The Militant - January 10, 2011 -- Greetings to workers behind bars

Vol. 75/No. 1 January 10, 2011

Greetings to workers behind bars
(editorial)

The Militant sends New Year's greetings to the more than 3 million fellow workers behind bars in the United States. The U.S. government intervenes around the world in the name of "democracy" and "human rights." Meanwhile, 25 percent of the world’s prisoners sit in U.S. jails. The government continues to restrict workers’ rights in the name of fighting terrorism.

The overwhelming majority of U.S. prisoners are working people, especially Blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans. Tens of thousands of immigrants are jailed for the “crime” of working without papers.

The U.S. government holds more than a few political prisoners and others resisting unjust convictions who refuse to give in. Of special note are the Cuban Five—René González, Fernando González, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández, and Ramón Labañino—Cuban revolutionaries who were framed-up and handed long federal prison terms. Their crime? Gathering information on counterrevolutionary groups that have carried out armed attacks and acts of sabotage against Cuba with the complicity of Washington.

This year, in a victory for working people, Puerto Rican independence fighter Carlos Alberto Torres was released after 30 years. Two other Puerto Rican political prisoners continue to fight for freedom: Oscar López, imprisoned for 29 years, and Avelino González Claudio, held for almost three years.

Troy Davis and Mumia Abu-Jamal persist in their struggles against death-row convictions. Attorney Lynne Stewart, railroaded to jail on “terrorist” charges, enters her second year in prison. Native American activist Leonard Peltier is now 34 years behind bars. We encourage our readers to contribute to the Militant Prisoners' Fund to make it possible for fellow workers behind bars to receive free or reduced-price subscriptions.

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