Under Lock and Key RAIL Radio Program for June 18, 1999

Silvia Baraldini wins a transfer to Italy;

A Masschusetts prisoner describes the control units in that state

These stories and more




Italian outrage over U.$. military leads to
Baraldini return

Silvia Baraldini, a revolutionary anti-
imperialist incarcerated for her political
beliefs and alleged roles in political actions
will finally be returned to her native Italy.
Among the things Silvia is accused of is aiding
in the escape of Black Liberation Army leader
Assata Shakur. (Assata now lives in exile in
Cuba).

A movement in the U.$. in Italy was organized around the 
plight of this revolutionary leader of the people.

Silvia has been imprisoned since 1983. Five
times since 1989, Silvia and the Italian
government have requested she be returned to
Italy under a treaty that allows prisoners
convicted abroad to serve their sentences at
home. Each time Amerika said no, fearing that
this leader of the people would not be
adequately tortured by the Italian prison
system.

But Italian anger at the United States over the
U.$. Marine killing of 20 at an Italian ski
resort might force the United States to consider
letting Silvia return home. On Feb 3, 1998, a
Marine jet flown by Richard Ashby sliced through
a ski gondola cable 300 feet off the ground,
sending the gondola and 20 people to their
deaths. Area residents near the Avano air base
had long complained of U.$. military planes
flying too low and too fast. Rules at that time
required the planes to be much higher than 300
feet. At the time, the Italian government
demanded that Ashby be tried in Italy. This
request was refused by Amerika, and Ashby was
recently acquitted of murder charges, although
he was more recently convicted of obstructing
justice by destroying evidence of his flight.

Although this will not bring back the 20
Italians murdered by the U.$. Marines, RAIL celebrates 
that the u.s. is forced to return Silvia
Baraldini to Italy. By taking advantage of the
mistakes of our enemies, the revolutionary
forces can sometimes win small victories while
building strength to take on the larger battles.

What follows is the statement from Silvia's Defense 
Committee at 
www.justice-for-silvia.org from July 3, 1999:

VOICE:

VICTORY!

It's official. The Italian and US governments have finally 
reached an agreement that will allow for the transfer of 
Silvia Baraldini to Italy. The timeframe in which the 
transfer will occur is not clear but it could
happen within a month. This victory, which was announced in 
Rome this morning, is testament to the unwavering support of 
activists in Italy, the US and around the world, the hard 
work of Silvia's attorney
Elizabeth Fink, the tireless efforts of Journalists like 
Patricia Lombroso and Gianni Mura and to everyone who let 
their voices be heard in support of her case. 

It is, nonetheless, a bittersweet victory. Silvia will be
transferred to a prison in Rome where, according to the 
agreement reached, she will have to serve out her full term 
(which means jail until 2008). Although it is hard to 
believe, the US government has also
apparently dictated the precise terms of her incarceration 
and reportedly has the power to demand her return if the 
Italian government fails to meet the conditions of the 
transfer. 

The depth of the vindictiveness of the
US government towards Silvia, and the arrogance of the US 
government towards the Italian authorities, is evident in a 
clause in the agreement which reportedly denies her access 
to medical treatment outside the
prison in Rome. 

Over the course of her incarceration in the US Silvia was 
repeatedly denied access to medical treatment for very 
serious conditions including cancer - apparently the US 
government wishes to
assure that that violation of her basic human rights 
continues even while she serves her time in her home 
country. 

The good news is that Silvia will be back in her homeland, 
close to her ailing mother who was unable to travel to the 
US, and will no longer be under the direct control of the US 
Justice Department or the Federal Bureau of Prisons. We will 
make more details about this agreement available over the 
coming days. 

VOICE

Again, the United Snakes has agreed to let revolutionary 
leader Silvia Baraldini serve the remainder of her sentence 
in her native Italy. As more information becomes available, 
we will share it with you via this program.


[break]



Mumia Abu Jamal is a former Black Panther, who was framed 
for the righteous killing of a police officer engaged in an act 
of police brutality. He was sentenced to death in 1982 after a 
bogus trial. His appeals are now in the much quicker federal 
courts and an execution could happen in the fall. The struggle 
to get a new trial for Mumia and to free him has now reached 
critical urgency.  

Prior to his arrest, Mumia was a radio journalist who exposed 
police brutality. From within the walls through books, articles 
and radio commentaries, Mumia continues to be an outspoken 
leader of the oppressed. This effective political work has 
earned increasing support from the people, while also earning 
increasing hatred from the imperialist establishment. 

Over the years, Mumia Abu Jamal recorded a number of radio 
commentaries about prisons and the oppression of Blacks by 
Amerika. He was even briefly hired National Public Radio. 
But political pressure from the police lobby forced NPR to 
fire Mumia before airing the commentaries. Mumia is an 
effective advocate of the oppressed, and the government didn't 
want to see strong commenataries like this one aired:

Here is the kind of reporting that has earned Mumia the hatred 
of the Amerikan government:

[Track 4 Man is the Bastard. About womyn whose home was 
bulldozed. Internationalizes the issue.]

Assata Shakur was a Black Panther and leader of the Black 
Liberation Army Leader. She escaped a bogus prison sentence 
and now lives in exile in Cuba.  She has recorded a number of 
messages about the importance of the effort to free Mumia 
Abu Jamal.

[Assata Track 4 on Man is the Bastard]


Prisoner in Massachusetts exposes 
isolates prisoners in 

I am a prisoner confined in the state of Massachusetts at 
M.C.I. Walpole State Prison and has been confined in the 
state as well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons since October 
27, 1974 for various crimes. When I was first sent to M.C.I 
Walpole in 1974 I thought [...] it was one of the worst 
prisons in the country along with San Quentin, Attica, 
Michigan, etc.

There was nothing but rebellion against the oppressor (the 
guards) who was assaulted, maimed, and forced out of the 
prison by way of injury acquired on duty or retirement 
because we as solid convicts could not be controlled.

In August 1979, Ax-Handle Fenton who was the warden at the 
federal prison at Marion and Lewisburg was found guilty of 
beating prisoners off the bus at Lewisburg. He became a 
consultant for the Department of Corrections and thereafter 
locked up the whole prison and shipped out a lot of the 
incorrigibles, un-desirables and not wanted convicts to 
other state segregation units and as far as to various 
Federal prisons. This tactic of shipping convicts out of 
Walpole state prison on four (4) separate periods within 
1979, 1980 and through 1995.

[...]The way it is now Massachusetts has a control unit 
which is called the Department Disciplinary Unit (DDI) and I 
would like to hear if there is any other state or federal 
control unit where convicts is not allowed to purchase any 
canteen with the exception of stamps. We are not allowed to 
purchase food from the canteen, and the maggot officers is 
the only ones who passes out the food trays. And due to the 
facts convicts be working out in the cells or has to eat 
what little food they are given. The swines is taking it 
upon thereself to adulterated our food trays with spit, mice 
droppings, human feces, un-authorized medications (this is 
only being done to certain convicts) in retaliation because 
there might be grievances filed against them, assaults them, 
or the reasons of the placement in the DDU. There is some 
inmates, prisoners, convicts that is aware that these swines 
officers is tampering with the food and some of the 
responses is that "oh it aint happen to me" well how would 
you know? If there is a swine that dont like you or be 
accident given anyone the wrong tray then you got it.

Its time to stop and allowing tub swine cops to do whatever 
they want and nothing is not being said or done. They 
already had took the contact visits, personal cloth, canteen 
items, yard- recreations. Its time to wake up and stop the 
maddness that there doing because it affects us all. 

--a Massachusetts prisoner