Since the year 1923 to this day, the 18th March has held an important place in history as the International Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Resistance against the dominant classes has developed, along with ever worsening inter-class contradictions. The dominant classes, in an attempt to stamp out this resistance, have imprisoned many leaders from the working classes.
In every part of the imperialist-capitalist system across the world, the numbers of revolutionary, progressive and antifascist prisoners continues to increase. Imperialist, fascist and reactionary states are brutally assaulting national liberation movements, and workers and labourers freedom movements. By punishing them with arrests and lengthy sentences, reactionary forces intend to force their surrender. As the occupationist-
Zionist Israeli state continues its genocidal assault on the Palestinian people, so too in prisons do they torture and kill revolutionary prisoners. Since the 7th October, at least 27 Palestinian prisoners have been murdered. Thousands of Palestinians more are held under administrative detention.
The USA’s imperialist secret blacksite prisons and Guantanamo torture centre will never be forgotten. Julian Assange, who in 2010 blew the whistle on the USA’s war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the torture of detainees in Guantanamo and summary executions in Kenya, and who is currently being held in the UK, is under threat of extradition to the USA. Currently, sick prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal is still held in prison in the USA, where he has been kept since 1981.
Since 1984, Lebanese revolutionary Georges Abdallah has been held in prison in France. In India, along with many other revolutionary prisoners, hospital treatment for sick prisoners Kisan Da and Sheela Marandi continues to be blocked. In the Philippines, inhumane treatment of revolutionary prisoners is routine.
In Germany, 19 political prisoners of whom 11 are Kurdish have been denied their freedom. International revolutionary Ecevit Piroğlu has been held hostage by the Serbian state for 33 months and since the 12th February has been on hunger strike. Piroğlu is at risk of extradition to Turkey.
For three years no communication has been made with the leader of the Kurdish people Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held in solitary confinement in Turkey since 1999. Thousands of political prisoners are on a 3.5 month-long hunger strike in protest against isolation and rights violations in prisons.
The fascist Turkish state’s attacks aimed at the physical and psychological destruction of revolutionaries, the progressive opposition and their leaders are continuing in full force. Police and gendarmerie brutality during arrests and arbitrary detainments also continue to be widespread. In prisons, every political gain hardwon through struggle is being violated. The aim of such assaults is clear – to shatter the collective organization of revolutionary parties.
In order to break the wills of revolutionary prisoners, their sentences are flouted and they are imprisoned for far longer than originally sentenced for. In prisoners in Turkey, hospital treatment for the 1517 sick prisoners (of whom 651 are in a serious condition) is being blocked, condemning them to death.
In the last few weeks, many socialists and revolutionaries in solidarity with revolutionary prisoners have been arrested. Constantly increasing its isolationist attacks on prisoners, by attacking the families, loved ones and others working in solidarity with prisoners the fascist state aims to further isolate those imprisoned.
It is an essential duty of everyone who longs for a life of freedom and dignity, of revolutionaries, socialist and all progressives to support the continuing struggles and resistance in prisons around the world. We can shatter the sense of loneliness and pessimism that imperialist aggression wants to create by defiantly protecting political pioneers and our values and together be their voice and breath on the outside.
Freedom for political prisoners!
Freedom for revolutionary prisoners!
