MALCOLM X CENTER FOR SELF DETERMINATION 321 W. Antrim Dr PO. Box 16102 Greenville, SC 29607 864-901-8627 mxcentergvl@gmail FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE U.S. Called to Account for IMPRISONED COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era Political Activists and Human Rights Defenders at UN CERD Review Geneva, Switzerland---August 14th, UN CERD Committee Member Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill specifically asked the U.S. government if it knew of and what it was going to do about more than 20 civil rights era political activists and human rights defenders from 1960’s Black, Latino, and American Indian movements, now aged, and some in not so good health still being held in prison? The government was given 24 hours to respond to this and other questions raised on the closing day of its treaty compliance review by the Committee for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). “We do not know whether the U.S. government has provided a written response as allowed, but we are elated the question was put to them and look forward to it appearing in the Committee’s Closing Observations. The Closing Observations are official written record of the proceedings and the baseline for future examinations,” said Efia Nwangaza, Director of the Malcolm X Center for Self Determination, Greenville, SC, and past co-chair National Jericho Movement, appearing on behalf of USA political prisoners and both organizations. The “CERD Committee member’s reference marks 3 out of 3 successful efforts in a 4 year long campaign to put and keep imprisoned COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era political activists and human rights defenders on the global human rights agenda,” she added. The campaign was initiated, under the auspices of the US Human Rights Network founding director Ajamu Baraka, with the United States’ 2010 Universal Period Review (UPR), a country to country treaty and core UN documents compliance examination. The U.S. received a record number, 228, recommendations for improvement from its peers. Among them was Recommendation # 92.154 which called for “the release of all political prisoners, including Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal.” In March of this year, the USA appeared before the UN Human Rights Committee on the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). At Ms. Nwangaza’s behest, the USA was queried about the existence of “prisoners dating back to the civil rights era” and use of solitary confinement. The Committee Expert, Dr. Zonke Z. Madjodina, referenced the case of Angola 3 Black Panther Party member Herman Wallace. She called Wallace’s 42 years of solitary confinement, court ordered death bed release, and Louisiana’s scramble to re-indict him as he died 4 days after release, cause for deep concern. This week’s CERD Committee member’s question, as framed, put the question of USA held political prisoners firmly on record. Ms. Nwangaza, scheduled to appear before the Committee Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment in November, states that she expects to successfully complete the campaign this spring when the USA will appear before the UN Human Rights Committee for its second UPR review. At that time, the USA will again be confronted with the demand for the release of COINTELPRO/Civil Rights Era political activists and human rights defenders and the demand for formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to bring a close to this shameful point in USA history---especially as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the several civil rights landmarks. Ms. Nwangaza associates the current campaign with the one launched by Black Panther Party/Black Liberation Army soldier, Jalil Muntaquin, from California’s San Quentin state prison in California in 1976, the National Prisoners Campaign to Petition the United Nations to recognize the existence of political prisoners in the United States. Progressives nationwide joined the effort, and the petition was submitted in Geneva, Switzerland. This led to Lennox Hinds and the National Conference of Black Lawyers having the UN International Commission of Jurists tour U.S. prisons and speak with specific political prisoners. The International Commission of Jurists then reported that political prisoners did in fact exist in the United States. Mr. Muntaquin, Nuh Washington, and David Gilbert’s interviews, inter alia, were evidence submitted to the CERD Experts. -30- CONTACT: Efia Nwangaza 864-901-8627 enushrnetwork@gmail
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 11:29:05 +0000
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