[News] Protest Today - Extradite Carriles to Venezuela

[News at freedomarchives.org]

San Francisco: Gather at 12 noon at the Federal Courthouse (7th and
Missions Sts.). See below.

VENEZUELA SUBMITS LARGE FILE TO U.S. DOCUMENTING EXTRADITION REQUEST
____________________________________________________________________

VENEZUELA ANALYSIS
Ongoing News and Analysis from Venezuela
Friday, June 10, 2005
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1656
By Gregory Wilpert, VenezuelAnalysis.com

Caracas, Venezuela, June 10, 2005--Venezuela's Embassy in the U.S.
submitted additional materials today that document Venezuela's reasons for
requesting the arrest and extradition of Cuban-Venezuelan terrorist Luis
Posada Carriles. The U.S. had turned down the initial request for Posada's
arrest, submitted last May 13th, saying that it had received insufficient
documentation. According to the embassy's communiquee, "The documents
presented include ample evidence of probable cause that Luis Clemente
Posada Carriles is responsible for the explosion aboard the plane on
October 6, 1976."

The communiquee goes on to list 11 items of documentation the renewed
extradition request includes, such as evidence of his escape from
Venezuelan prison in 1985, evidence of his participation in the conspiracy
to bomb the Cubana de AviaciÃ"n flight in 1976, statements in which Posada
admits to his relationship with those who placed the bomb, and the history
of litigation of the case. 73 people died in the bombing of the Cuban
airliner, which was flying from Venezuela to Cuba.

Posada is also said to have planned bombings of various tourist facilities
in Cuba, which led to the death of one tourist, and in an assassination
attempt of Fidel Castro. While Posada has admitted his involvement in these
cases, he denies it in the case of the Cuban airplane.

Many media outlets in Venezuela and internationally have said that Posada
was twice exonerated and was awaiting the prosecution's attempt to appeal.
The history of the litigation shows, though, that the first so-called
exoneration, was a case that was dismissed because a military court had
inappropriately tried Posada. The second trial never reached a conclusion
because Posada escaped from prison before a verdict was reached.

The embassy's documentation further specifies that the statute of
limitations has not been reached because of Posada's status as a fugitive
from justice, in which case the statue of limitations does not apply.

According to the embassy statement, "the government of Venezuela reiterates
to the government of the United States its duty to honor agreements
established in the Extradition Treaty in place between the two countries."

The U.S. Justice Department, in consultation with the State Department, had
turned down Venezuela's first request to have Posada arrested, saying that
the documentation Venezuela submitted was insufficient to justify his
arrest. At that time Posada had already been detained by the Immigration
and Naturalization Service for having entered the country illegally. He is
scheduled for an immigration hearing on June 13. Posada is seeking
political asylum in the U.S.

Declassified CIA Documents Show Posada's Involvement

The Washington-based National Security Archive, a non-profit organization
dedicated to researching U.S. intervention in other countries, presented
declassified CIA documents yesterday that quote Posada as saying, "We are
going to hit a Cuban airplane," shortly before the bombing took place in
1976.

Copyright © 2005 Venezuela Analysis



Monday, June 13 - the day of Posada's hearing -
will be a National Day of Action.

Here's how you can get involved:

1) Attend the regional demonstration in El Paso, Texas (exact location
& time TBA) outside of Posada's immigration hearing. (Please stay tuned
in case the venue of the hearing changes!) If you can organize a car
caravan, van and bus from your city to El Paso, fill out the
Transportation Form to help spread the word.

2) Organize a local protest in your city or town, if possible at a
Federal Building or Federal Courthouse. To list the protest in your
city, fill out the Event Listing Form. For assistance in organizing a
protest in your area, contact the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition at
202-544-3389 or 415-821-6545, or email info at internationalanswer.org.

Protests are already planned in several cities. For details contact:

• Washington DC: Gather at 12 noon at the White House. Call
202-544-3389 for details.
• San Francisco: Gather at 12 noon at the Federal Courthouse (7th and
Missions Sts.). Call 415-821-6545 for details.
• Miami: Call 305-757-3113 for details.
• Los Angeles: Gather at 11 am at the Downtown Federal Building (300
N. Los Angeles Street). Call 323-464-1636 for details.
• New York City: Call 212-533-0417 for details.

3) Endorse the Call to Action (endorsements from individuals and
organizations are welcome).

4) Help spread the word! Forward this email using the "Email this page"
button at the top of the email, or through your email program's
forwarding mechanism. Click here for a downloadable flyer. A flyer that
can be adapted for your local protest, along with the flyers for the
protests in cities across the country, will be available soon.

5) Take this opportunity to send a letter - or another letter - to Bush
and Congress. Click here to send your letter now!

6) Funds are urgently needed. You can make a contribution through a
secure server by clicking here, where you can also find information on
how to contribute by check.

Over the last month, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition has played a key
role in pressuring the U.S. government to finally detain the anti-Cuba
terrorist and longtime CIA operative Luis Posada Carriles. Many of you
have taken an active part in this effort.

In response to A.N.S.W.E.R.'s appeal, more than 20,000 letters
were sent to Bush and Congress demanding that Posada not be granted
asylum and instead be extradited to Venezuela. Two press conferences
initiated by A.N.S.W.E.R., in Miami on April 21 and at the National
Press Club in Washington DC on May 13, were pivotal in forcing the
issue onto the front pages of the New York Times, Washington Post, Los
Angeles Times, Miami Herald and virtually every other major newspaper
in the country, and many around the world.

This campaign has already cost us thousands of dollars for
literature, press conferences, phone calls, airfare and much more. It
will cost many thousands of dollars more in upcoming weeks to make the
June 13 National Day of Action, including a regional mobilization at
the site of the hearing, a success. Please make a contribution today.


The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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