June 20, 2002 AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett
19 thoughts on “Should President Clinton grant amnesty to the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners?”
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June 20, 2002 AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett
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No!
I don’t think men who have been convicted of criminal acts should be shown any type of mercy. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
Yes!
There are enough examples in recent history and even currently of the miscarriage of justice–of the use of our court system for political purposes. Our constitution protects the rights of dissenters. These women and men who are serving excessively long prison terms are not criminals. They are pursuing a dream outside of the American dream–the dream of freedom for their country.
And there are consequences for this. Clinton should pardon them and not on a case by case basis as the governor of Puerto Rico Rosello has stated. There should be a blanket amnesty for these women and men who exemplify courage and sacrifice.
RE: Yes!
The conservative government in Spain (Partido Popular) has implemented a program whereby volunteer lawyers are traveling out of the country, to areas like Central and South America, to facilitate the return of etarristas (adherents of ETA, the radical separatist party of the Basque Country in northern Spain) in exile with full amnesty.
Some, of course, are refusing to return, now that a status less than total separation is being negotiated; but they may return with impunity, if they wish.
If etarristas can come back home, considering the extremities of their politcal actions against the central spanish government, I think our political prinsoners can be freed — and with full amnesty.
RE: Yes!
If most Puerto Ricans don’t want the US to be involved with Puerto Rico and its politics, then why do you want President Clinton to grant amnesty to the Puerto Rican political prisoners?
RE: RE: Yes!
The answer is simply because the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners are in U.S. federal prisoners and only the President of the U.S. has the power to grant amnesty to them, leading to their release.
Why not discuss this more?
I wonder why people don’t want to deal with this question. It’s definitely too hot to handle.
RE: Why not discuss this more?
Actually, this Thursday at 7PM there is going to be a panel discussion on the film “The Double Life of Guillermo Gomez Gomez” that will include Guillermo who is the son of two Puerto Rican Political Prisoners. His father, Guillermo Morales is now living in Cuba. But his mother Dylcia Pagan is in a federal prison here in the States. There will be a screening of the film and 7PM and then a discussion with this young man, the filmmakers and the attorneys for the PR Political Prisoners. It’s worth attending although the cost might keep some away, $25 at Hostos Community College in the Bronx. The announcement is posted in this website’s CORRIENTES section. Check it out.
RE: Yes, why not discuss this more?
The film is called the “Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez.” Ernesto is the son and Guillermo is the father. Just thought you might want to know!
RE: RE: Yes, why not discuss this more?
Actually, Ernesto Gomez Gomez is the name his foster parents gave him and Guillermo Morales Pagan is his birth name. His father’s name is Guillermo Morales.
!RE: No!
I agree that if a person is convicted of a crime that they should serve their time. However, the discrepancy in the length of time that the PR political prisoners have to serve, compared to a murderer is absolutely absurd. I believe strongly that the PR political prisoners have already served more than enough time and should be released!
yes with out a doubt
i believe that the puerto rican political prisoners should go home to
BORIKEN.let them GO GO GO NOW
PR Political Prisoners–learn more about them
For those who might want to learn more about the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and other political prisoners in U.S. prisons, there is going to be an exhibition at the Taller Boricua in the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center, Lexington Avenue, between 105th Street and 106th Street, this September. Elizam Escobar, one of our political prisoners, will be exhibiting his work alongside installations by Antonio Martorell and Dred Scott. Martorell is one of our best artists who has been highly vocal in pushing for the release of the political prisoners.
freedom
it seems that 11 of our 15 political prisoners of war will be excarcerated.
I just saw the first pages of EL Diario
and it blew my mind. It made me feel so happy – mucho mas libre – Lets see what the conditions are..
Viva la justicia,
viva los que luchamos por ella
RE: freedom
The only problem is that they will not be able to congregate with one another and for that matter with many of us because of their political beliefs. Their release and pardon is conditional–that is, they must agree to certain things in order to be pardoned. I understand that Dylcia Pagan has agreed to the 14 conditions. This is all so hard but it is interesting to reflect that Lebron, I believe, was offerred on different occasions conditional release but refused. She would not — on any level — compromise what she stood for, the freedom of here country, even if it meant losing her freedom.
restrictive pardon
Last week, President Clinton granted the Puerto Rican political prisoners a restrictive pardon. In the early 90’s, the U.S. government demanded of South Africa the unconditional release of Nelson Mandela, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy, the same charge the PRPPs were convicted of. The hypocrisy is a disrespect and an abuse to the Puerto Rican community.
The Friends and Family of Dylcia Pagán want her and the other Puerto Rican
political prisoners to be released unconditionally. Show your support for
these Puerto Rican heroes. Join us Saturday. Please pass this email along.
Organize in your neighborhoods.
For more information and to get involved
in the freedom campaign, call
ProLibertad at 212-927-9065
or email Prolib@aol.com.
DEMAND THE UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF THE PUERTO RICAN POLITICAL PRISONERS!
Call the White House at (202) 456-1111
or fax at (202) 456-2883.
¡QUE SALGAN YA!
Amnesty No/ Release of POW’s Yes
Why must the president of the USA grant amnesty to our POW’s? They haven’t commited any crimes. They were just fighting for the freedom of their country. What Clinton should do is release our puertorrican prisioners of war. He should also before his term and the century are over withdraw his troops from our national territory. Later once we have constituted our own sovereign government there can be a plebisite to ask the peop;e if they wan’t to request anexation to the US, enter into a political/economic treaty with the US or none of the above.
Newsweek, Bureau of Prisoners attack PRPP’s
FALN may be violent again…
UPI Reuters States News Service
Updated 7:25 PM ET August 30, 1999
NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) Some members of the Puerto Rican nationalist group,
FALN, a Spanish acronym for Armed Forces of National Liberation, may return
to violence if freed from prison, according to a report in Newsweek.
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons is reported to have audio tape recordings of telephone conversations of some of the prisoners saying they “will return
to violence.”
President Bill Clinton offered 16 of the group’s members clemency _ most of
whom are serving lifetime prison sentences if they would renounce violence. So far none have taken the offer.
The group takes responsibility for 130 bombings and acts of violence in the
1970s and 80s. Sen. Paul Coverdell, (R-GA), who heads a subcommittee on
terrorism, says he may hold hearings on what information Clinton used to make his clemency decision.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and
educational purposes only.
Prisioneros Politicos–el articulo en Newsweek
La Casa Blanca no sabe si existen
martes, 31 de agosto de 1999
Por Leonor Mulero
El Nuevo Día
WASHINGTON – El Negociado de Prisiones y la Casa Blanca dijeron ayer desconocer la existencia de grabaciones telefónicas en las que presos políticos puertorriqueños hayan dicho que volverán a la lucha violenta de ser excarcelados.
“No tenemos conocimiento alguno de tales grabaciones. Esa información no salió de aquí”, dijo Scott Wolfson, portavoz del Negociado de Prisiones, sobre información publicada en Newsweek.
Jeffrey Farrow, copresidente del Grupo de Puerto Rico en la Casa Blanca,
señaló que “el Departamento de Justicia no nos informó de ninguna grabación.
No tenemos conocimiento de que exista”.
Newsweek escribió que el Negociado tiene grabaciones telefónicas en las que
algunos de los prisioneros supuestamente dijeron en la cárcel que “tan pronto
cuando salgan, regresarán a la violencia”. Newsweek, que no identifica a su fuente del orden público, dijo que el Negociado se opuso fuertemente a la
clemencia a 16 convictos independentistas, 15 de ellos presos.
Wolfson dijo que el Negociado graba todas las conversaciones telefónicas de
todo prisionero. Si hay contenido delictivo, el Negociado las refiere al
Departamento de Justicia, añadió.
Informaciones incorrectas
Preguntado si el Negociado encontró contenido delictivo en las conversaciones de los presos boricuas, Wolfson insistió en que no tiene conocimiento de tales grabaciones.
Wolfson comentó que la información publicada en Newsweek no menciona la
fecha, la hora ni la persona con quien estarían hablando cada preso cuando se
grabó la conversación.
De no existir tales grabaciones, Newsweek no sería la única publicación
estadounidense que haya publicado información equivocada o fuera de contexto sobre los presos políticos puertorriqueños. El periódico The Wall Street Journal escribió en un editorial que el presidente Bill Clinton había
ofrecido clemencia a Víctor Gerena, supuesto participante en el robo de más
de $7 millones a la Wells Fargo. Pero Gerena es prófugo de la justicia.
Cierta o falsa, ese tipo de información pone en mala lupa a la Casa Blanca.
Se comenta que en la Casa Blanca hay preocupación creciente por el giro
negativo que ha tomado la oferta de clemencia.
La prensa estadounidense ha publicado datos del Negociado Federal de
Investigaciones (FBI) que vinculan a estos presos independentistas con varias
muertes y heridos en atentados de diversos grupos de la organización Fuerzas de Liberación Nacional (FALN). Sólo algunas publicaciones, como The
Washington Post, han aclarado que ninguno de estos presos está relacionado
con esos muertos y heridos.
El intenso debate sobre la oferta de clemencia ha tomado auge por la lucha
entre la primera dama Hillary Rodham Clinton y el alcalde de Nueva York,
Rudolph Giuliani, por llevarse el asiento senatorial que deja el demócrata
por Nueva York, Daniel P. Moynihan.
Los republicanos acusan a Clinton de buscar los votos para su esposa y
amenazan con promover en el Congreso una resolución en contra de la
excarcelación. El intenso ataque del FBI a la clemencia a los presos se
produce cuando esa agencia esta bajo fuego por nuevas revelaciones sobre su
participación en el incidente de Waco, Texas, que en 1993 concluyó con la
muerte de 80 miembros del culto davidiano.
Hillary’s big mistake and Luis G’s lame presence
I think Hillary Clinton made a terrible mistake in opposing the release of the Puerto Rican political prisoners. Like Vieques, it is an issue which has rallied support across all political lines. Luis Gutierrez made a very lame presentation on Meet the Press yesterday. He wasn’t at all forceful and never broached the subject of Puerto Rico’s colonial condition which, I believe, is the only way one can justify or explain what the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners were doing–indeed, it would explain why they are being called political prisoners in the first place.