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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
CONTACT: Jen Nessel, CCR, 212.614.6449<br>
David Lerner, Riptide Communications, 212.260.5000<br><br>
FORMER BLACK PANTHERS<br>
ARRESTED AND INDICTED TODAY IN 1971 HOMICIDE<br><br>
CHARGES BASED ON EVIDENCE OBTAINED THROUGH TORTURE<br><br>
January 23, 2007, New York Authorities in San<br>
Francisco today announced the arrests and indictments<br>
of former Black Panthers in the 1971 killing of police<br>
officer Sgt. John V. Young despite the use of torture<br>
to obtain confessions. Attorneys with the Center for<br>
Constitutional Rights (CCR) compared the documented<br>
torture by law enforcement of Black Panthers arrested<br>
in New Orleans in 1973 to the documented torture the<br>
U.S. government has practiced recently at Abu Ghraib<br>
and Guantánamo.<br><br>
CCR Legal Director Bill Goodman said, “The case<br>
against these men was built on torture and serves to<br>
remind us that the U.S. government, which recently has<br>
engaged in such horrific forms of torture and abuse at<br>
places like Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo, has a<br>
history of torture and abuse in this country as well,<br>
particularly against African Americans.”<br><br>
CCR Attorney Kamau Franklin said, “These indictments<br>
are an attempt to rewrite history— the history of the<br>
Black Panthers, the history of COINTELPRO, and the<br>
history of the Civil Rights Movement.”<br><br>
In 1973, New Orleans police employed torture over the<br>
course of several days to obtain information from<br>
members of the Black Panthers who were stripped naked,<br>
beaten, blindfolded, covered in blankets soaked with<br>
boiling water, and had electric probes placed on their<br>
genitals, among other methods. A court ruled in 1974<br>
that both San Francisco and New Orleans police had<br>
engaged in torture to extract a confession, and a San<br>
Francisco judge dismissed charges against three men in<br>
1975 based on that ruling. Two years ago, a grand jury<br>
convened in San Francisco to reopen the case, but<br>
several of the men involved felt they were being<br>
wrongly compelled to testify and refused to attend the<br>
proceedings.<br>
CCR represents victims of torture by the U.S. at<br>
Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram Air Base in<br>
Afghanistan, as well as Canadian rendition victim<br>
Maher Arar. In addition, CCR has filed suit against<br>
the NSA for the warrantless domestic spying program<br>
authorized by President Bush; the COINTELPRO program<br>
illegally spied on Black activists in the Sixties and<br>
Seventies and engaged in numerous unconstitutional<br>
acts against Civil Rights organizations.<br><br>
About CCR<br>
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) is a<br>
non-profit legal and educational organization<br>
dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights<br>
guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Universal<br>
Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by<br>
attorneys who represented civil rights demonstrators<br>
in the South, CCR is committed to the creative use of<br>
law as a positive force for social change.<br>
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San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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