||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||| ||| ||| A N T I F A ||| ||| ||| ||| I N F O - B U L L E T I N ||| ||| _____ ||| ||| ||| ||| * News * Analysis * Research * Action * ||| ||| ||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ***** ||/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\||/\|| || * - SUPPLEMENT - * - August 01, 1996 - * - SUPPLEMENT - * || ||\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/||\/|| CONTENTS: Supplement 65 _____ 1. (BCAC) BREW CITY ANTI-AUTHORITARIAN COLLECTIVE: Action Alert! Phone Zap For Indiana 6 2. (LAWE) Prisoner Declared Brain Dead After Beating By Palestinian Coastal Police 3. (CAG) COMMUNIST ACTION GROUP: Government Backs Down After 12 Die On Hunger Strike 4. (AP) Anarchist Charged With Advocating Overthrow Of Government 5. (UPDATE) Neo-Nazis Accused of Incitement To Genocide In Portugal 6. (PI) Aryan Republican Army Trial: Northeast Man To Admit To Midwest Heists 7. (LAT) Argentine Police Held In '94 Blast 8. (REUTER) German Court Rejects Bonn Bid To Punish Neo- Nazis 9. (REUTER) Italian Court Begins Deliberating War Crimes Case 10. (AP) German Neo-Nazis Sentenced ----- Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 22:38:30 -0500 (CDT) From: William Todd Leech Subject: Phone Zap for Indiana 6 ----- ACTION ALERT * ACTION ALERT * ACTION ALERT * ACTION ALERT * PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION IN INDIANA PRISONS THERE WILL BE A NATIONWIDE PHONE-ZAP AND FAX-ZAP OF SUPERINTENDENT AL PARKE AT INDIANA STATE PRISON ON: MONDAY AUGUST 5, 1996. PLEASE FLOOD HIS OFFICE WITH YOUR CALLS AND FAXES OF PROTEST. TELL MR. PARKE TO DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST THE INDIANA SIX (names listed at bottom of post) PHONE: 219-874-7258 FAX: 219-874-9001 DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE INDIANA 6 SAY NO TO A RACIST FRAME-UP ----- In a kangaroo court inside Indiana State Prison during the week of July 21, 1996, six prisoners were convicted of conspiring to riot and threatening staff with bodily harm. The prisoners were given sentences of up to five years. This time will likely be lock-down, isolation time in a control unit (23 hours lock-down, sensory deprivation, non-contact visits, mental torture). This is a frame-up with no evidence and no victims. The planned execution of Ziyon Yisrayah (s/n Tommie Smith) threw the Indiana Department of Corrections into a panic-ridden purge of progressive prisoners who might have dared to SPEAK out against the vicious plan of premeditated murder. On Thursday, June 6, ten prisoners were transferred from the Indiana State Prison (ISP) in Michigan City to Westville Maximum Control Complex (MCC). They were transferred to "keep the peace" in advance of the execution of Ziyon Yisrayah . "EVIDENCE" The state's main "evidence" is a letter addressed to one of the prisoners, Shaka Shakur, from a private citizen in Indianapolis, Mmoja Ajabu. Mr. Shakur never saw the letter, which was intercepted by the ISP administration weeks before the charges were filed against the prisoners. The only other "evidence" the prison administration has is statements from "confidential informants" and a "letter" found on a prisoner at ISP addressed to "Shaka" (first name only -- There are at least 5 other Shakas at ISP) which mentions a response to the execution of Ziyon. This letter contains no violent intent whatsoever, and the prisoner who wrote it says that it refers to wearing black armbands. None of the prisoners has access to any statements from "confidential informants." There is question as to whether these informants even exist. "DUE PROCESS" At the hearing they were allowed no outside legal representation, nor will they be allowed a lawyer at any appeals within the institution. After they have exhausted all their Department of Corrections appeals, they may hire legal counsel and may appeal to the District Court. This last appeal is extremely difficult to win and usually takes years to complete. So even if a prisoner does win on this level, he has often already done his time in the Supermax. A Memorial Day protest showed the solidarity of 150 prisoners at ISP who went to a meal and ate in complete silence to show solidarity with Ziyon and protest the poor conditions in D-Cell House. This was the peaceful demonstration that sparked an institution-wide investigation in which the administration put out a call to each housing unit to identify prisoners "who might be involved in this `conspiracy'...". This is not about a plan to riot. This is about the D.O.C.'s paranoia over losing control of the prison in the face of the 2nd wrongful execution there in the last 18 months (the first being of Ziyon's co-defendant Ajamu Nassor (s/n Resnover)). This is about the panic of a prison system which experienced the murder of a guard after they murdered Ajamu in 1994. This is about the fears of men who know they are about to do evil. And it's about racist fears. RACIAL DEMONIZATION Al Parke, in a conversation with Professor Hal Pepinsky centered around maintaining control at ISP, stated that he is focusing on what he identifies as "black gangs" and is "operating on the basis of who is who". That is, Parke is more concerned with the history, leadership and culture of the prisoners than he is with any actual evidence against them. The "gang" boogeyman language is an all-too-common tactic used to refer to Black political prison leaders. Those of us who have worked with prisoners at ISP know that Supt. Parke is focused on progressive political leadership at the prison. These prisoners have dedicated themselves to destroying the criminal mentality identified with gangs and to developing proud, constructive men able to give back to their communities. Destructive gang leaders in the prison do not face the same scrutiny and censoring of their mail as political leaders do, nor do they face the same repression of activity and attention to their movements. We must also ask why, if Parke is concerned about gangs, he does not focus any attention on white supremacist gangs, which have a long history in Indiana prisons and which everyone, including Parke, knows have freedom to operate at ISP. Every single prisoner charged in this case is Black. The Indiana D.O.C. violated these prisoners' due process rights and continues to do so. We can't let the D.O.C. operate outside of the law. It could be your son or daughter, your husband or wife in prison next. THE INDIANA DOC IS NOT ABOUT REHABILITATION. THE CONDITIONS AT ISP ENCOURAGE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND TARGET ANY PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT OF PRISONERS LOOKING TO BETTER THEMSELVES TO BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THEIR COMMUNITIES AS FUNCTIONAL, GIVING INDIVIDUALS. Call, write and fax Acting Department of Corrections Commissioner Ed Cohen. Demand that the charges against the six prisoners be dropped and that no further disciplinary action be taken against them. Commissioner Ed Cohen E 334 Indiana Governement Center South 302 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone: 317-232-5715 FAX: 317-232-6798 Contact members of the Indiana Congressional Black Caucus and urge them to call for an investigation into the racial nature of the charges against these prisoners and the executions of Ziyon Yisrayah and Ajamu Nassor. Write to the charged prisoners to show your support and offer what help you can: Kopano Muhammad (s/n V. Hatchett) #25800 Shaka Shakur #28443 Sekou Majekodunmi (s/n M. Ford) #855831 Akono G. Olatunji (s/n David Bellemy) #862113 Idrix Malik (s/n Kevin Holifield) #22275 Anane Baye (s/n Armen sylvester) #16091 all are at: ISP P.O. Box 41, Michigan City, IN 46360 ----- We the undersigned demand that all charges be dropped against those targeted by the Indiana Department of Corrections on frame-up charges of conspiracy to riot and threatening. These charges stem from the panic and paranoia of the Indiana Department of Corrections officials preparing to execute Ziyon Yisrayah and are not based on any factual evidence. DROP THE CHARGES!! Brew City Anti-Authoritarian Collective, Shaka Shakur Defense Committee, Gary Peoples Justice Committee, National Prisoners Legal Front, A Job is a Right Campaign, Workers World Party, Antifa Info-Bulletin, RASH Indiana, Bob Witanek - New Jersey Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty*, The HIV/AIDS in Prison Project of Catholic Charities, Wisconsin CURE, Let Mumia Live Coalition - Madison, Campaign to End the Death Penalty - Madison, Human Rights Coalition of Indiana, New York Anarchist Black Cross, Sisters By Choice * - organization for ID purpose For More Information Contact: BCAC P.O. Box 93312 Milwaukee, WI 53203 ***** Date: Tue, 30 Jul 96 16:31:42 PDT From: LAWE Subject: Prisoner Beaten to Death by Palestinian Police ----- _________________________________________________________________ PRISONER DECLARED CLINICALLY BRAIN DEAD AFTER BEATING BY PALESTINIAN COASTAL POLICE _________________________________________________________________ 30 July 1996 Today, Mahmoud Jamal Jumyal, a political prisoner detained by the Palestinian Coastal Police in al Juneid prison, was pronounced clinically brain dead following a savage beating by Coastal Police at the prison. The beating caused massive bleeding in the brain from a fractured skull, and instigated a cardiac arrest. Nassir Juma'a was also attacked at the same time. His condition is known to be grave, and his remains under the custody of the Coastal police and in solitary confinement in al Juneid. Mahmoud Jumyal, 26 years old, worked as an inspector for the al-Mahraq Insurance Company. In mid-December 1995, he and Nassir Juma'a were ordered by the Mukhabarat (secret police) to report to the Jericho detention facility for questioning. The two went, and never came back. They were held without charge and never tried, and questioned about supposed involvement with the Fatah Eagles. On several occasions Mahmoud instigated hunger strikes to demand his release. His family visited him regularly in Jericho, the last of which was on 26 July. On the day of 26 July, his family was informed that he and Nassir had been transferred to the Coastal Police section of al Juneid Prison in Nablus. On the same day, LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment was informed that Mahmoud had been sent to the Rafidiyye hospital in Nablus. Khader Shkirat, director of LAWE, went to the hospital on that day, where he was informed that the prisoner had been transferred to the hospital in Ramallah. Mr. Shkirat went to Ramallah, where he was denied permission to see the patient. On 28 July, Mahmoud's family was informed by the Palestinian police, at 11:00 at night, that their son had been admitted to an unspecified hospital. The distraught family went first to Rafidiyye hospital in Nablus, where they were informed that their son had been admitted under a false name, that of Ahmed Said Sabbah. Then the family went to the hospital in Ramallah, where they finally saw him late at night on 29 July. The family was not informed as to his true medical condition. At 1:30 pm today, Khader Shkirat again visited Mahmoud. Mr. Shkirat reports that multiple lacerations are visible all over his body, and his chest is deeply bruised. He appears to have been branded with a hot iron instrument, leaving two centimeter burns on his chest. Both hands and his ankles have been wounded, apparently by wire. Mr. Shkirat was informed that he had initially been admitted to the hospital in Nablus after having sustained a massive cardiac arrest. While at the hospital, they discovered a fractured skull and extensive bleeding in the brain. After resuscitation, Mahmoud was transferred to the facility in Ramallah. At this moment, the hospital is providing supportive treatment in an effort to keep Mahmoud's body alive. Nassir Juma'a is reported to be in critical condition, both physically and psychologically. His family is deeply concerned about his health and current safety. LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment cannot find words adequate to describe how horrific it sees this crime. LAWE extends its most heartfelt condolences to the family of Mahmoud Jumyal, and expresses its gravest concern over the whereabouts and well-being of Nassir Juma'a. LAWE promises to pursue this case, and every other violation of the most basic human rights, to the fullest extent. The armed forces of the Palestinian Authority have proven themselves completely outside normal standards of conduct, and capable of the grossest brutality. They must be made accountable. LAWE will help pursue this goal, and calls for the establishment of a Committee of Inquiry. Please fax immediately your condemnation of this brutal act, and your demand that all political prisoners held without charge, be released without delay. Send your faxed letters of intervention to: President Arafat: (972) (7) 822365/6, Minister of Justice Frieh abu Medein: (972) (7) 822236, and Attorney General Khaled al Qidra: (972) (7) 824503. ----- LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization which seeks to defend human rights through legal advocacy. LAWE is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights. LAWE, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, Tel: (972) (2) 812364, 824559, fax: (972) (2) 811072, email: lawe@netvision.net.il. ***** Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 04:11:43 +0200 From: DHKC Informationbureau Amsterdam Subject: CA on hungerstrike POW's in Turkey ----- COMMUNIST ACTION GROUP (CAG) BM Box 4473 London WC1N 3XX _________________________________________________________________ TURKEY: GOVERNMENT BACKS DOWN AFTER 12 DIE ON HUNGER STRIKE _________________________________________________________________ By Jim Kane, Communist Action Group On Saturday July 27th, the 69 day old Hunger Strike in Turkish prisons ended in complete victory. Just one day after he had threatened to send in troops to end the Hunger Strike by force, the Minister for Justice Kazan announced that the government would meet all the demands put forward by the prisoners. The Hunger Strike started in May in response to the announcement of a new policy on political prisoners by the then Minister for Justice Mehmet Agar. On May 6th, Agar, who is linked to the death squads in Turkey, said that all political prisoners were to be transferred to the notorious Eskisehir prison, known in Turkey as The Coffin. Unlike most of the country's other jails, where prisoners are kept in large "wards" where they can freely associate, prisoners in Eskisehir are kept in solitary confinement in individual cells. In the first month after the announcement, over 100 political prisoners were placed in The Coffin. The prisoners demands were simple: the withdrawal of the May 6th decision, and the closure of Eskisehir and all other isolation prisons in the country. In addition, they demanded an end to attacks on prisoners, proper medical treatment to prisoners wounded in attacks, and the right for all prisoners to attend their own trials without being subjected to torture and mistreatment. Turkey has a terrible reputation for prison conditions and for torture of suspects. The government is carrying on a brutal war against the Kurdish people, who are fighting for national liberation. In addition, many left groups are armed, and are carrying out a guerrilla war to overthrow the fascist government. There are some 9,000 political prisoners in Turkey, only one in four of which has actually been tried. It is not unusual for the accused to have to wait for years before they appear in court. And when they do appear, justice is not on the agenda. As well as the widespread use of torture, Turkey has a higher level of political "disappearances" than Latin America - the government simply bumps opponents off and either dumps their bodies where they cannot be found. Family and friends of prisoners are subjected to every form of harassment, including being arrested and tortured themselves. Many female relatives and friends have been raped when they go on visits. In addition to all this, the authorities have staged a number of armed raids on prisons where political prisoners are held. On 13 December last year, one prisoner was killed and 40 injured when special police units and soldiers attacked prisoners at Umraniye prison. On 21 December, three prisoners were killed and 39 wounded in a similar attack on Buca prison. On 4 January of this year, another attack at Umraniye left three dead and many more wounded. A number of the prisoners wounded in this attack were on the verge of death, but refused medical treatment, which resulted in a fourth death a short while after. Two others remained in a critical condition for a long period, but were denied access to the medical treatment they needed. Conditions in the jails was so bad that even before the May 6th decisions on political prisoners, a group of prisoners at Diyarbakir prisoner had begun an indefinite Hunger Strike against the increased torture and mistreatment of inmates. On May 16th, they were joined by a large number of inmates from different groups, mostly from the Kurdish liberation movement (PKK), who went on an alternating Hunger Strike with two groups of prisoners refusing food for five days at a time. On May 19th, a further 1500 prisoners went on protest from Communist groups, this time on a permanent, indefinite Hunger Strike. On July 3, a group - to begin with 161 - turned this into a Hunger Strike to the death. Right from the start, there were solidarity Hunger Strikes all over Europe, as well as inside Turkey and Kurdistan. These included people going on Hunger Strike for fixed periods, alternating with others, as well as a smaller number who were on indefinite Hunger Strike. In Brussels and London. six members of the biggest Communist group involved in the Hunger Strike, the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKC), stepped up the struggle in mid-July and themselves went on Hunger Strike to the death. More and more prisoners joined in with them, including some 4,000 Kurdish prisoners from the PKK who joined in the last week. The Hunger Strikers were well aware of the Irish Hunger Strike of 1981. In fact, the heroic stand of Bobby Sands and his comrades was a direct inspiration for the Hunger Strikers of 1996, just as it had been for earlier Hunger Strikes in Turkish jails. This was borne out when Aygun Ugur became the first Hunger Striker to die, on Sunday June 21st: the same day, a slogan appeared in a part of East London where there is a large Turkish and Kurdish population, which read: "1981 Bobby Sands, 1996 Aygun Ugur". Twelve Hunger Strikers died on the protest. 100 more are in a critical condition, and will only recover, if at all, as a result of very intensive medical care. One veteran Hunger Striker, Zeynel Polat, who survived after being on Hunger Strike for 70 days in 1984 and who joined in this struggle in solidarity 15 days ago, knew fully what was involved: "A Hunger Strike is the hardest method of protest. Every day, every hour, every second, you are conscious of going to death. After 60 days, irreparable damage appears in certain organs." The Hunger Strike unleashed a wave of protest and rebellion throughout the state of Turkey. In much the same way as the 1981 Hunger Strike in Ireland, the protest strengthened the resolve of the people to struggle against repression and injustice. The Turkish state has been shaken to its foundations. The people are on the rise, and they are not in a mood to give in. The twelve Hunger Strikers who gave their lives are listed below, together with their organisations initials and full names in English: Aygun Ugur TKP(ML) [Communist Party of Turkey (Marxist-Leninist)] Altan Berdan Kerimgiller DHKC [Revolutionary People's Liberation Front] Olginc Ozkeskin DHKC Huseyin Demircioglu MLKP [Marxist-Leninist Communist Party] Ali Ayata TKP(ML) Mujdat Yanat DHKC Tahsin Yilmaz TIKB [Revolutionary Communist League of Turkey] Ayse Idil Erkman DHKC Hicabi Kucuk TIKB Yemliha Kaya DHKC Osman Akgun TIKB Hayati Can TKP(ML) ----- For more information, write to the DHKC Information Bureau, BM Box 8253, London WC1N 3XX. Tel/fax: 0171-272-2621 __________________________________________ Visit http://www.xs4all.nl/~ozgurluk For news and information about the classwar in Turkey and Kurdistan ___________________________________________ ***** http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/nation/073196/ Subject: nation1_18202.html ----- _________________________________________________________________ ANARCHIST CHARGED WITH ADVOCATING OVERTHROW OF GOVERNMENT _________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 1996 Nando.net Copyright © 1996 The Associated Press JONESBORO, Ga. (Jul 31, 1996 4:41 p.m. EDT) -- An 18-year-old self-styled anarchist who allegedly wrote and distributed a homemade, anti-government pamphlet has been charged with advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government. Jason Paul Moreland from suburban Atlanta remained in Clayton County's jail Wednesday in lieu of $50,000 bond. Moreland turned himself in Sunday. Authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest Saturday after the pipe bombing at Centennial Olympic Park, although police say they don't think he played any role in the crime. Moreland had been under investigation since July 8. "He told us he was only interested in destroying property, and I don't think he fully understands the ramifications," Police Lt. Larry Gibson said. "Whatever he was up to, we wanted to nip it in the bud." Others allegedly made copies of the pamphlet and distributed it, but police expect to make no further arrests, police spokesman Doug Jewett said Wednesday. The pamphlet was laced with anti-police cartoons, obscenities and anarchist slogans. The one overt reference to violence was an illustration of a Molotov cocktail. The charge carries a sentence of one to 20 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine, Jewett said. ***** From: Luis Miguel Subject: Neo-Nazis Accused of Genocide in Portugal Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 23:57:49 +-200 ----- NEO-NAZIS ACCUSED OF GENOCIDE IN PORTUGAL The 10th of July is the day when Portuguese celebrate the "Day of Portugal"; during the period of the fascist state the celebration was called "Race Day". In 1995, this day was marked by a rally of neo-nazis in "Bairro Alto", Lisbon. There were dozens of neo-nazis present and they destroyed everything in their path. When a group of black people appeared, they were brutally kicked by neo-nazis and one of them was killed; his name was Alcino Dias and was an immigrant from "Cabo Verde". This death caused widespread indignation of public opinion and all manifested against racism. There were many marchs against racism in the country, from the people to the Republic President and parties all showed their indignation for acts like that. Now the tribunal acused neo-nazis of genocide, and it is the first time in Portugal that someone is accused of that. From Luis Miguel ( a.amaral@mail.telepac.pt ) ----- ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ ++++ if you agree copy these 3 sentences in your own sig ++++ ++++ see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++++ ***** http://www2.phillynews.com/inquirer/96/Jul/31/city/PLEA31.htm Subject: PLEA31.htm ----- The Philadelphia Inquirer City & Region Wednesday, July 31, 1996 _________________________________________________________________ NORTHEAST MAN TO ADMIT TO MIDWEST HESITS. KEVIN McCARTHY, 19, WILL ALSO TESTIFY AGAINST OTHERS. HOLDUP PROCEEDS ALLEGEDLY WERE FOR RIGHT-WING GROUPS. _________________________________________________________________ By Mark Fazlollah INQUIRER STAFF WRITER A Northeast Philadelphia man who helped rob banks across the Midwest, allegedly to finance right-wing groups, has agreed to plead guilty to federal robbery charges and testify against his accomplices. Kevin McCarthy, 19, a member of the self-styled Aryan Republican Army, testified Monday in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, that he had participated in a series of heists with Scott A. Stedeford, an Ardmore native, and Peter Langan of Columbus. McCarthy, who was living with his grandmother in the Bustleton section before his May arrest, said he had signed an agreement to plead guilty to robbery and related charges in a case involving about 20 stickups across seven states between November 1993 and last December. Prosecutors say McCarthy, Stedeford and Langan all espoused the overthrow of the U.S. government and planned to use part of their $200,000 booty to finance white supremacist groups. They said that McCarthy, as part of his plea agreement, has promised to testify against the others. A fourth man, Richard Guthrie, 38, of Iowa, was arrested in the same case and also had negotiated a plea agreement. Guthrie was found hanged in his Kentucky jail cell three weeks ago. His death was ruled a suicide. Stedeford, 27, a commercial artist, rock musician and Haverford High School graduate, had been living in Camden before his arrest in May. He was not at Monday's hearing. His lawyer declined comment, as did Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Goldman, who is leading the Philadelphia end of the investigation. McCarthy testified Monday that he was introduced to Langan, the alleged leader of the robbers, in 1994 by right-wing leader Mark Thomas of Berks County at a restaurant near the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line. During the meeting, McCarthy testified, Langan boasted that he already had robbed 12 banks. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robyn Jones, who is handling the government's case in Colombus, said McCarthy, also a rock musician, did not say whether Thomas was involved in any discussion about robberies. An FBI statement submitted early in the court proceedings had quoted Guthrie as saying that he was introduced to Stedeford by Thomas, who has been active in organizing Nazi and Aryan Nation rallies at his farm southwest of Allentown. In an interview yesterday, Thomas said that any introductions he may have made were simply social, ``not to engage in any criminal activity,'' and that he had no knowledge of McCarthy's criminal activities. He accused the government of trying to silence opposition. ``That's how the government works, it offers people different kinds of deals,'' Thomas said. ``The government has long worked to silence voices that are in opposition to it. In Russia, 20 years ago, it was done directly. Here it's done by proxy.'' Thomas, 44, said McCarthy lived for several months on his Berks County property about three years ago. According to McCarthy's grandmother, Thomas helped McCarthy gain entry to a right-wing Christian community in eastern Oklahoma. Thomas has denied this. The hearing Monday focused on a motion by Langan's lawyer to suppress evidence in the case. Stedeford is not a defendant in the Columbus case but is scheduled to stand trial in separate proceedings in Iowa, where he is accused of participating in robberies. During his testimony, McCarthy provided some details on the operation of the gang. He said it was a mistake by Guthrie -- allowing a used-car dealer to photocopy his phony driver's license when he tried to buy a getaway car -- that eventually led the FBI to him. Then Guthrie, who pleaded guilty to federal bank robbery charges nine days before his death, gave the FBI the information it needed to arrest Stedeford, McCarthy and Langan. ***** http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/NATION/t000066582.html Subject: t000066582.html ----- _________________________________________________________________ ARGENTINE POLICE HELD IN '94 BLAST _________________________________________________________________ Thursday, August 1, 1996 By SEBASTIAN ROTELLA, Times Staff Writer Raising anew the specter of anti-Semitism in Argentina's security forces, authorities on Wednesday charged three police officials and a former detective as accomplices in the lethal bombing of a Jewish community center here in 1994. A commander of the provincial police of Buenos Aires, two deputy commanders and a former detective were charged by Juan Jose Galeano, the judge who is overseeing the prosecution of the case, with providing the van that was used in the bombing--the deadliest anti-Semitic attack outside Israel since World War II. After more than two years of investigation, these were the first suspects to be formally charged in the bombing case, which apparently has been obstructed by police corruption. The explosion on July 18, 1994, destroyed the headquarters of the Argentine-Jewish Mutual Assn., a social agency in the heart of the Jewish community here, killing 87 people. Authorities believe that a suicide bomber also died in the blast, which Argentine and foreign law enforcement agencies blame on Iranian spies and the radical Islamic group Hezbollah. But the indictment filed Wednesday advances a theory that, Jewish leaders and other critics say, explains the painful pace of the investigation: High-ranking police officials participated in the crime and a subsequent cover-up. This is a disturbing development in a society with a history of anti-Semitic violence and gangsterism in its security forces. "This is the first time they have advanced seriously on the trail of the so-called local connection," said Sergio Widder, the representative in South America of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. "Anyone who knows the history of anti-Semitism in Argentina should not be surprised that police were involved. It is absolutely credible." Although Argentina has one of the world's largest Jewish populations, estimated at 250,000, many fugitive Nazis found refuge here after World War II. Decades of intermittent military dictatorships with fascist and neo-Nazi leanings have also generated institutional anti-Semitism. In the 1970s, the military, intelligence services and the police singled out Jews with special ferocity during a campaign of murder, torture and kidnapping known here as the "dirty war." Consequently, relatives of bombing victims and Jewish leaders have expressed outrage and suspicion about the lack of results in the 1994 case and the 1992 car-bombing of the Israeli Embassy -- an attack that killed 29 people and is also blamed on Middle Eastern terrorists and their Argentine accomplices. Widder, however, was encouraged by the investigators' decision to focus on the possible role of local police in the community center bombing. "For Argentina, it is not paradoxical," he said. "The fact that police have been charged makes people start to think that the authorities are doing things seriously." It is now up to provincial police, who patrol the vast metropolitan area around the capital, to conduct an aggressive internal investigation, Galeano told reporters Wednesday. Despite Wednesday's filing of charges, some Jewish leaders remained cautious about seeing real progress in the case. Galeano has rounded up suspects before on charges unrelated to the bombing in an apparent but unfulfilled hope of a breakthrough. Most recently, for example, a band of accused right-wing extremists was charged with arms trafficking but all were released on bail. But Wednesday's indictment, in contrast, accuses the officers of acting as "necessary accomplices" in a multiple homicide. The four are Juan Jose Ribelli, a commander; deputy commanders Irineo Leal and Raul Ibarra; and Mario Barreiro, a former inspector who was fired for corruption. They have either proclaimed their innocence in interviews or refused to talk. The suspects allegedly belonged to a ring of more than a dozen high- and mid-ranking investigators who were arrested en masse two weeks ago, federal prosecutor Jose Barbaccia said. Prosecutors say the officials alternately protected and extorted money from a network of "chop shops," businesses that cut up stolen vehicles for greater profit. These illegal enterprises were allegedly run by Carlos Alberto Telledin, a reputed petty gangster now jailed on auto theft charges. He recently started talking to prosecutors, offering what they term vital evidence. He testified that Leal and Ibarra took a Renault van from him as an extorted payment. A caravan of police escorted that vehicle away from his house in a secretive operation eight days before the bombing, Telledin testified. Ribelli -- who was the immediate superior of Leal and Ibarra -- and Barreiro were also linked to the acquisition of the van, which was modified to carry a heavy load, authorities said. Authorities are unsure where the van went for the five days after Telledin last saw it. But there are indications that it was left at a garage near the Jewish center, authorities say. The evidence so far suggests that the jailed police agents turned the vehicle over to terrorists or their intermediaries, Barbaccia said in an interview, adding that authorities believe that police could also have participated directly in the bombing. This fits with suspicions of Jewish leaders that renegade police mercenaries carried out the attack at the behest of Middle Eastern terrorists. "Galeano has to show how far their responsibility goes," Widder said. "We know where this starts, but we do not know where it ends. The local connection could go higher in the police force." Copyright Los Angeles Times ***** Date: Wed, 31 Jul 96 00:48:08 -0700 From: clyde@burn.ucsd.edu (Neighborhood Queen) Subject: German court rejects Bonn bid to punish neo-Nazis ----- _________________________________________________________________ GERMAN COURT REJECTS BONN BID TO PUNISH NEO-NAZIS _________________________________________________________________ KARLSRUHE, Germany, July 30 (Reuter) - Germany's highest court said on Tuesday it had rejected a government request to strip two convicted neo-Nazis of their constitutional right to participate in politics and stand for election. The Federal Constitutional Court ruled that Thomas Dienel and Heinz Reiss could not be deprived of these rights because the court that originally convicted them of inciting racial hatred had given them only suspended prison sentences. This meant that Dienel, 35, and Reiss, 58, did not constitute the direct threat to Germany's democratic order that Bonn claimed, the judges argued. Dienel once led a neo-Nazi group in eastern Germany while Reiss was a leading figure in a west German neo-Nazi group. The ruling came as a blow to the German government which had applied to the court in December 1992 as part of a government crackdown on neo-Nazis groups they believed were behind a wave of racist attacks late that year. REUTER 08:19 07-30-96 ***** http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/world/080196/world4_3776.html Subject: world4_3776.html ----- _________________________________________________________________ ITALIAN COURT BEGINS DELIBERATING WAR CRIMES CASE _________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 1996 Nando.net Copyright © 1996 Reuter Information Service ROME (Aug 1, 1996 09:00 a.m. EDT) - A military court retired on Thursday to consider its verdict in the war crimes trial of former SS captain Erich Priebke, accused of being a key organiser of Italy's worst wartime atrocity. The three judges of the panel, who survived two attempts to oust them over allegations they were biased in favour of the defendant, were expected to rule after 6 p.m. (1600 GMT). Priebke, 83, has been on trial for three tumultuous months charged with complicity in the SS massacre of 335 Italian men and boys at the Ardeatine Caves near Rome on March 24, 1944. Priebke, extradited from Argentina last November, has admitted taking part in the killings but says that he was obliged to follow orders or face death himself. The prosecution has called for a life prison sentence and the defence for Priebke's acquittal. The Ardeatine Caves massacre was carried out the day after partisans in Nazi-occupied Rome killed 33 soldiers from a German army unit in a bomb attack. Priebke's lawyer has portrayed the massacre as a legitimate reprisal. Tensions in the courtroom ran high on Thursday as relatives of some of the victims, who have attended each trial session as civil plaintiffs, interrupted a final rebuttal by defence attorney Velio di Rezze. One person shouted: "Our dead demand justice." When di Rezze told the court that Priebke was no longer a Nazi, but a civilian who at the time believed he was following legitimate orders, someone else yelled "Assassin. You never change." Priebke was seated at the defence table, shielded from the public gallery by two police guards standing behind him. He has said his duties at the caves included crossing off names from a list as the victims arrived. He also admits personally shooting two Italians. The victims, among them 75 Jews, were rounded up from Gestapo headquarters in Rome, the city's main jail and from their homes and taken in trucks to the caves. There, they were led into the caves in groups of five and shot in the back of the head. Many were forced to kneel on the corpses of other victims. "We are trying to bring back the horrors of the past, not only to delve masochistically into the past but because we don't want this past to shed a dark light on our present," Tullia Zevi, president of the association of Italian Jewish communities, said in an interview outside the courtroom. She renewed criticism of the trial bench, which both the prosecution and civil plaintiffs had tried to oust for bias but which was twice affirmed by a military appeals court. "I would say this court is not culturally or historically equipped to handle a case of these proportions," she said, adding that military courts were used to hearing cases such as fights between soldiers. The requests to dismiss the bench were based on a conversation presiding judge Agustino Quistelli had with a general before being assigned the case in which he said Priebke should be cleared. ***** http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/APONLINE/INTERNAT/slugs6546.htm Subject: slugs6546.htm ----- _________________________________________________________________ GERMAN NEO-NAZIS SENTENCED _________________________________________________________________ 07-31-96 1252EDT PERLEBERG, Germany (AP) Three neo-Nazis were sentenced Wednesday after confessing to attacking six campers in the northern German state of Brandenburg. The expedited trial came just a day after the three were arrested. A 21-year-old man was sentenced to six months probation and received a $2,000 fine. The two other attackers, both 18, were sentenced to four weeks in a reformatory. The youths physically abused and insulted the campers in July 26 attack, calling them ``leftist blood-sucking pigs.'' One camper escaped injury after the attackers decided he was ``Aryan.'' Three others were hurt. An arrest warrant for a 17-year-old, whom investigators believe to be the ringleader, was denied. His case is expected to be tried next week. German campers have recently been hit by a string of violence. The most serious incident occurred July 13, when six members of a German youth group were hospitalized. In another incident Friday, four men and five girls allegedly damaged campers' property near the northern German town of Prignitz, investigators said. All nine were arrested Monday. * * * * * Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights (BACORR) 750 La Playa # 730 San Francisco, California 94121 Voice: (415) 437-4032 E-Mail: On PeaceNet visit BACORR's conference. 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