Speech by the Anti-imperialist Camp and Initiativ e.V. at the Florence Seminary against Isolation, Dec 2003
The II. International Symposium against Isolation held in Florence in December 2003 is a very important step trying to build up an international movement against isolation, ill-treatment and repression. All over the world political prisoners are isolated, tortured, treated and murdered. Especially isolation shows what repressive states are trying to achieve. Not only the prisoners are punished, because they are without any contact to other people. Also the relatives and friends are involved because they loose the possibility to see and help them - also if it is just a few words.
The question of political prisoners becomes more and more important for the international revolutionary movement. Not only because the prisoners are lacking in the struggles for liberation and democracy. The repressive states have one aim by torturing and isolating: intimidate the people not to fight for their elementary human and democratic rights. They want to show: "Look, what will happen to you if you stand up." With this they are trying to cut the possibilities of political work and freedom of political expression.
Today, where the revolutionary movement is in a complete defensive, it becomes a duty to show the people that they have to defend their rights or fight to achieve them everywhere they live, work and stay. The question of political prisoners is not only a moral one. We shall not forget why the people are in the prisons: they are part of a political project - the liberation of the people. Regarding this an international movement against isolation, ill-treatment and repression has to be a broad democratic front, because prisons are a matter of the whole society, because this can be a way to get out of crisis and not to loose contact to society. Of course isolation is one of the main aspects in the question of political prisoners and the struggle against repression. But fighting for the liberation of the political prisoners is just one part in the struggle for the elementary human and democratic rights.
The International Platform against Isolation is right, when it says that there are other forms of isolation: the isolation of organizations by prohibitions or countries by wars. The heroic struggle of the Iraqi people is an example what it means to fight for elementary rights. It shows that there is a possibility to create a break in the New World Order under the leadership of USA, which includes isolation cells, ill-treatment and repression. The fight for the right of self-determination of the Iraqi people (which includes the freedom of Saddam Hussein) has to be our common fight against the New World Order and the isolation of the people.
We have to start a dialogue to create a new political programme and to build up a global resistance against global repression by defending elementary human and democratic rights. One first step could be an international tribunal against the black list, which creates antidemocratic acts against the basic rights. All the persons and organizations on the black list shall be isolated from the society and loose their possibility of political struggle and the freedom of political expression. It is also frontally directed against the Anti-imperialist Camp, because many of the organizations on the black list are participating or cooperating with the Camp. We propose to hold this tribunal where the organizations on the black list shall get the possibility to talk about their case and explain, why they are not terrorists but freedom-fighters and USA and Israel are the real terrorists.
"It is not important to be arrested, it is important not to surrender." (Nazim Hikmet)
With this thought in mind:
Freedom for all political prisoners!
Down with the black list!
Long live international solidarity!
Anti-imperialist Camp
Initiativ e.V. (Duisburg, Germany)