2007-10-03

Solidarity with Andres and Raul

The last June 2nd a large demonstration took place in the German town of Rostock where the G8 summit was being held. Some 80.000 people from different places and ideologies showed their rejection against they way the most powerful politicians are ruling our world.

During the demonstration there were no serious incidents except for the provocative attitude of the police. The protest ended with some riots between the demonstrators and the police, after which about 500 people were detained. Four of them (according to the newspapers) were taken to court and sentenced after remain in prison for five days. Quick trials very much put into question by independent organizations and even the media because the detainees did not have the chance of a fair trial.

Among the people sentenced there are two spaniards from Zaragoza whose penalties are as high as 9 months for Andrés (accused of taking part in the riots) and 10 months to Raúl (accused of causing injuries to a policeman). In both cases the sentence is to be served in German prisons with the only evidence of the word of a policeman who claims to have seen them in the riots.

Therefore, we would like to make certain facts very clear:

The basis of the accusation of our mates seems clearly insufficient. Since the demonstration was recorded by hundreds of police cameras, why not show a video with the evidence?

We cannot trust the word of a member of the police who attacked demonstrators to the point of injuring docens of them.

Those who were detained suffered a humiliating treatment not only for the 32 hours following the demonstration but also for the three days of imprisonment before the trial in the German prison of JVA Waldeck where they were kept incommunicado without even being able to telephone their families.

So we ask for your support concerning Raúl and Andrés as well as the other prosecuted for the protests against the G8 summit.