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News :: Miscellaneous |
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SOA--EVERYONE RELEASED! 14 are still facing federal charges |
Current rating: 0 |
by SOAW
(No verified email address) |
21 Nov 2001
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Everyone who was arrested this weekend during SOA protests is being released. As we celebrate we also ask you to remember the fourteen people who are still facing federal charges. |
Everyone who was arrested this weekend during SOA protests is being released. The 31 defendants who were engaged in jail solidarity reached a plea bargain at around 6PM. They will be released later tonight on time served, and they will end their fast. They pled guilty to obstructing a highway, "no contest" to obstructing an officer (the court record noted that this was a nonviolent offense), and their charge of unlawful assembly was dropped.
HUGE THANKS, on behalf of all who were arrested, to everyone who supported them by sending letters to Judge Turner, or by sending money. Over the last several hours our fax machine hasn’t stopped printing for longer than a minute. The Just Cause Law Collective delivered hundreds of faxes and emails to the courtroom. Specifically referring to the letters, Judge Turner spoke on the tradition of nonviolence as embodied by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., among others. He stated in court that he intends to respond to each letter – no small task.
This victory is a resounding testimony to the strength of solidarity and the power of the movement to close the School of Assassins.
As we celebrate we also ask you to remember the fourteen people who are still facing federal charges. These fourteen—who were released on Monday—were among over 80 protesters who crossed onto the Ft. Benning during Sunday’s demonstration. They are facing up to a year in federal prison on charges of trespass and resisting arrest.
Last night, a preliminary trial preparation meeting was held for the 14 after their release from Muscogee County Jail. Legal, media and financial support must continue for these fourteen women and men of conscience. In addition, SOA Watch is still trying to cover the expense of maintaining legal, media and support offices in Columbus during the November events.
SOA Watch now has the ability to take donations online. Please help as you are able, knowing that your contribution will help to put the SOA itself on trial and shut it down for good! |
See also:
http://www.soaw.org
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