FEATURES

PRISONERS

Anarchist Black Cross

Insumisos
Since 1989 hundreds of people have been imprisoned annually in Spain for insumision, total resistance to military and alternative service. The normal sentence is 2 years, 4 months, 1 day. The policy of resisting all service was meant as a direct challenge against the state's military machine. It has been particularly strongly supported in Euskadi (the Basque country).

However, in 1996, all this will change. Insumision will no longer be a personable offence. Spain's 'socialist' government, clearly embarrassed at having it's prisons stuffed full of insumisos (total resisters), have changed the law. The new punishment for insumision is to be 'disqualification', for between eight and fourteen years. This means that anyone found guilty of insumision will be deprived of the right to receive aid from public funds. This includes financial help for housing, to study, or to cope with unemployment. They will also not be allowed to get jobs that are in any way connected to public administration, such as health, education, transport and so on.

Insumisos may well be faced with extreme hardship under this new law. It will also have the effect of reducing the visibility of the resistance to the military, so making it easier to carry out repression and break the spirits of those that would resist the state.

It remains to be seen how the insumisos respond. One possibility is to join the armed forces and then refuse, as this means imprisonment under military law. What is obvious though, is that such a repressive law must be resisted through mass direct action and the support of those found guilty under the new law.

Anti-Fascist Jailed
Pavel Kroupa, a Czech anti-fascist activist has been charged with murder, and jailed. In March, he was on a bus in Prague when he was attacked by five Nazi skinheads. Pavel defended himself and consequently one Nazi died. Czech comrades are appealing for financial support and benefits to help pay for Pavel's defence. If found guilty he could face life in prison. Support should be sent to:-
Ivana Vranova, Bohunicka 19, 60 000 Brno, Czech republic. Tel 09425-339895 (ask for Borck). Alternatively, any donations sent to the ACF (see address below) will be passed on.

Harold H. Thompson
Harold is an anarchist imprisoned in the USA. In 1979 he was arrested in Chattanoooga, Tennessee, for allegedly shooting to death a police informant / killer convicted of murdering the mother of Harold's son, who then threatened his son while out on appeal bond. He was also charged with expropriating money for political activities, from a jewellery store. He was sentenced to life plus 50 years. He was then given an additional 21-75 years for a second shooting incident in Cleveland, Ohio.

Following a failed armed escape from an East Tennessee prison, from November 1986 Harold spent 5 years, 4 months in maximum security / solitary confinement. he also received an additional sentence of 32 years as a result of charges from this incident.

In July 1993, having been out of solitary for 15 months without a single disciplinary infraction report, he was framed for "in all likelihood having possible escape plans" based on "outside confidential information". He was returned to maximum security / solitary confinement where he remained until march 1995. In June 1995, Harold was again reclassified to a lower security, but had to wait 8 months before being transferred to the Turney Centre Industrial Prison, where he is now.

As well as being an anarchist, Harold is also a jailhouse lawyer. This involves him drafting legal briefs for submission to courts for appellate documents, or filing civil rights complaints on behalf of other prisoners. His activities have earned him recurrent harassment, but he remains resolute and continues to work for what he believes in.

We would urge people to write to Harold or sent messages of support, and also add his name to the mailing list of any publications you are involved with. For further information, leaflets, etc. write to: Harold Thompson support Campaign, Huddersfield ABC, c/o 17-21 Chapel Street, BRADFORD, BD1 5DT Write to: Harold H. Thompson #93992, Turney Centre Industrial Prison, Route 1, Unit 4~a~25, ONLY, TN37140-9709, USA

Frame-up
Oliver Campbell is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of a shopkeeper which occurred during an armed robbery of an off licence and supermarket. He has continually protested his innocence.

The evidence centred around a black 'British Knights' baseball cap which witnesses said the gunman was wearing (two people were involved in the robbery). A sports shop worker told police that Oliver had recently bought such a hat, and he was arrested on this basis. The hat had, however, been stolen some weeks earlier outside a night-club. An identical hat was found in the vicinity of the robbery by police, but hair found on it did not match that of Oliver's. In fact there was no forensic evidence against Oliver whatsoever. In addition to this Oliver was questioned by police on numerous occasions without his lawyer being present, despite police having agreed to call his solicitor if any questioning was to take place. A psychologist at his appeal stated that she thought that the police had put undue pressure on Oliver to force a confession out of him, as he is considered to have severe learning difficulties and confessed merely to stop his harassment.

Added to all this, his co-defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob (for which he received a 5 year sentence) and named another person who he said was involved in the robbery. Police however, did not even bother to pursue this line of enquiry, presumably, because it did not fit into their theory! Oliver is significantly taller than any of the witnesses stated the attacker was. He is also, much younger. He was totally unable to explain the history of the gun used, or where he had disposed of it. In the end, the only evidence against him is a confession which was given while under severe mental stress! Incredibly (or not, if you know anything of British justice!) his appeal, which took three and an half years even to happen, was rejected despite the total lack of evidence.

For more information on this case contact:-
Justice for Oliver Campbell Campaign PO Box 6580, LONDON, E6 3TL.
Send messages of support to :- Oliver Campbell MV3344, HMP Wormwood Scrubs, Du Cane Road, LONDON W12 0EA

Writing to Prisoners
IF YOU ARE unsure about writing to prisoners, the ABC produce a useful leaflet to help you along. You can get this and other practical information by writing to any ABC group, or drop us a line preferably with an SAE, and we will pass them onto you.

ACF PO Box 5754, Elgin, IV30 2ZD, Scotland, UK