"ATTICA TO ABU GHRAIB" CONFERENCE
NEW AFRIKAN MILLENNIUM
18 JANUARY 2005
Welcome to "Attica to
Abu Ghraib" Conference
Friday, April 22nd & Saturday, April
23rd, 2005
UC Berkeley - Berkeley, CA
www.Attica2AbuGhraib.com/committees.html
Torture, illegal detention and other human rights abuses have always been
weapons used by the US government to crush resistance. Today we see a
terrifying escalation in that repression, whether against Iraqis and Afghans
half a world away—or immigrants, prisoners and political activists here
at home. Our strength lies in building on the experiences of those who
resist-here in the US, in Latin America, Palestine, the Philippines, the
Caribbean, and in countless communities throughout the world.
We want to involve as many organizations and voices as possible in the
planning process.
Please check the "What U Can Do" Link for details on how to help.
For more information, contact us at:
info@attica2abughraib.com
Focus Areas
To meet the
goals of this overall initiative we have divided the conference program into
two broad areas of focus & analysis. Each area is a key component of the
workings of U.S. empire domestically & internationally, & provides a
focus for linking movements within & outside the U.S. to more effectively
resist imperial strategies of repression, criminalization, & assaults on
sovereignty.
Our aim is to formulate strategies & concrete plans from the analysis of these focus
areas to unite domestic & international organizations in the pursuit of
successful anti-imperialist campaigns:
1. Policies of
Repression:
A.
The systematic refusal by the US government to apply the Geneva Conventions
to domestic & international political prisoners & prisoners of war.
B.
The policy of criminalizing &/or falsely labeling resisters as
"terrorists" & the equation of all forms of resistance with criminal
activity or acts of terrorism.
C.
The systematic use of racial profiling, mass incarceration, domestic
militarization, torture & sensory deprivation to criminalize oppressed
peoples & peoples’ struggles, and as instruments of
repression.
D.
The systematic use of grand juries, secret detentions, secret evidence &
deportations to repress dissent & to avoid civil & international
law.
E.
The international promotion of legislation & policies modeled on
CointelPro & the Patriot Act.
F.
The training & promotion of torture & terrorism, including the
production of instructional courses & manuals in how to use torture as
part of counterinsurgency operations, provided by the US to its allies &
proxies
(such as the Taliban in Afghanistan & the Salvadorian Army).
2. Policies of
Hegemony:
A.
Undermining the sovereignty & self-determination of nations, including
the illegal overthrow of legitimate governments through coups & invasions
(e.g. Chile, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Haiti) as well as the ongoing
subjugation of oppressed people inside US borders.
B.
The support & defense of dictatorial regimes (e.g. Israel, Chile,
Argentina, the Philippines, Zaire) that have systematically violated the
human rights of people within their borders and/or occupied
territories.
C.
Providing sanctuary convicted war criminals, human rights abusers, &
terrorists, including exiled Cuban-American mercenaries & death squad
leaders from Guatemala, El Salvador, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Chile, Angola,
the Philippines & Haiti.
D.
The privatization of war & security operations, specifically the
increasing use of "contractors" to conduct wars & run prisons.
Last updated December, 2004
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