Amnesty
International Launches New Action as Albert Woodfox's Court Hearing Begins
http://tinyurl.com/749uocw
Today Albert Woodfox will appear in court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, seeking
his conviction to be overturned for a third time. As we start this three-day
evidentiary hearing, Amnesty International has released a statement about the
significance of this hearing for Albert and everyone else's "right
to trial, in full equality and free from discrimination, before a competent,
independent and impartial tribunal." A3 supporters are invited to attend
the May 29-31 hearing (read more here).
Determined to secure justice for the Angola 3, today Amnesty will
simultaneously launch the second stage of their campaign demanding Albert
Woodfox and Herman Wallace's immediate release from solitary confinement.
Amnesty's new online petition is calling for James M. LeBlanc, the Secretary of
the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to account for his comments
that Herman and Albert were being kept in solitary to protect prison employees,
other inmates and visitors. Amnesty asks "where's the evidence?"
We thank all of our supporters who signed the earlier petition to Governor
Jindal and now ask you to please take action by signing the new petition to Secretary LeBlanc.
*Amnesty International's new petition and statement about Albert's court hearing are reprinted in
full below.
*Keep updated by visiting our brand new Free All The Angola 3 facebook page.
USA: Crucial Hearing Could See Angola 3's
Albert Woodfox Freed
(Posted by Amnesty International on May 28 2012)
40 years in solitary confinement could end
A three-day evidentiary hearing into a claim of racial discrimination in
the selection of the grand jury foreperson prior to the 1998 retrial of Albert
Woodfox is due to begin in a federal court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana tomorrow
(29 May).
A ruling in his favour could result in Albert Woodfox's conviction being overturned
for the third time, and could secure his release from prison after being held
in solitary confinement for 40 years.
Albert Woodfox was convicted in 1973 - along with a second prisoner, Herman
Wallace - of the 1972 murder of a prison guard called Brent Miller. Both men,
who have vigorously denied involvement in the crime, were placed in solitary
confinement in Closed Cell Restriction at Louisiana State Penitentiary (known
as Angola prison). A third man, Robert King, who was accused of a different crime,
was also held in these conditions and the three were jointly known as the
"Angola 3". King was released in 2001 after serving 29 years in
solitary.
Meanwhile, Woodfox's conviction was overturned in 1992, but he was re-indicted
and convicted again at a 1998 trial. In 2008, a federal District Court judge
ruled that Woodfox had been denied his right to adequate assistance of counsel
at his 1998 retrial and ordered the state to re-try or release him. The
District Court had also found that his lawyers had made a prima facie case of
discrimination in relation to the selection of the grand jury foreperson, and
that this warranted a federal evidentiary hearing to give the state an
opportunity to rebut the claim. The state appealed against the District Court order
for a retrial and in June 2010 a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for
the Fifth Circuit overturned the decision. The case was remanded to the
District Court for an evidentiary hearing on the grand jury discrimination
claim: it is this hearing that is about to begin.
The foreperson of the grand jury that indicted Albert Woodfox for his 1998
retrial was white. Woodfox's lawyers have presented evidence of the consistent
under-representation of African Americans serving as grand jury forepersons compared
to their numbers in the general population of the parish in which Albert
Woodfox, who is himself African American, was tried.
Amnesty International considers the issue of discrimination in the selection of
the grand jury foreperson to be a significant one. The right to trial, in full
equality and free from discrimination, before a competent, independent and
impartial tribunal lies at the heart of due process of law and requires that
justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done. Actual
impartiality and appearance of impartiality are both fundamental for
maintaining respect for the administration of justice. The organisation will
continue to monitor developments in this case.
On 17 April, Amnesty submitted a petition to the Governor of Louisiana with
over 67,000 signatures from individuals in 125 countries urging that Albert
Woodfox and Herman Wallace be removed from long term isolation.
Take Action and Ask the Department of Corrections --Where's the Evidence?
Sign petition here!
(below is the full text of the new petition and accompanying statement by
Amnesty Intl.)
On April 17th, Amnesty International submitted a petition to the Governor
of Louisiana with over 67,000 signatures from individuals in 125 countries
demanding that Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace be removed from long term
isolation. The two men have spent nearly 40 years in solitary confinement in
Closed Cell Restriction (CCR) at Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola
prison).
Despite the overwhelming number of signatures in the petition, and the presence
of representatives from local and national organizations as well as political
figures, Governor Jindal refused to meet with the delegation, and referred the
issue to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The Secretary of the
Department, James M. LeBlanc, in turn justified their continued placement in
CCR by stating that they were a danger to prison employees, other inmates and
visitors. He also denied that conditions for the men were inhumane.
After years of working on the case, Amnesty International is not aware of ANY
evidence to suggest that the men are a danger to themselves or to others.
Prison records show that neither man has committed any serious disciplinary
infraction for decades nor do the prison mental health records demonstrate that
they pose a threat to themselves or others.
Amnesty International is firm in its belief that conditions for the men in CCR
- 23 hour cellular confinement in stark, tiny cells; limited access to books,
newspapers and TV; no opportunities for mental stimulation, work and education;
occasional visits from friends and family and limited telephone calls - amounts
to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863-9977
www.Freedomarchives.org
--
SIGN THE JERICHO COINTELPRO PETITION!
Free All Political Prisoners!
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