BY JOHN COX
DES MOINES, Iowa - Prison officials at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa, have informed Mark Curtis that they are withholding the copy of the new pamphlet Why Is Mark Curtis Still in Prison? sent to him by the Pathfinder bookstore in Des Moines.

Curtis told visitors April 15 that he was informed by prison officials that the pamphlet has been sent to the headquarters of the Iowa Department of Corrections in Des Moines for review. After the review, he was told, a decision will be made whether he will be allowed to receive the pamphlet.

Supporters of Curtis, along with attorney William Kutmus, are attempting to learn what prison officials' objections are and are working to reverse this undemocratic measure.

Curtis, a union and political activist, has been imprisoned for more than six years on frame-up charges of rape and burglary. He is currently being held in segregated lockup in the maximum security Iowa State Penitentiary after being victimized by prison guards.

A recent international mailing by the Mark Curtis Defense Committee informed supporters of the new pamphlet on Curtis's case and urged them to help ensure broad distribution.

"By campaigning with this pamphlet," the defense committee letter said, "we will not only find new support but will lay the groundwork for the next big push of the defense committee - to press Iowa officials to release Mark from lockup and grant him parole."

John Studer, coordinator of the defense committee, reports that they have received a significant response to the mailing.

"We've already received a dozen responses, including requests for copies of the pamphlet," Studer said. "A number are from unionists, including one from John Bohlman, a United Transportation Union activist in Lincoln, Nebraska, and from Ed Everts in Charlotte, Vermont, former president of Packinghouse Workers Local 201 at Wilson and Co. in Los Angeles.

"Others come from political activists, like Carol Warren and Todd Garland in Cumberland, Kentucky. Warren is active with the Peace and Justice Office of the Catholic Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, and Garland is with the Catholic Committee of Appalachia," Studer said.

"Another response came from the author Michael Parenti," Studer added. "Parenti noted that he has written a summary of the Curtis case in the most recent edition of his book Democracy for the Few.

"A number of other activists have responded with financial contributions, including from Portland, Oregon; Denver; New York City; Iowa City, Iowa; and Omaha, Nebraska," Studer said. "In the first week after we sent out the mailing we received more than $600 in the mail."

To help with the campaign to circulate the new pamphlet and to keep up with the efforts to win justice for Mark Curtis, contact the Mark Curtis Defense Committee, Box 1048, Des Moines, Iowa 50311.  
 
 
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