Amadeu wins demands, hungerstrike ends - campaign continues

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Saturday September 06, 2008 10:27

by required reading

After a hungerstrike which lasted 76 days, the Anarchist prisoner Amadeu Casellas won his demands for the privileges he had been denied, supervised freedom under the 3rdº degree, which iwill allow him two 48 hour passes followed by work outside of prison only to return to sleep.

The reports publicised by the Catalan ministry of Justice early yesterday evening that he had abandoned his protest were finally qualified at 10pm last night by his lawyer that he had in fact won his demands & that the solidarity campaign will continue to highlight his case with protest actions today to support a visit by his mother & a parliamentary representative.

Naturally the support groups & family send thanks to the international community of anarchist groups, anarchosyndicalists, Catalan & Basque nationalists, human rights groups, prisoner solidarity networks & individuals who showed their support.

more information (catalan & castillian language) :-

statement on BCN (((i))) indymedia
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/350518/...x.php

La Haine
http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=32669

Catalan Independence platform newswire
http://www.vilaweb.cat/www/noticia?p_idcmp=2987679

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Amadeu highlighted for us the issues which face prisoners worldwide who face repression and increased punishments simply for vocalising the abuses of the penitenciary system. He was refused the simple privileges he demanded for no worse behaviour than co-ordinating prisoner issue campaigns some of which were succesful. Instead of being rewarded by a system he played a part in changing (possibly improving) he was punished all the more.

_______________________________________________________________

Now more than ever it's a good idea to write to him.

Amadeu Casellas Ramón
Hospital de Terrassa, Mòdul penitenciari
Ctra. Torrebonica, s/n
C.P. 08227
Terrassa
Catalunya
Spain

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Comments (3 of 3)

YES!!

by J

Sat Sep 06, 2008 21:21

International solidarity gets the goods!

hee hee "international solidarity gets the goods" - But local people have to get him a job.

by smile

Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:52

Diana Reig (lawyer) confirmed to "Rojo y Negro" the esteemed journal of the other anarchosyndicalist union in the Spanish state the CGT (as opposed [¿?] to the CNT from which they split in '79) that Amadeu has a job as soon as he's well enough to enjoy that "open prison" type regime. http://www.rojoynegro.info/2004/spip.php?article23583

I'm sure some readers realised that 3ºgrade allowing for a prisoner to work all day outside the prison and only go back for "bedding & morning prayers" really raised the logical question had he or was he going to get a job. Then what kind of job and more importantly what kind of boss. But any doubts raised by that are now allayed.

However, let's not leave it there - in addition to writing to him at th above address (until a new one is available and he's moved from the hospital wing *) expressing solidarity, thanks for the issues he's raised etc., we should examine or publicise the conditions of "open prison" in Europe. I believe that most of the times the subject is raised in media or public debate it falls into two general areas. One is the outrage that soft or rich prisoners don't deserve full prison regimes the other is that too many prisoners of the unpopular physical or sexual crime nature are moved too easily to open prisons.

I suggest Amadeu's case should help groups throughout Europe bring attention to the fate of long term prisoners, Amadeu is topping 20 years straight and has in total been imprisoned almost 30 years of his life. There are many such prisoners who perhaps illustrate well the retributive slant of penitenciary systems for the simple fact that when supposed reinsertion or rehabilitative privileges such as the Catalan 3rd grade arrive - such a long time has been spent incarcerated within the penal system that the irony of "degrees of freedom" ought be plainly obvious.

(*) though not immediately relevant now to Amadeu's victory, recovery, two 48 hour passes to see his mother & then freedom to work a shift outside the walls - it might be noted that disregard the Catalan prison system met Amadeu's request not to be returned to one prison, the prison in fact where many of his health issues began. But I reckon soon enough he will be housed on "half board" somewhere else. I'm not sure it's a "loose end". But there's enough threads here to weave many campaigns.

In comparison to some other places the response amongst the Irish appeared to be spontaneous and widespread. Going through the motions of the secret Gardaí in Dublin and apparantly not really going through the motions of the secret PSNI in Belfast. There wasn't anything in England. Perhaps they are too scared to touch any prison sentance of more than a few years which isn't animal rights related. Each to their own.

Amadeu Caselles has been moved. So a new address for postcards.

Tue Sep 09, 2008 11:50

Amadeu is recovering favorably from his hunger strike & has been moved from the "l'Hospital Penitenciari" or prison hospital in the city of Terrassa back to the prison he was in before in the city of Granollers. He's now in the infirmary wing. Mail to the prison goes through a postal box address. So here it is :

Amadeu Casellas Ramón

Centre Penitenciari Quatre Camins
Ap. de Correus 335
Granollers
08400
Catalunya
Spain

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Amadeu wins demands, hungerstrike ends - campaign continues

Comments (3 of 3)