Political Prisoners- General Info
Political prisoners are
people prosecuted for their political beliefs or ideologies, activities, and
affiliations with social movements. Political prisoners can be anybody from any
race, culture, age, or gender. They are often associated and identified as
leaders in organizations or movements opposed to the atrocities committed by
the United States government. Some examples of these crimes are the
infringement of privacy, police brutality, genocide of indigenous people,
forced dispossession of land.
The objective of the incarceration of political leaders by the government is to destabilize social movements of resistance. Political prisoners are often given harsh, long term sentences in prisons where they are mistreated on a daily basis. Mistreatment includes extensive periods of time in solitary confinement, denied recreational time, and insufficient visiting time. The primary purpose of mistreatment of political prisoners is to prevent organizing behind prison walls. The government often paints a negative picture of political prisoners by calling them criminals or terrorists in an effort to justify the imprisonment of these people to the general public. Often times when Political Prisoners are being prosecuted, they are charged with other crimes to hide the fact they are being imprisoned for their political beliefs. Their commonality is that they are fighting government oppression and were unjustly prosecuted in an effort to destroy their respective movements.
The objective of the incarceration of political leaders by the government is to destabilize social movements of resistance. Political prisoners are often given harsh, long term sentences in prisons where they are mistreated on a daily basis. Mistreatment includes extensive periods of time in solitary confinement, denied recreational time, and insufficient visiting time. The primary purpose of mistreatment of political prisoners is to prevent organizing behind prison walls. The government often paints a negative picture of political prisoners by calling them criminals or terrorists in an effort to justify the imprisonment of these people to the general public. Often times when Political Prisoners are being prosecuted, they are charged with other crimes to hide the fact they are being imprisoned for their political beliefs. Their commonality is that they are fighting government oppression and were unjustly prosecuted in an effort to destroy their respective movements.
Documents
5 Documents Found
![Safiya Bukhari Interview with Albert Nuh Washington](images/fileicons/nodigital.png)
Date: 2/24/2000Call Number: PM 168Format: Cass A & BProducers: Sally O’Brien, Safiya BukhariProgram: Where We LiveCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
Interview for WBAI program ‘Where we Live’ - Safiya Bukhari with Albert Nuh Washington, shortly before his death in prison.
![Nuh Washington Interview](images/fileicons/nodigital.png)
In this interview, Nuh speaks with WBAI where we live radio station on the highly political profiled case of the New York 3. Washington passed away on 4/28/00 but not before elaborating on an on going thing he called struggle. Since spending the last 28 years in prison for being convicted of killing two New York police men along with two other brothers, errors has been discovered in the case. Although solid perjury evidence had been detected from a witness of the DA, Nuh had lost the last chance of an appeal. The errors in the case were considered serious, but not serious enough to overturn the decision. In his last recorded interview, Washington stated that “the potential of the Black Panther Party scared it’s enemies.”
![This Just In](images/fileicons/nodigital.png)
Publisher: Betty & Herman LiverightYear: 2000Volume Number: Issue 62 FebruaryFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
![This Just In](images/fileicons/nodigital.png)
Publisher: Betty & Herman LiverightYear: 2000Volume Number: Issue 63 MarchFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
![This Just In](images/fileicons/nodigital.png)
Publisher: Betty & Herman LiverightYear: 2000Volume Number: Issue 65 MayFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Political Prisoners- General Info
5 Documents Found