laatste nieuws uit straatsburg/no border legal team strasbourg - 17.09.2002 11:08
Laatste nieuws over de rechtszaken en nog steeds voortdurende repressie in Frankrijk naar aanleiding van het Europese No Border kamp in Straatsburg afgelopen zomer (in het Engels) + call for action Last news on courtcases and repression as a result of the No Bordercamp in Strassbourg last summer + call for action Ahmed Meguini, co-founder of the Spontaneous Movement, which was created after the primary presidential elections in France, and participant of the No Border Camp in Strabourg, was arrested on July 24 2002 during a demonstration in support of the Sans-Papier, for the closing of all detention centers, and for the freedoms of movement and of residence. He is currently incarcerated, condemned the 21 augusts 2002 to eight months in prison with a parole hearing after three months, and more than 700 Euros in fines, on charges of insulting a police officer and assault on a police officer, despite multiple inconsistencies in the accusation and procedural errors. Since his arrival in the Elsau prison in Strasbourg, he was placed in solitary confinement and refused all visits. He did not leave this total isolation for 38 days. For a month and a half, he was denied all visitation rights. Only very recently was he allowed to receive a visit from his mother (recently arrived in Strasbourg). His girlfriend has still not been allowed to see him. This white torture, which has been denounced by the International Prison Observation Project, continues because Ahmed is still singled out for particular abuse. He has been placed in a special section, isolated from the rest of the prisoners... The repressive persecution continues, after a police prohibition against all forms of protest or public discourse from the No Border Camp during the second half of the Camp; a steady stream of arrests (at least twenty) during the camp; several injured from rubber bullets, massive use of gas, and police batons, as well as mistreatment while in police custody; ten trials still to come; and seventeen activists recently taken to trial on charges of "hostage-taking," after a peaceful occupation of the local office of the Ministry of Justice. The prosecutor has now decided to appeal Ahmed's sentence, having requested eight months without parole. The hearing will take place at the Appeals Court of Colmar on October 8 2002, at 8:30 a.m. Ahmed is now, once more, in pretrial preventative detention. So as to avoid arriving in handcuffs in court, he has requested the court's decision to deny him bail or bond. The hearing will take place on september 17, 2002, at 8 a.m., in Colmar. Those who cannot come to Colmar are asked to visit their nearest Ministry of Justice (if in France) or their nearest French Consulate or Embassy (if outside of France) to show their support for Ahmed and for the NoBorder Camp. We call all those involved to come en masse to Colmar on that day, to protest against the repressive treatment by the State against activists, and more generally, against the atmospere of "total-security" that aims to frighten and criminalize all attempts to struggle against the established world order. The "Terrorism Hunt" has become a very practical tool to repress many different kinds of activists, to extradite Italian activists who had traditionally been given political asylum in France, such as Paolo Persichetti, to prohibit Batsuna from entering Spain... and so forth. We will not be terrorized. Collective to support Ahmed. Website: http://www.noborder.org |