[CPEO-MEF] 3/23/01 Vieques Digest

[bieke@coqui.net]

1) Web Page

2) Federal Court continues to try Viequenses



ENGLISH VERSION


22 March, 2001

Friends in Solidarity with the struggle for Peace on Vieques:

Warm greetings from Vieques.  We are preparing a web page to facilitate the
distribution of our regular reports from the Committee for the Rescue and
Development of Vieques - Peace and Justice Camp.  Camp member, Kathy Gannet,
has worked very hard to initiate this project.  The website address is:

http://home.coqui.net/bieke/

Right now you can look at the new section of photos related to the most
recent report from the CRDV:  Viequenses paralyze ATSDR proceedings.

We also wish to thank and congratulate Freddy Marrero and the collaborators
with the web page,  viequeslibre.org ,  for the excellent quality of their
work and for this vital contribution to the dissemination of information
about the struggle of the people of Vieques. 

We thank as well, Kike Estrada for his great work with the web page,
redbetances.com, which includes a section of reports and other materiales
from the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques.

R.Rabin
CPRDV


#2)

March 22, 2001
Press Release
Federal Court continues to try Viequenses

On Thursday, March 22, a group of men and women from Vieques will go before
judge Fust=E9, of the Federal Court, acused of entering the US Navy=B4s
restricted zone on Vieques. Lucy Maldonado, Luis Acevedo, Jos=E9 Luis Camacho,
Abdel Guadalupe, Hilcia Guadalupe and Heriberto Hern=E1ndez, are among tens of
Viequenses arrested since the 4th of May, 2000, when the Navy removed more than
200 people from the resistence camps in the impact zone on the small island.
Spokespersons for the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
(CRDV) expressed solidarity and congratulations for all those who have been
tried in Federal Court in past months for their participation in civil
disobedience actions on Vieques. "The Federal Court historically has served as
an instrument of repression against Viequense and all Puerto Ricans who
struggle for peace here," said Ismael Guadalupe (CRDV). "The federal judges,
although some express their uneasiness with these procedures, have become the
Navy's henchmen. They did not intimidate us in 79' and they will not intimidate
us now," expressed the veteran leader of the Vieques struggle who spent six
months in a federal prison in 1979 for his participation in the protest then.
During the past two weeks several groups of Viequenses arrested in Navy
controlled lands on the island municipality, have gone on trial. Guadalupe,
together with others who entered the restricted zone of Camp Garc=EDa last May
14th, were condemned by Judge Casellas to three hours in jail. Two days
earlier, Nilda Medina, also of the CRDV, with men and women from Vieques and
the main island, arrested in the bombing area last June 14th, were jailed for
two hours.
Last Monday, Vieques teachers Gregorio Feliciano and Moraima Guti=E9rrez, were
tried for their participation in protest actions in the bombing range in June
of last year. Guti=E9rrez could not control her crying while she explained her
reasons for entre the restricted area: several family members have died of
cancer and her mother now suffers from the deadly sickness. Feliciano told the
judge he was sent very far, to Corea to defend the human rights of others and
that now he had to defend the rights of his own people in Vieques. The
testimony of Alexai Guadalupe, another Viequense recently on trial, provoked
tears from the taquigrapher__ and other officials of the court. Alexai read a
long list of family members dead or dying of cancer. He mentioned also, that
the concern for the health of his daughter compelled him to live in Fajardo, on
the main island, to avoid exposing his family to the military toxics.




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