[News] NLG Presentation to the UN Decolonization Committee Hearings on Puerto Rico

[Anti-Imperialist News]

National Lawyers Guild International Committee
Presentation to the United Nations Decolonization Committee
Hearings on Puerto Rico
June 18, 2012

                 The National Lawyers Guild was 
founded in 1937 as an alternative to the American 
Bar Association, which did not admit people of 
color. The National Lawyers Guild is the oldest 
and largest public interest/human rights bar 
organization in the United States. With 
headquarters in New York, it has chapters in 
every state. From its founding, the National 
Lawyers Guild has maintained an internationalist 
perspective, with international work a critical 
focus for the Guild. Its International Committee 
has organized delegations to many countries 
throughout the world, and Guild members are 
involved in international organizations such as 
the International Association for Democratic 
Lawyers and the American Association of Jurists. 
Presently, active subcommittees exist for Cuba, 
the Middle East, Korea, Haiti, Palestine, Iran, 
Puerto Rico, indigenous American peoples, and 
other nations. Guild members, including myself, 
have a long history of defending activists in the 
Puerto Rican independence movement.

I. Continuing Absence at the International Table
                 Due to its continuing status as 
a U.S. colony, Puerto Rico is unable to 
participate in most international fora alongside 
its sister nations in Latin America. The latest 
example is last April’s Summit of the Americas, 
where all the nations in the continent ­ except 
Puerto Rico and Cuba (and for very different 
reasons) ­ sat to discuss issues important to 
all. Addressing Puerto Rico’s exclusion, an 
independence party activist noted that, “all our 
neighbors and Latin American brothers are meeting 
with the United States and Canada to discuss the 
most transcendental problems of our region, 
including the movement of drugs and the economic 
and commercial relations among the countries. 
It’s shameful that in the 21st century, because 
of the meanness of the defenders of colonialism 
and the interests of the United States, Puerto 
Rico is still a colony and cannot express itself 
among the countries of the region.”1

II. Status/Plebiscite
                 In 2011, the U.S. President’s 
Task Force on Puerto Rico’s Status issued a 
report recommending that a plebiscite take place, 
while acknowledging that it would have no binding 
effect on the U.S. Congress, which holds Puerto 
Rico’s sovereignty hostage, and which continues 
to refuse to acknowledge Puerto Rico’s illegal 
colonial status under international law.2 As 
suggested by the report, the pro-statehood 
governor at the end of 2011 signed a law 
mandating a plebiscite with two questions: 
whether to maintain the current status, and if 
not, then whether the preferred status would be 
independence, U.S. statehood, or continuation as 
a “free associated state.”3 The society is rife 
with dissension about the legitimacy of the 
process, whether and to what extent to 
participate,4 as well as who can participate.5 
One thing is clear: the exercise will not resolve 
the status question, because the result is not 
binding on the U.S., and because it ignores the mandates of international law.

III. Unceasing U.S. Intervention/Penetration
                 Meanwhile, the U.S. inserts 
itself into Puerto Rican life on an almost daily 
basis, disingenuously posing as “the knight in 
shining armor,” be it to conduct anti-drug and 
anti-gang raids,6 monitor the schools,7 or 
prosecute fraud.8 As one pro-statehood proponent 
recognized, “Every part of the colonial, 
economic, and juridical life of Puerto Ricans is 
regulated by the federal government: health, 
medical, Social Security, communications, banks, 
the mail, the ports, maritime cargo, and even the 
IRS. There is no human activity in Puerto Rico 
that isn’t covered by some federal agency.”9 Yet 
that pervasive presence is ever-expanding, to the 
point that the pro-statehood governor has ceded 
to the U.S. government the responsibility to 
prosecute most local felonies and touts an 
inter-agency agreement to that effect as the 
solution to rampant crime in Puerto Rico.10

IV. Abusive Police
                 Although the U.S. may hold 
itself out as a “knight in shining armor,” this 
is a sham, completely belied by events. September 
of 2011 revealed what the New York Times called 
“a blistering condemnation” of the Puerto Rico 
Police Department, in a report by the U.S. 
Department of Justice [DOJ]. The report noted a 
“profound” and “longstanding” pattern of civil 
rights violations and other illegal practices 
that have left the Police Department “broken in a 
number of critical and fundamental respects.”11 
The Justice Department found that the police were 
systematically “using force, including deadly 
force, when no force or lesser force was called 
for,” unnecessarily injuring hundreds of people 
and killing “numerous others.”12 The DOJ 
condemned nearly every aspect of the force ­ its 
hiring and training practices, the way it assigns 
and promotes officers, and its policies governing 
officer behavior and accountability for 
misconduct. Significantly, it noted police 
excessive force and other misconduct designed to 
suppress supposedly protected constitutional 
rights such as expression and assembly.13
                 Many saw great hypocrisy in the 
U.S. Justice Department’s harsh criticism of the 
Puerto Rico police, given that agents of the U.S. 
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ­ Pedro 
Toledo and José Figueroa Sancha ­ have held the 
position of superintendent of the police 
department for 14 of the last 20 years, and given 
the close relationship between the colonial and 
metropolitan law enforcement agencies. Indeed, on 
the heels of the report, the colonial 
administrator named yet another former FBI agent, 
Héctor Pesquera, to lead the department out of 
the mire,14 this one bringing his controversial 
past, including, inter alia, allegations of 
misconduct and loyalties to right wing Cubans.15 
While his nomination stirred outrage among the 
independence movement,16 the pro-statehood 
dominated Senate nevertheless quickly confirmed him.17
                 Many also saw irony, given the 
report of the colonial government’s Civil Rights 
Commission on the FBI’s extrajudicial execution 
of legendary independentista Filiberto Ojeda 
Ríos,18 finding, inter alia, that the operation 
which resulted in his “illegal death”19 was 
“characterized by the use of excessive and abusive force,” and noting:
It is a historical fact that during the past 
decades, the FBI has represented a model for the 
Puerto Rico Police, related to operation and 
strategies to follow in the field of so-called 
law enforcement. That body, additionally, has 
constituted an important source of training for 
police officials in Puerto Rico. Given the FBI’s 
relapse in the excessive use of force and abuse 
of authority, we recommend that the Puerto Rico 
Police consider alternative models for its operation and training.20

                 Further irony was noted in light 
of the FBI's refusal to seriously investigate the 
1970's murders of the Santiago Mari Pesquera, son 
of leading independence advocate Juan Mari Bras, 
and of Carlos Muñiz Varela, a Cuban resident of 
Puerto Rico and an activist against the U.S. 
embargo and for normalization of relations with Cuba.21

V. Supreme Court
                 The pro-statehood 
administration’s court-packing and fast-tracking 
implemented last year has, in the words of 
respected legal scholars, “weaken[ed] the 
people's trust in the judicial branch and 
create[d] an unprecedented constitutional 
crisis,”22 in effect erasing the notion of 
separation of powers. Three examples illustrate 
this situation: the statehood controlled Senate’s 
refusal to re-appoint judges whose judicial 
opinions are contrary to the prevailing statehood 
leaders’ positions;23 the Senate’s baseless 
investigation into the expenditures of the chief 
judge, who is a supporter of the status quo 
commonwealth;24 and the court’s interference with 
a voting recount amid allegations of massive 
fraud, as more fully detailed below.

VI. Election fraud
                 Following allegations by the 
pro-statehood and commonwealth electoral parties 
of widespread voter fraud in the March 2012 
primaries for legislative and mayoral races, the 
electoral commission ordered a recount ­ the 
first time in history for a primary election.25
                 The Puerto Rico Supreme Court 
entered into the fray by preventing a specialized 
trial-level court mandated to deal with election 
matters from holding any hearings on the 
matter.  The highly politicized court acted upon 
a petition of the pro-statehood party to take the 
matter away from the more independent trial-level 
court, via the "certification" method, which it 
has used time and again in recent history in 
order to favor the interests of the governing party.
                 After much wrangling in the 
courts, the recount has been allowed to proceed, 
and an investigation revealed votes by people who 
did not go to the polls and even by people who 
were no longer living. Public confidence in the 
electoral process is seriously eroded.26

VII. Economy
                 The effects of the economic 
downturn are felt in magnified form in Puerto 
Rico, including because of the massive layoffs of 
government employees that marked the beginning of 
the pro-statehood administration.27 At the 
beginning of this year, the reported unemployment 
rate was a whopping 25%,28 compared to an 
unemployment rate in the U.S. of 8.1%;29 while 
the labor employment rate in Puerto Rico was 
39.9%,30 compared to a labor employment rate in 
the U.S. of 64.3%.31 The consequences to the 
Puerto Rican people include the development of a 
new population of homeless families,32 and, not 
surprisingly, a continuing exodus, as Puerto 
Ricans flee to the United States in search of 
work.33 Prospects for the future of the colonial 
economy do not bode well for the Puerto Rican 
people. Moody's Investors Service, the bond 
credit rating business, recently stated that 
“Puerto Rico’s ongoing recession continues to 
have an adverse impact on its financial 
institutions,” noting “weak prospects for a 
sustainable recovery in the coming years.”34


VIII. Death penalty
                 While the death penalty is 
falling into disfavor throughout the United 
States,35 and while the Constitution of Puerto 
Rico ­ approved by U.S. Congress in 1952 ­ 
prohibits the death penalty, the United States 
continues to push for the death penalty in cases 
before the federal court in Puerto Rico,36 
despite strong anti-death penalty sentiment, as 
articulated in an editorial in the island’s most 
widely circulated daily newspaper: “As a matter 
of principle, we condemn and reject this type of 
sentence, because it clashes with our 
constitutional tradition and our values as a people.”37

IX. Environment
                 The colonial administration’s 92 
mile gas pipeline project, awaiting approval by 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, “wasted more 
than fifty million dollars on a project that was 
never needed, was never practical and was never 
supported by the public,” according to a member 
of U.S. Congress.38 The pipeline endangers human 
life,39 and, “the impact on the environment, on 
our rivers, on our communities is enormous,” 
according to the organizers leading the massive, 
united protest against the project.40
                 Others battle to stem the 
onslaught of “development,” including fighting 
construction of incinerators which would create 
toxic ash and dangerous mixtures of gas that 
would threaten the health and safety of those 
living nearby;41 erection of windmills on some of 
the most arable land in the country;42 and 
devastation of the Northeast Ecological Corridor, 
eliminating the designation of nature reserve and 
permitting construction of roads and residential, 
commercial and high-end tourism projects.43
                 Meanwhile the U.S. courts 
spurned the efforts of the people of Vieques, 
whose island was used for over 60 years by the 
U.S. Navy as a weapons-testing ground and firing 
range, to hold the U.S. government responsible 
for the rampant cancer and other ills caused by 
the Navy’s presence.44 It was no consolation for 
the Puerto Rican people to learn that the cleanup 
of the deadly contamination left by the U.S. 
military will take at least another decade, as 
the U.S. has not budgeted sufficient funds.45

X. Political prisoners
                 We are honored to make this 
year’s presentation in the presence of Carlos 
Alberto Torres, here with us after having served 
30 years in United States prison for his 
commitment to the independence of Puerto Rico, 
released two years ago. His compañero Oscar López 
Rivera, however, remains behind bars, having now 
served an unbelievable 31 years behind bars.
                 What other country holds its 
political prisoners for such a long time? Nelson 
Mandela, perhaps the world’s most internationally 
renowned political prisoner, was held for 27 
years, and the world was aghast at the length of his imprisonment.46
                 But the country that holds Oscar 
López Rivera, as well as Puerto Rican political 
prisoners Avelino González Claudio and Norberto 
González Claudio, is none other than the United 
States, the very same country that routinely uses 
the release of political prisoners as a measure 
of other countries’ compliance with human rights 
norms. Some examples, in just the year since this 
Committee’s last hearing into Puerto Rico’s status:
                 * The U.S. State Department 
urged China just this month to release those 
imprisoned in Tiananmen Square in 1989, in the 
context of urging protection of human rights generally.47

* The U.S. State Department urged the government 
of Belarus “to immediately and unconditionally 
free all remaining political prisoners and ensure 
the full restoration of their civil and political 
rights,” saying this would show “enhanced respect 
for democracy and human rights, [which] remains 
central to improving relations between the United States and Belarus.”48

* The U.S. president greeted Burma’s decision to 
release hundreds of political prisoners as “a 
crucial step in Burma's democratic transformation 
and national reconciliation process,” and 
“urge[d] the government to [...] free all remaining prisoners of conscience.”49

* When Cuba released some 2,900 prisoners, the 
U.S. State Department’s response failed even to 
recognize the sweeping release, instead stating 
its disappointment that a State Department 
contractor, convicted of crimes against the 
state, should be returned to his family "where he belongs."50

* While acknowledging Sri Lanka’s massive release 
of prisoners, the U.S. State Department urged the 
release of all those who remained in custody.51

                 During her visit to Burma, and 
after meeting with a celebrated political 
prisoner, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton was 
widely quoted as saying, "We believe that any 
political prisoner anywhere should be released," 
and that "One political prisoner is one too many in our view."52
                 There should be no problem, 
then, with President Obama’s compliance with this 
Committee’s resolution to release the valiant 
Puerto Rican independentistas in U.S. custody, so 
that perhaps next year, Oscar López Rivera can 
stand at the side of his compañero Carlos Alberto 
Torres and speak in support of independence for his homeland.

XI. Conclusion
                 The National Lawyers Guild 
International Committee, incorporating the 
requests sought by other presenters before this 
Honorable Committee, urges the adoption of a 
resolution calling for the General Assembly to 
consider the case of Puerto Rico; and calling on 
the government of the United States to:
                 * immediately cease the 
brutality, criminalization and harassment of, and 
attacks on, the Puerto Rican Independence 
Movement, the students, and all those who 
exercise their fundamental rights to expression and association;

                 * immediately release Puerto 
Rican political prisoners: Oscar López Rivera, 
who has served more than 31 years in U.S. 
custody, and Avelino González Claudio and Norberto González Claudio;

                 * identify and hold criminally 
liable all those responsible for the 
assassination of Filiberto Ojeda Ríos (2005), 
Santiago Mari Pesquera (1976), Carlos Muñiz 
Varela (1979), and other militants of the Puerto Rican independence movement;

                 * withdraw the FBI, the U.S. 
court, and all other U.S. police, repressive and 
military forces from Puerto Rico;

                 * withdraw from Vieques, 
formally return legal property of the land to the 
people of Vieques, cease detonating unexploded 
ordnance, completely clean up the pollution left 
by the U.S. Navy’s 60 year occupation through the 
use of proven, environmentally friendly clean-up 
methods, and compensate the people of Vieques for 
the damage to their health done to them by the same;

                 * cease and desist from the 
application of the death penalty in Puerto Rico;

                 * formally commit to negotiate 
in good faith with the people of Puerto Rico a 
solution to the colonial condition; and recognize 
the proposals that emanate from a Constitutional 
Assembly, initiated by the people of Puerto Rico, 
such as that called for by the Puerto Rico Bar 
Association, as the true expression of the 
aspirations of the people of Puerto Rico, and respond to them accordingly.

Dated: June 18, 2012

Respectfully submitted,

Jan Susler
People’s Law Office
1180 N. Milwaukee
Chicago, IL 60642
773/235-0070
<mailto:jsusler at aol.com>jsusler at gmail.com 


On behalf of the National Lawyers Guild International Committee
<http://www.nlginternational.org/>http://www.nlginternational.org/ 



[i]1Inter News Service, “Ausente Puerto Rico de 
la Cumbre de las Américas: El tema principal es 
el tráfico de la droga hacia Estados Unidos,” El Nuevo Día, April 14, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/ausentepuertoricodelacumbredelasamericas-1236141.html; 
“Lamenta el PIP ausencia de PR en Cumbre Américas,” NotiCel, April 14, 2012,
http://www.noticel.com/noticia/122110/lamenta-el-pip-ausencia-de-pr-en-cumbre-americas.html; 
“Ortega, ausente de la Cumbre, critica la 
exclusión de Cuba: El mandatario advirtió que el 
gobierno de La Habana debe estar presente en "las 
mal llamadas Cumbres de las Américas," El Nuevo 
Diario, April 14, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/politica/248125 
(Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega “recalled 
that at the last presidential Summit, which took 
place in Trinidad Tobago, he criticized the 
exclusion of Cuba and Puerto Rico, the latter, he 
said, occupied by the United States, and thus, he 
said, he didn’t feel represented at the summit. 
Now, how could I show up at this summit (in 
Cartagena de Indias) after having said that I 
don’t feel represented because Cuba and Puerto Rico are excluded.”).
2http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/Puerto_Rico_Task_Force_Report.pdf. 

3“Puerto Rico: Status Vote Set as Crime, 
Unemployment Rise,” Weekly News Update on the 
Americas, January 3, 2012, 
http://weeklynewsupdate.blogspot.com/2012/01/wnu-1111-police-commander-arrested-in.html.
4CB Online Staff, “Battles lines drawn on status 
plebiscite,” Caribbean News, February 20, 2012, 
http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=68282&ct_id=1&ct_name=1; 
Rosita Marrero, “Expertos no le ven el uso al 
plebiscito,” Primera Hora, January 28, 2012,
http://www.primerahora.com/expertosnolevenelusoalplebiscito-607339.html; 
Pedro Pierluisi, “Puerto Rico Status Referendum 
is Historic,” Jurist, February 17, 2012, 
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/hotline/2012/02/pedro-pierluisi-referendum.php; 
Rafael Cox-Alomar, “Setting the Record Straight 
on the Puerto Rican Plebiscite,” Jurist, March 7, 2012,
http://jurist.org/hotline/2012/03/rafael-cox-alomar-status.php; 
Rubén Berríos Martínez, “El por qué y el para qué 
del plebiscito,” El Nuevo Día, May 1, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/columna-elporqueyelparaquedelplebiscito-1247177.html; 
Cándida Cotto, “Noel Colón Martínez: Proyecto 
para desorientar la opinión pública,” Claridad, October 11, 2011,
http://www.claridadpuertorico.com/content.html?news=F4B1E2D29FE915427740A791CDF8ED31.
5Kevin Mead, “Serrano: Extend plebiscite to states,” Caribbean Business,
October 6, 2011, 
http://www.caribbeanbusiness.pr/news03.php?nt_id=62965&ct_id=1&ct_name=1.
6Frances Rosario, “Federales desarticulan 18 
puntos de gangas violentas en el residencial 
Arístides Chavier: Policía ocupará residencial 
para devolverle la tranquilidad a la comunidad, 
informó el gobernador,” El Nuevo Día, March 8, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/federalesdesarticulan18puntosdegangasviolentasenelresidencialaristideschavier-1207811.html; 
Limarys Suárez Torres, “Operativo federal en el 
área metropolitana: Pesquisa contra un grupo de 
personas dedicadas a crímenes violentos,” El 
Nuevo Día, March 28, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/operativofederalenelareametropolitana-1223176.html.
7Keila López Alicea, “Federales supervisan 
escuelas boricuas: Visitan para cerciorarse de 
que se usan los fondos federales adecuadamente,” El Nuevo Día, March 26, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/federalessupervisanescuelasboricuas-1221606.html.
8Inter News Service, “Barceloneta mayor charged 
and jailed for extortion, Puerto Rico Daily Sun, 
February 16, 2012, 
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Barceloneta-mayor-charged-and-jailed-for-extortion; 
“Servicio Postal realiza arrestos por fraude: 
Organización cambiaba giros postales que producía 
en una máquina impresora de la agencia,” El Nuevo 
Día, May 3, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/serviciopostalrealizaarrestosporfraude-1249045.html.
9Hernán Padilla, “La federalización de Puerto 
Rico,” El Nuevo Día, November 14, 2011,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/columna-lafederalizaciondepuertorico-1118618.html.
10Combined Wire Services, “Gov. federalizes more 
local crimes,” Puerto Rico Daily Sun, September 
21, 2011, 
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Gov-federalizes-more-local-crimes; 
Luis G. Fortuño, “Compromiso con la Seguridad 
Pública,” El Nuevo Día, June 14, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/columna-compromisoconlaseguridadpublica-1278381.html.
11Charlie Savage and Lizette Alvarez, “Police in 
Puerto Rico Are Accused of Abuses in Justice 
Dept. Report,” New York Times, September 8, 2011,
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/us/08police.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y; 
Editorial: “Unconstitutional Policing,” New York Times, September 14, 2011,
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/opinion/unconstitutional-policing-in-puerto-rico.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y.
12U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights 
Division, Investigation of the Puerto Rico Police 
Department, September 5, 2011, Findings Letter, 
http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/prpd_letter.pdf; 
Executive Summary, 
http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/documents/prpd_exec_summ.pdf.
13Ángel Rosa, “Contundente informe federal,” El Nuevo Día, September 12, 2011,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/columna-contundenteinformefederal-1064556.html.
14Associated Press, “Former Puerto Rico FBI 
director nominated to lead island’s beleaguered 
police department,” Washington Post, March 29, 2012,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/former-fbi-director-to-lead-puerto-ricos-beleaguered-police-department/2012/03/29/gIQAZpmEjS_story.html.
15“Historial controversial de supuesto sustituto 
de Díaz Colón,” Telemundo Puerto Rico, March 29, 
2012, 
http://www.telemundopr.com/telenoticias/ultimas-noticias/Historial-controversial-de-supuesto-sustituto-de-Diaz-Colon-144854675.html?m=y&smobile=y; 
Editorial, “Un nombramiento desesperado y 
peligroso,” Claridad, April 3, 2012, 
http://www.claridadpuertorico.com/content.html?news=7923B18ABED994D8899F5BEF2A234598. 

16Aura N. Alfaro, “Fortuño names ex FBI agent 
Pesquera Police chief,” Puerto Rico Daily Sun, March 30, 2012,
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Fortuo-names-ex-FBI-agent-Pesquera-Police-chief 
(reporting what the daily newspaper termed his 
“questionable actions” and his history of close 
relationships with the Cuban right wing in Miami).
17Alba Y. Muñiz Gracia, “Senado confirma a Héctor 
Pesquera como Superintendente de la Policía de 
Puerto Rico,” El Nuevo Día, April 10, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/senadoconfirmaahectorpesqueracomosuperintendentedelapoliciadepuertorico-1232366.html.
18Comisión de Derechos Civiles, Estado Libre 
Asociado de Puerto Rico, Informe Final sobre la 
investigación de los sucesos ocurrido en el 
Municipio de Hormigueros el 23 de septiembre del 
2005 donde resultó muerto el ciudadano Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, October 13, 2011,
http://www2.pr.gov/agencias/cdc/Documents/Informes%20Especiales/Informe.pdf.
19NotiCel/CyberNews, “‘Muerte ilegal’ la de 
Filiberto Ojeda,” Noticel, February 2, 2012,
http://www.noticel.com/noticia/117553/muerte-ilegal-la-de-filiberto-ojeda.html.
20Comisión de Derechos Civiles, Estado Libre 
Asociado de Puerto Rico, Informe Final sobre la 
investigación de los sucesos ocurrido en el 
Municipio de Hormigueros el 23 de septiembre del 
2005 donde resultó muerto el ciudadano Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, October 13, 2011,
http://www2.pr.gov/agencias/cdc/Documents/Informes%20Especiales/Informe.pdf, 
at p. 11 of Executive Summary.
21See, e.g., José A. Delgado, “FBI tenía pistas 
de los asesinos de Carlos Muñiz Varela: 
Familiares y amigos del fenecido líder 
estudiantil le recordarán hoy, a las 12:30 p.m., 
en un acto en el cementerio de San Juan,” El Nuevo Día, April 30, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/fbiteniapistasdelosasesinosdecarlosmunizvarela-1246507.html. 
Some call the FBI an accomplice to the murder of 
Muñiz Varela, as recently declassified documents 
reveal that the FBI knew almost immediately the 
identity of the right wing Cuban terrorists 
involved, but refused to divulge the information 
so that the killers could be prosecuted. See, 
“MINH tilda de ‘cómplice’ al FBI en muerte de 
Carlos Muñiz Varela,” Primera Hora, June 4, 2012, 
http://www.primerahora.com/minhtildadecomplicealfbienmuertedecarlosmunizvarela-656073.html.
22Rafael R. Díaz Torres, “Judicial Branch’s 
independence is in jeopardy: Law professors claim 
there is a constitutional crisis in Puerto Rico,” 
Puerto Rico Daily Sun, February 10, 2012,
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Jurists-Judicial-Branchs-independence-is-in-jeopardy.
23Editorial, “Sumidos los jueces en la indefensión,” El Nuevo Día, May 4, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/editorial-sumidoslosjuecesenlaindefension-1249365.html.
24“Choque de ideología divide al Tribunal Supremo 
de Puerto Rico,” February 4, 2012, 
http://www.puertoricoexpresa.com/2012/02/choque-de-ideologia-divide-al-tribunal-supremo-de-puerto-rico/.
25CB Online Staff, “Top court clears way for 
electronic vote count,”Caribbean Business News, 
May 1, 2012, 
http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news03.php?nt_id=71088&ct_id=1. 
The Republican Party primary is similarly under 
investigation for the artificially inflated 
number of voters, alteration of voting lists, 
falsification of signatures, and possible 
alteration of votes. Israel Rodríguez Sánchez, 
“Héctor Conty investiga la primaria republicana 
en Puerto Rico: Atiende Conty las posibles 
irregularidades,” El Nuevo Día, May 19, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/hectorcontyinvestigalaprimariarepublicanaenpuertorico-1260150.html.
26Susanne Ramírez de Arellano, “Puerto Rico's 
Growing Voter Fraud Scandal,”Fox News Latino, 
April 23, 2012, 
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/04/23/puerto-rico-growing-voter-fraud-scandal/.
27Antonio R. Gómez, “Desempleo por las nubes en 
la Isla: Los municipios de la zona sur y de la 
montaña son los más perjudicados,” Primera Hora, January 16, 2012,
http://www.primerahora.com/desempleoporlasnubesenlaisla-602598.html.
28Id.
29Betsi Fores, “Labor force participation rate 
lowest in 30 years, despite lower unemployment,” Daily Caller, May 7, 2012,
http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/07/labor-force-participation-rate-lowest-in-30-years-despite-lower-unemployment/#ixzz1uoSV20Z4.
30“PR labor participation rate falls again,” 
Caribbean Business, April 23, 2012,
http://www.caribbeanbusiness.pr/news03.php?nt_id=70778&ct_id=1.
31Betsi Fores, “Labor force participation rate 
lowest in 30 years, despite lower unemployment,” Daily Caller, May 7, 2012,
http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/07/labor-force-participation-rate-lowest-in-30-years-despite-lower-unemployment/#ixzz1uoSV20Z4.
32Gerardo Cordero, “Afloran las familias 
deambulantes: Surgen cada vez con más frecuencia 
grupos familiares que pernoctan en las calles y 
preocupa la falta de hogares de emergencia para 
ubicarlos,” El Nuevo Día, April 29, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/afloranlasfamiliasdeambulantes-1246116.html.
33Patricia Vargas Casiano, “Artistas que cambian 
de profesión: La falta de trabajo en el ambiente 
artístico los lleva a buscar otra manera de 
ganarse la vida,” El Nuevo Día, April 29, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/artistasquecambiandeprofesion-1245926.html.
34“Moody’s Warns of Bank Downgrades in Puerto 
Rico (STD, BBVA, BPOP),” 24/7 Wall St. Wire, 
April 11, 2012, 
http://247wallst.com/2012/04/11/moodys-warns-of-bank-downgrades-in-puerto-rico-std-bbva-bpop/.
35Dalina Castellanos, “Fight against death 
penalty gains momentum in states: Connecticut 
will be the fifth in five years to do away with 
it. The high cost to taxpayers is increasingly a 
factor,” Los Angeles Times, April 14, 2012,
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-death-penalty-20120415,0,4532410.story.
36Benjamín Torres Gotay, “Pena de muerte a la 
pena de muerte: La fiscalía federal insiste en 
aplicar aquí la pena capital, El Nuevo Día, April 
15, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/penademuertealapenademuerte-1236154.html; 
Edgardo Román, “Listado de Casos de Elegibles 
Pena de Muerte Corte de Distrito Federal Distrito 
De Puerto Rico Pendientes de Adjudicación al 31 
de Mayo de 2012,” revealing two certified cases 
and 14 cases pending certification.
37Editorial, “Rotundo No a la Pena Capital,” El Nuevo Día, April 17, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/editorial-rotundonoalapenacapital-1237448.html.
38José A. Delgado, “Gutiérrez cuestiona por qué 
autoridades federales siguen evaluando el 
Gasoducto: Ante las dudas sobre el proyecto, cree 
que el plan del gobierno de Fortuño debería 
detenerse,” El Nuevo Día, February 15, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/gutierrezcuestionaporqueautoridadesfederalessiguenevaluandoelgasoducto-1191329.html.
39María Miranda, “Study: Vía Verde endangers 
lives in 11 municipalities,” Puerto Rico Daily 
Sun, April 25, 2012, 
http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Study-Va-Verde-endangers-lives-in-11-municipalities.
40Lizette Alvarez, “Puerto Rico’s Plan for 
Natural Gas Pipeline Has Many Critics,” New York 
Times, October 21, 2011, 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/us/puerto-ricos-plan-for-gas-pipeline-has-many-critics.html. 

41Keila López Alicea, “Truenan contra el 
incinerador de Arecibo: Experto en química 
asegura que los desperdicios no deben quemarse, 
sino reusarse y reciclarse, El Nuevo Día,
January 20, 2012, 
http://www.elnuevodia.com/truenancontraelincineradordearecibo-1169848.html; 
CyberNews, “Familias de Barceloneta demandan por 
propuesta incineradora de basura,” Telemundo, 
January 18, 2012, 
http://www.telemundopr.com/telenoticias/puerto-rico/Familias-de-Barceloneta-demandan-por-propuesta-incineradora-de-basura-137560633.html.
42“Convocan a protestar por proyecto de molinos 
de viento en Santa Isabel,” Primera Hora, October 
20, 2011, 
http://www.primerahora.com/convocanaprotestarporproyectodemolinosdevientoensantaisabel-569327.html; 
Michelle Estrada Torres, “Continúa el martes la 
vista contra los arrestados por protestar molinos 
de Santa Isabel,” Primera Hora, February 4, 2012, 
http://www.primerahora.com/continuaelmarteslavistacontralosarrestadosporprotestarmolinosdesantaisabel-610337.html. 

43“Desmienten alegaciones del DRNA sobre Corredor 
del Noreste,” NotiUno, May 23, 2012, 
http://www.notiuno.com/2012/05/desmienten-alegaciones-del-drna-sobre-corredor-del-noreste/; 
“Coalición Pro Corredor Ecológico del Noreste 
desmiente al Secretario del DRNA,” May 23, 2012, 
http://biodiversidadpr.wordpress.com/.
44Terry Baynes, “U.S. court dismisses Puerto 
Ricans' suit over arms testing,” Reuters, 
February 14, 2012, 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/15/us-puertorico-lawsuit-vieques-idUSTRE81E07Y20120215.
45José A. Delgado, “Tardará por lo menos otra 
década la limpieza de Vieques; En Culebra, puede 
durar otros 40 años,” El Nuevo Día, May 6, 2012,
http://www.elnuevodia.com/tardaraporlomenosotradecadalalimpiezadevieques-1251192.html.
46See, e.g., Reuters, “Mandela Expects to Be 
Released Soon, His Wife Says,” New York Times, 
January 9, 1990, 
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/09/world/mandela-expects-to-be-released-soon-his-wife-says.html 
(long-imprisoned).
47Mark C. Toner, Deputy Spokesperson, Office of 
the Spokesperson, Message on the Twenty-Third 
Anniversary of Tiananmen Square, Press Statement, 
June 3, 2012, 
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/06/191692.htm. 
A Chinese government spokesman said the U.S. 
State Department call was “a gross intervention 
in China's internal affairs and a groundless 
accusation against the Chinese 
government.”  “China Rejects US Call to Release 
Tiananmen Prisoners,” VOA News, June 4, 2012,
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/06/04/china-rejects-us-call-to-release-tiananmen-prisoners-2/.
48“Release of Political Prisoners in Belarus,” 
Press Statement, Mark C. Toner, Deputy 
Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson, April 
16, 2012, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/04/187953.htm.
49“President Barack Obama, Release Of Burmese 
Political Prisoners,” January 13, 2012,
http://www.humanrights.gov/2012/01/13/release-of-burmese-political-prisoners-statement-by-president-obama/.
50Cuban Prisoner Release Announcement, Press 
Statement, Mark C. Toner, Acting Spokesperson, 
Office of the Spokesperson, December 24, 2011, 
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/12/179693.htm; 
“US regrets Cuba's decision not to release Alan 
Gross,” BBC, December 24, 2011, 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16327408.
51“US State Dept. urges GoSL to charge or release 
prisoners still in custody,” Transcurrents, 
September 2, 2011, http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/3673.
52Associated Press, “Clinton meets Suu Kyi, urges 
Myanmar to expand reforms; US secretary of state: 
'We believe that any political prisoner anywhere 
should be released',” MSNBC, December 1, 2011,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45504481/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/clinton-meets-suu-kyi-urges-myanmar-expand-reforms/#.T6IMd-gePWo.




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