Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico was invaded by the US in 1898 after winning
independence from Spain. An independence movement has thrived ever since
that has reasserted a right to self-determination and an end to US
colonialism. Includes extensive material on Puerto Rican
Independentistas, political prisoners, prisoners of war* and land rights as well as
struggles in the diaspora.
This collection contains sub-collections focused on political parties and organizations committed to the struggle for Puerto Rican independence, groups and organizations founded to support political prisoners and prisoners of war and general information.
*Prisoners of War:
On October 12, 1970, UN resolution 2621 approved by the General Assembly, declared colonialism an international crime. Said resolution reaffirmed the right of any intervened, colonized nation to utilize whatever form of struggle is necessary to obtain its independence. Armed struggle, military resistance and whatever form of struggle that leads to the independence of nations that are colonized, invaded and occupied by foreign military troops, is recognized as a right by the UN. Puerto Rico, by virtue of being a colonial state is supported by International Law.
International Law is also very specific in reference to prisoners of war. According to the Geneva Convention, combatants who have declared themselves prisoners of war must be recognized as such. Those Puerto Ricans arrested were armed and accused of belonging to the Armed Forces of Puerto Rican National Libertion. The nature of the arrest and the US government's own indictment only serves to reaffirm that the eleven were combatants in the struggle for Puerto Rican independence at the time of their arrests. According to the Geneva Treaty, ratified by the UN in 1949, captured soldiers are prisoners of war. It is thus the argument of the eleven that they are prisoners of war.
This collection contains sub-collections focused on political parties and organizations committed to the struggle for Puerto Rican independence, groups and organizations founded to support political prisoners and prisoners of war and general information.
*Prisoners of War:
On October 12, 1970, UN resolution 2621 approved by the General Assembly, declared colonialism an international crime. Said resolution reaffirmed the right of any intervened, colonized nation to utilize whatever form of struggle is necessary to obtain its independence. Armed struggle, military resistance and whatever form of struggle that leads to the independence of nations that are colonized, invaded and occupied by foreign military troops, is recognized as a right by the UN. Puerto Rico, by virtue of being a colonial state is supported by International Law.
International Law is also very specific in reference to prisoners of war. According to the Geneva Convention, combatants who have declared themselves prisoners of war must be recognized as such. Those Puerto Ricans arrested were armed and accused of belonging to the Armed Forces of Puerto Rican National Libertion. The nature of the arrest and the US government's own indictment only serves to reaffirm that the eleven were combatants in the struggle for Puerto Rican independence at the time of their arrests. According to the Geneva Treaty, ratified by the UN in 1949, captured soldiers are prisoners of war. It is thus the argument of the eleven that they are prisoners of war.
Subcollections
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Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political Prisoners
The National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political Prisoners, 1981-1998, campaigned around many issues, regarding the 15 Puerto Rican Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War. -
Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (FALN)
The FALN was an anti-colonial and anti-imperialist clandestine organization based in the diaspora using armed propaganda to advocate for Puerto Rican independence. -
Libertad
Bi-lingual newsletters produced from 1979-1998 by the Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of war. Libertad’s primary mission was to organize support for Puerto Rican prisoners of war incarcerated by the United States. -
Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional
Formed to analyze attempts by the US government to crush the Puerto Rican independence movement, and to form a new political vehicle to resist this oppression. -
New Movement
An anti-imperialist group in solidarity with the Puerto Rican Independence movement, it supported all aspects of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement- including clandestine groups on the island and in the Diaspora. -
Puerto Rico Small Books and Monographs
This collection contains books and monographs pertaining to the independence struggle of Puerto Rico. Many of these books were written by major figures in the Puerto Rican Independence movement and discuss a variety of topics. -
Puerto Rico: A History of the People
This collection contains documents detailing the various struggles of Puerto Ricans against foreign invaders from the arrival of the Spanish to the current occupation by the United States of America. -
Que Ondee Sola
Que Ondee Sola was established in 1972 and remains the oldest Puerto Rican/Latina/o university student publication in print.
Documents
6 Documents Found
Independentismo Se Orienta A Lucha Poltico-Militar
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political PrisonersFormat: ArticleCollection: Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political Prisoners
Reproduction of an article in Spanish.
Acto Cultural Con Los Reconocidos Grupos Culturales
Publisher: Comite Nacional Pro-Libertad Prisoners de Guerra PuertorriquenosDate: 4/2/1983Volume Number: 2-AprFormat: ProgramCollection: Free Puerto Rican POWs and Political Prisoners
Program in Spanish.
LIBERTAD
Publisher: National Committee to Free Puerto Rican Prisoners of WarYear: 1986Volume Number: Vol. VII-III MarchFormat: PeriodicalCollection: Libertad
Contents: Mutulu Shakur Captured in Los Angeles; Prisons: Fortresses of Repression; The Right to Fight is Non-Negotiable; Unity: A Continuous and Dialectical Process; US Government to force Navajos off Big Mountain; POW and Political Prisoner Update; Letter from Lucy Berrios and Yvonne Melendez; International tributes to Juan Antonio Corretjer; Unity and the Independence Movement Part 2.
Libertad
Contents: Justice Denied- Jaime, Dora, Oscar, Kojo Guilty of Conspiracy; Victory of Art Censorship; US Efforts to Mount Extradite POW Morales; Latin American Jurists Condemn US Colonization of Puerto Rico- An Interview with Michael Deutsch; Pressure Intensifies to Close Lexington Control Unit; To the Horticulturalist- Dedicated to the Memory of Juan Antonio Corretjer.
The Meaning Of The Massacre of Maravilla Mountain.
Publisher: Puerto Rican Socialist LeagueYear: 1978Volume Number: 5-AugFormat: ArticleCollection: Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional
Article reprinted by John Brown/Book Club. Juan Antonio Corretjer analizes what occurred in Monte Maravilla and outlines the propositions to be considered: \"First, a declaration of war to the death against the revolutionary Puerto rican sector WE ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE! Second, to undermine the will to struggle within the P.I.P. amd the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. both electoral parties...
!Hacia un Grito de Lares Sin Prisioneros de Guerra ni Prisioneros Politicos!
Publisher: MLN-PR, Partido Socialista Puertorriqueno, (PSP)Year: 1985Volume Number: 20-SepFormat: FlyerCollection: Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional
Introduction of Jose Luis_ a 24 year old independientist _ to speak at a cultural event dedicated to Don Juan Antonio Corretjer and celebrating \"el Grito de Lares\"
6 Documents Found