[Ppnews] Injustice in the Maine State Prison (alleged torture and political persecution)

[Political Prisoner News]

From: "Portland Victory Gardens Project" <pvg at riseup.net>


Hello friends and fellow Victory Gardeners,

We are sending out this quick email to notify you about information
recently released to the public regarding serious allegations of human
rights abuse and politically motivated persecution in the Maine State
Prison.

Over the past year, Portland based journalist, Lance Tapley, has written a
series of articles investigating evidence of torture and other gross
violations of human rights in the Maine State prison.  Some of the most
serious abuses against prisoners include:

- Stays for long periods of time (often naked and blind-folded) in metal
"restraint" chairs.

- Sleep deprivation

- Persecution of politicized, activist prisoners-- putting them in
solitary/supermax and in the recent case of Deane Brown, transferring him
suddenly to a notoriously violent prison in Maryland.

In two articles in this week's edition of the Portland Phoenix, Lance
Tapley explains how his attempts at investigating these matters has been
very difficult, due to the lack of cooperation from prison officials and
the administration of Governor John Baldacci.

While this news may not be surprising to those already familiar with
America and Maine's prison systems-- it may come as a shock to others.  We
are after all, lead to believe in school and on TV that these type of
things don't happen in "the land of the free."

This public exposure, however, presents us with a good opportunity to
further expose the prison system as a cruel enforcer of economic
injustice, class oppression, and racism.

We are asking people to read the December 14, 2006 Portland Phoenix
article "Lockdown" (also see the sidebar "Stonewalling is normal"), and
write to Governor John Baldacci and Corrections Commisioner Martin
Magnusson demanding that they bring Deane Brown back to Maine, and cease
the use of "restraint chairs" and other torture techniques.

Also, a new legal collective is forming in Maine to address these problems
in an ongoing manner.  They will be holding legal trainings and their
first meeting in Augusta in early Januray.  It is open to anyone who is
interested.  For more info, please email davidbidler at yahoo.com.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid29730.aspx

Please direct correspondence to:

Governor John Baldacci
1 State House Station
Augusta, Maine  04333-0001

Phone:  (207) 287-3531
Fax:    (207) 287-1034
Email:  governor at maine.gov

and

Commissioner Martin Magnusson
Maine Department of Corrections
Central Office
25 Tyson Drive 3rd flr
111 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333-0111

Telephone: 207/287-2711
Fax: 207/287-4370
TTY: 207/287-2360



Portland Victory Gardens Project
PO Box 1992
Portland, Maine 04104
(207) 761-1504

Free the Land!  Free all U.S. Political Prisoners!
All Power to the People!

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20061218/470611ca/attachment.htm>