian prisoners, including leaders of the Palestinian left, such as Khalida Jarrar and Wael Jaghoub. The situation in Gaza reminds us that there can be no liberation without resistance. What’s more, the Palestinian struggle has a universal value for all the oppressed, so anti-imperialist solidarity must be understood as directly related to the class struggle here.

In this sense, we must mobilize in support of Palestinians and activists of the Palestinian cause imprisoned in Europe – like the Palestinian Anan Yaeesh currently imprisoned in Italy. In particular, the fight for the release of Georges Abdallah is of strategic importance, given his determination to defend his communist, anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist commitment despite more than 40 years in prison in France. On June 14, a demonstration will take place in the streets of Paris for his release, a few days before a new judicial hearing on June 19 – the International Day of Solidarity with Revolutionary Prisoners. Secours Rouge International is calling for participation in this demonstration, and in this campaign of support.

Similarly, we discussed the current situation in Syria, Turkey and Kurdistan with the participation of a TKP-ML comrade. While the new Syrian government led by Salafists receives imperialist support and reinforces the fracturing of the country, the Kurdish movement and the Turkish revolutionary left are developing tactics that need to be understood, analyzed and evaluated from an independent position of revolutionary internationalism in light of the concrete situation and its trajectory. In this fragile period, the revolutionary process of Rojava necessitates our international solidarity. Having stood alongside this process in the past decade, we are confident in the comrades’ capacities and willingness to navigate the challenges this process faces today. The current mobilization of millions of people against the Turkish fascist regime underlines the firm resolve of peoples to fight back against reactionary forces in the region.

In the face of capitalism’s decaying crisis and the revolutionary possibilities it opens up, pre-emptive counter-revolution is intensifying everywhere. This is what the working classes are facing in Europe, in factories and working-class neighborhoods alike. In the face of this, we must develop self-defense practices to deal with it, by strengthening internationalist and revolutionary class solidarity!

Smash capitalism, construct solidarity!

Red Help International, March 31, 2025

Source: Red Help International

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=18675

Temuco Court Ratifies Acquittal of 17 Mapuche Political Prisoners

The court ruled out malice, charged lack of evidence and reaffirmed that the conflict in the Angol prison was exaggerated: a new defeat for the set-up and criminalization of the Mapuche people.

The Court of Appeals of Temuco rejected on Tuesday the appeals for nullity filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Gendarmerie of Chile, confirming the sentence handed down on February 7 by the Oral Criminal Court of Angol, which acquitted 17 Mapuche community members accused of the crime of aggravated kidnapping to the detriment of Gendarmerie personnel.

The ruling, which represents a new setback for the attempts at judicial criminalization against the Mapuche communities, ratifies the innocence of the community members, dismissing an unsubstantiated accusation that tried to transform a prison conflict into a criminal case of high political and media impact.

A disproportionate accusation

The events date back to May 2023, when a group of Mapuche prisoners from the communal module in the Angol prison were accused of having held gendarmes against their will who were trying to carry out a procedure to register visits. The prosecution argued that this alleged “retention” constituted a crime of aggravated kidnapping, a serious criminal offense, which carries high penalties.

From the outset, relatives and organizations denounced that it was a new attempt at judicial set-up, instrumentalized to deepen the criminalization of the Mapuche people in Wallmapu, in a context of permanent militarization and media stigmatization.

The ruling that dismantles the story

In its ruling (role 234-2025), the Third Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Temuco ruled out that the court of first instance had committed errors of law or had improperly evaluated the evidence.

“Having examined the judgment under appeal, this Court can find that (…) the Public Prosecutor’s Office could not determine the facts for which the defendants were accused,” the resolution states.

In addition, the appellate court emphasized that neither intent nor convergence of wills, essential elements to configure a kidnapping, were proven. On the contrary, it was found that the community members had no possibility of leaving the module, so the fact should never have been prosecuted.

Political prisoners and delayed justice

The 17 Mapuche people acquitted are: Juan Ignacio Cortés Penchulef, Simón Alejandro Huenchullán Millanao, Pedro Sebastián Palacios Cañuta, Juan Patricio Queipul Millanao, Jorge Froilán Palacios Cañuta, Ismael Elías Fritz Ñancul, Anthoni Luciano Torres Toro, Alejandro Andrés Liguén Venegas, Boris Mariano Llanca Nahuelpi, Joaquín Wenulef Huenchullán Queipul, Fabián Alejandro Llanca Nahuelpi, Hanthu Lemunthu Llanca Quidel, Miguel Ángel Torres Toro, Freddy Jonathan Marileo Marileo, Sergio Isaías Huentecol Melinao, Joaquín Ismael Millanao Queipul and Máximo Iván Queipul Huenchullán.

Of them, Sergio Huentecol was the only one convicted, but only for the crime of mistreatment of the gendarme, with a sentence of 61 days in prison.

The rest were acquitted of all charges, reaffirming that the core of the indictment — the alleged kidnapping — was a failed attempt to fabricate culprits.

The political and media background

As happened in other emblematic cases, such as that of the Tralcal cousins or Operation Hurricane, this case was massively publicized prior to the trial, promoted by right-wing parliamentarians and institutional spokespersons.

An attempt was made to install the image of a violent and radical group, without any evidence to support that narrative. The trial, however, once again highlighted how the judicial system is used as a tool for preventive punishment against indigenous peoples, through the use of prolonged pretrial detention, long processes, and oversized accusations.

A reflection from the defense

Asked about it, lawyer Javier Pineda Olcay, defender of several of the acquitted community members, reflected on the impact of this ruling:

“This sentence is important, because the Mapuche people face a process of permanent criminalization, and this ruling is an oasis in the desert. In this case, Gendarmerie personnel – with media support from right-wing parliamentarians in the area – tried to pass off a daily prison conflict as an attempted kidnapping, which was completely absurd. Fortunately, the court applied the law and decreed the acquittal. However, a greater challenge remains: that the courts always act in accordance with the law and do not continue to convict community members just because they are Mapuche.”

Source: https://www.elciudadano.com/chile/absolucion-presos-politicos-mapuche-corte-temuco/04/16/

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=18470

From 2024: #HumanRightsWatch - #Venezuela: Brutal #Crackdown on #Protesters, Voters

Killings, #MassArrests Following Elections

(Bogota) – "Venezuelan authorities are committing widespread #HumanRights violations against #protesters, #bystanders, #opposition leaders, and critics following the July 28, 2024, presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. Concerned governments should push for independent verification of the electoral results and support international efforts to ensure accountability.

"International observers have raised serious concerns about the July 29 announcement by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) that #NicolásMaduro had been re-elected president. Following the announcement, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, in largely peaceful protests, to demand a fair counting of the votes. Human Rights Watch has documented that Venezuelan authorities and #ProGovernment armed groups known as '#colectivos' have committed widespread abuses, including killings, arbitrary detention and prosecution, and harassment of critics. On September 2, a judge issued an arrest warrant against opposition candidate #EdmundoGonzález for '#conspiracy,' 'incitement to #disobedience' and other crimes.

" 'The repression we are seeing in Venezuela is shockingly brutal,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. 'Concerned governments need to take urgent steps to ensure that people are able to peacefully protest and that their vote is respected.'

"Venezuelans voted in the presidential election in large numbers, despite irregular government actions and human rights violations in the lead-up to the election, including arrests of opposition members, arbitrary disqualifications of opposition candidates, and restrictions on Venezuelans #voting abroad. Several hours after polls closed, Venezuela’s electoral council declared that Maduro had won the election with over 51 percent of the vote. The Electoral Council has not released the tally sheets from the election, nor conducted the audits and citizen verification processes required by law.

"The United Nations Electoral Technical Team and the #CarterCenter, which observed the elections, said the process lacked transparency and integrity, and questioned the declared result. They indicated that, instead, the precinct-level tally sheets that the opposition made public were reliable. The Carter Center noted that the tally sheets showed, with 81 percent of the votes counted, that #González had won the election by a significant margin.

"Venezuelans have taken to the streets across the country, particularly in low-income areas traditionally supportive of the Chavismo movement, where many incidents of #repression have taken place.

"Human Rights Watch received credible reports of 24 killings in the context of #protests from independent local groups, including Foro Penal, Justicia Encuentro y Perdón, Monitor de Víctimas, and Provea, or discovered them on social media. Human Rights Watch independently documented 11 of these cases, including by reviewing death certificates, verifying videos and photographs, and interviewing 20 people, including witnesses and other local sources. Many relatives, witnesses, and others were not willing to be interviewed because they feared #GovernmentRetaliation.

"Human Rights Watch analyzed and verified 39 videos and 2 photographs of protests found on social media platforms or sent directly to researchers by people close to the victims, and by local organizations and journalists.

"Researchers confirmed the exact locations where these videos were filmed; used information such as shadows, weather patterns, and upload dates to determine the time of day; and consulted with forensic pathologists and arms experts, who analyzed the injuries and weapons that were seen and heard.

"According to Venezuelan authorities, they arrested over 2,400 people in connection with protests. The local pro bono group #ForoPenal recorded over 1,580 '#PoliticalPrisoners' who have been arrested since July 29, including 114 children. Prosecutors have charged hundreds with sometimes broadly defined crimes carrying harsh sentences, such as '#incitement to hatred,' '#resistance to #authority,' and 'terrorism.'

"The government has also intensified its broader repressive tactics, cancelling passports of critics to prevent them from leaving the country, encouraging citizens to report on #demonstrators, and conducting abusive #raids, especially in low-income communities. On August 15, Maduro’s supporters in the National Assembly passed a law that grants the government #BroadPowers to control and shut down nongovernmental organizations [#NGOs]."

Read more:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/04/venezuela-brutal-crackdown-protesters-voters

Update on Casey Goonan’s Case

Update from the Casey Support Committee as of 4/8/25

Sentencing hearing postponed and more evidence entered into discovery

Casey’s sentencing has been rescheduled to June 10th, 1 pm, at the Oakland federal courthouse. We will be mobilizing court support again for this hearing so stay tuned for confirmation and guidelines a few weeks before that date. We hope it won’t be rescheduled yet again but know that is a possibility. Also of note is that since the plea deal the US Attorney has entered substantial new material into evidence consisting of a large amount of phone call audio and copies of correspondence between Casey and supporters obtained via the jail’s monitoring of communications. This is concerning, but let it serve as a reminder that all comms into jails and prisons are actively monitored and that it is incumbent upon everyone to maintain responsible communication habits.

Rescheduling the sentencing hearing also means there is more time to people who know Casey personally to send the lawyers letters of character to file with the judge. If you want the guidelines and details, hit us up at cscommittee@proton.me.

Health and well being

As you probably know Casey has had a very difficult year health wise, but has been doing better physically in the last month even though they have repeatedly gotten sick from their food. As a result they have been spending a lot of time in bed, and haven’t been up for doing much letter writing lately. Letters are always appreciated but correspondence is also challenging due to 2-4 week delays in receiving mail. The emotional toll of the sentencing date being moved and continuing to be in the limbo of Santa Rita is taking a toll on their sleep and mental health. But they are doing their best to stay on top of their program and keep their energy and spirits up.

Visits

Visits are very appreciated by Casey! They can be in person at the jail or by video.
For all the details for scheduling in person or video visits:
https://www.alamedasheriff.gov/…/santa-rita-jail-visiting

To write:
Casey Goonan #UMF227
Santa Rita Jail
5325 Broder Blvd.
Dublin, CA 94568

Support the Casey Goonan Legal Defense Fund

Casey is still in need of ongoing support to cover legal costs, restitution and fines. Though they’ve had some great support, we have a ways to go. In addition to the cost of legal defense, sentencing will definitely mandate substantial restitution and fines. Thank you so much to all those who have already contributed and organized support!

Some ways to support:
– Throw fundraising events and raffles
– Spread the word, share posts, and directly contact large donors.
– Print up a QR code for the Chuffed account, share the details of the case and the legal defense fund while tabling at events
– Send funds directly to the Chuffed account at https://chuffed.org/project/SupportCasey

You can reach out to us at cscommittee@proton.me or the freecaseynow Instagram for any questions about collaboration, promotion, or guidance on fundraising.

Love and struggle,

CSC

Update on Casey Goonan’s case

https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=18229