Stop the criminalization of the noborder-camp!
Below you find the latest news about the attempts to criminalize the noborder camp that took place in Strasbourg this summer. These information are based on the work of the 'il/legal-team in exile [to find out how to contact them click here]. The legal team also produced a number of texts about the legal situation for activists in France which are still available here.
For all these selfless activities the il/legal-team depends on your donations. Click here to find out how to donate money to the il/legal-team.
.: news from the il/legal team
Account from the week of action
01.Mar.03 - Four actions to our knowledge (two in Paris, one against Air France from
the collective against deportations, and one from "people who don't pay their
tickets, among others" against the National Rail Company's
anti-ticket-fraud campaign; one in Strasbourg against the Elsau prison,
and one in Philadelphia against the Immigration and Naturalization
Services building, where legal immigrants are being forced to register and
submit to interrogation -- this was made part of several weeks of feature
news on immigration for Radio Volta). Some people also came to Strasbourg
and Colmar for the trials. The German defendants charged in the flag case
proposed to mobilize with the anti-fascist networks in case of an appeal.
Signs were also put up throughout France. It may not be much, but none of
these initiatives stayed within the defensive framework of anti-repression
activism; all sought to address the themes of the camp by various angles
(the deportation of migrants, the criminalization of those who don't pay
for public transport, and prison).
[read more]
Press release: Fifteen days time served for the 17 activists who occupied the Ministry of Justice in Strasbourg
27.Feb.03 - Imagine. You learn that a human being is suffering persecution within a
prison, a veritable form of torture. Arrested during a demonstration in
july 2002, this person is beaten, held in a police station with a broken
wrist, and accused of having broken the hand of a police officer. He is
held in pretrial preventative detention and placed in solitary
confinement: alone in his cell, alone during exercise breaks, without the
right to a single visit. Knowing that wihtout any human contact, being
placed in a confined space can provoke serious psychiatric problems, such
as depression, trouble with language, distortion of spatial and temporal
perception, emotional problems..., you demand a visit. You bang your head
agaisnt the inertia of the administration; all visits are refused. You
end up learning that, officially, he is given this crual treatment because
of his opinions: he is alleged to be anti-prison.
[read more] [fr]
Judicial finagling: will the prosecutor wipe his feet on the flag?
25.Feb.03 - Today two trials took place linked to the
repression of the No Border Camp and its follow-up. The camp took place
in Strasbourg from July 19-28 2003, and focussed on the themes of freedom
of movement and freedom of residence -- right to come, right to go, right
to stay -- the reusal of social control, and of the Schengen Informaiton
System, which is based in Strasbourg.
This time, the court was not subject to a police siege, in contrast with
former "No Border" trials; the riot police didn't block the door, the
public was not prevented from entering, neither were members of the
audience searched nor did they have their ID confiscated. Those
exceptional conditions had been the subject of a report by the League for
Human Rights after the trial of the "17" (who were judged for an
occupation of the Strasbourg branch office of the Ministry of Justice).
[read more] [fr]
Impression du procès des '17' a la cour d'appel de Colmar
07.Feb.03 - A la cour d'appel de Colmar, avait lieu le procès des 17 personnes qui
avaient occupé une annexe du ministère de la justice à Strasbourg le 23 aout
2002. Commencé ce matin à 9 heures, il s'est achevé à 15h!!! Dans la salle,
seules 15 personnes ont pu entrer et tous, y compris les inculpés, ont dû
déposer une pièce d'identité à l'entrée. Un rassemblement de soutien avait
lieu à l'extérieur. La matinée a été consacrée à l'audition des 17 et des
témoignages des employés du bâtiment qui ont tous infirmé la notion de
séquestration. Il a même été prouvé par les témoins de l'accusation eux-même
que la séquestration était un "montage" puisque ce sont les policiers
eux-même qui ont bloqué la sorte de secours avec une palette juste avant que
les supérieurs d'une des employés lui demandent de sortir, ce qui était
devenu impossible du fait de la palette. Après une courte suspension
d'audience, le procureur s'est exprimé. Il a alors demandé que ne soit plus
considéré la séquestration mais uniquement la violation de domicile, et
réclamé 2 mois d'emprisonnement avec sursis. La pratique de l'occupation est
de toute évidence insupportable à l'Etat.
[continuer]
17 activists held hostage to the justice system in Colmar: the backsliding prosecutor eats his words.
07.Feb.03 - On August 23 2002, 17 people for the Collective to Support the NoBorder
Camp Defendants occupy the Strasbourg branch office of the Ministry of
Justice. The aim of their action is so that one of the incarcerated
participants of the No Border Camp can finally be allowed visits and
released from solitary confinement. The activist in question, who had
been arrested among others during a demonstration for freedom of movement
and for all immigrant detention centers to be closed, was held in pretrial
detention under particularly cruel conditions, those conditions that are
part of the toolbox that the prison system uses daily to break prisoners.
The three employees present during the occupation decided to stay on-site
because their higher-ups had told them to stay.
[read more] [fr]
Paris: demonstration in solidarity with the 17 accused
02.Feb.03 - On Sunday, February 2, about 500 people demonstrated at Clichy
Square in Belleville, Paris, in solidarity with the defendants from the
Strasbourg No Border Camp and to urge that all charges against them be
dropped. Behind a huge banner, "Freedom of movement! Freedom of
residence! Close the immigrant detention camps! Valid 10-year residence
permits for all!" marched the migrants without valid residence papers.
Among the collectives of undocumented migrants that were present, there
was the Multitude Collective, the "Maison des Ensembles" ("House of
Associations"), the 9th Collective, and the Kabyl collective. The
mobilization continues: we meet for another rally on Wednesday, February 5
at 5 pm in front of the Ministry of Justice (at the corner of Rue de la
Paix and Vendome Square, Opera metro stop).
[read more]
Free the accused noborder activists - Freedom of movement and circulation
25.Jan.03 - While Sarkozy showers migrants and associations with pretty platitudes,
deportations are continuing at a pretty pace. The immigrant detention
camps are full. These prisons that dare not speak their own names, where
we lock up undocumented migrants so as to deport them, are now even more
blatantly the doorsteps of death. On December 30, 2002, Ricardo Barrientos, a
52-year-old Argentine, victim of the "double penalty" of prison time
plus deportation, was killed in the Air France plane where the police had
forced him to board and held him there by force, bending his body double.
Just two weeks later, January 18, it was the turn of Marianne Getu Hagos,
a 24-year-old Somali whom the police had just refused political asylum.
And so as to be able to deport even more, more detention camps are being
built, such as the one that just opened in Coquelles, near Calais, and the
Palaiseau camp that will open if the mobilization that has been growing
for two years now is not able to stop it.
[read more] [fr]
Legal team: Summary and Base of Action for the Future.
05.Nov.02 - This text should allow us to at once reevaluate the work done by the Legal
Team acording to its objectives that were set before the camp, and to
propose bases for action in the future. The Il-Legal team was called to
continue its activities as long as the trials linked to the camp lasted.
We hope that this update will contribute to a more general reflection on
self-organization as regards means of reaction to repression, and we hope
that it will be useful to all those who would like to get involves in
similar initiatives on other occasions.
[read more] [fr]
Ahmed trail update
10.Oct.02 - Ahmed's appeal was held on October 8 in the appeals court in Colmar. Despite
the inconsistencies of the accusation and the supporting testimonies, his
sentence was confirmed, making it impossible for him to contest the
false verdict of guilt. Ahmed wlil be relesed from prison Tuesday
morning, October 15. Despite the fact that his sentence was converted to
time served (with his time in pretrial preventative detention included)
Ahmed has paid heavily for the State's repressive policy.
[read more]
Free Ahmed!
15.Sep.02 - Ahmed, co-founder of Spontaneous Movement, which was created after the
primary elections in France, participant in the No Border Camp, was
arrested on July 24 2002 during a demonstration in support of the
sans-papiers, for the closing of detention centers, and for freedom of
movement and residence.
He is currently incarcerated, condemned August 21 2002 to 8 months in
prison, with a parole hearing after three, and 700 Euros in fines, despite
multiple inconsistencies and procedural errors.
[read more]
Legal Consequences of the No Border Camp, Strasbourg
06.Sep.02 - It was always obvious to the organizers of the Strasbourg camp that our initiative would have to comprise a willingness to react, collectively if at all possible, in the event of repressive episodes during camp's existence and face up to any subsequent legal action as efficiently as possible. This is why a Legal Team was established before and during the camp. [...] We shall also need to be especially efficient if we are to avoid the trap of spending all our time responding to repressive measures. We must learn to make solidarity measures with those charged an opportunity for political and practical advancement in the direction of our principal goals...
[read more] [fr]
The court stopped in its tracks: 17 prisoners freed
27.Aug.02 - The 17 activists who had occupied an
office of the ministry of justice on Friday the 23 were brought before the
correctional tribunal for immediate trial, after a prolonged period in the
poiice station and being placed in detention at the Strasbourg jail. The
number of defendants being too large for the ordinary courtroom to be
used, the hearing was held in the room of the higher court. As with every
trial concerning Noborder activists or their support committee, the entry
to the courtroom was partially blocked, turning the hearing into a closed
audience by default if not by law.
[read more] [fr]
Occupation of a building of the Ministery of Justice in Strasbourg
23.Aug.02 - We are currently occupying the annex of the ministry of justice, which is
at 8 Gustave Adolphe Hirn Road, in Strasbourg, to demand an end to the
unacceptable treatment that Ahmed has suffered in prison for a month of
isolation without visits. We demand that he be immediately accorded a
visitation permit and that the prison give us assurances that he is out of
solitary confinement.
[read more] [de] [fr]
Report from the trail against Ahmed
22.Aug.02 - Ahmed has been sentenced to 8 months prison, with 5 suspended.
During these last months and within the context of "zero tolerance" we have
noticed that sentences for similar acts (outrages and violence towards a
police agent) have been much heavier.
Therefore we can say that this sentence is not a recognition of his guilt,
but constitues an attempt to intimidate the mouvement.
The verdict stands as a condamnation of the actions accomplished during the
no-border camp.
[read more] [de] [fr]
Communique du Syndicat de la Magistrature sur la condamnation d'Ahmed Meguini
22.Aug.02 - Le Tribunal correctionnel de Srasbourg a condamné hier Ahmed Meguini, fondateur du mouvement spontané du peuple à 8 mois d'emprisonnement, dont 3 mois fermes pour outrages et violences commises sur un policier lors d'une manifestation à Srasbourg, en faveur de la liberté de circulation et des droits des étrangers. Les faits sont contestés par l'intéressé, qui a été mis en cellule à l'isolement pendant un mois de détention provisoire en attendant le jugement du 21 août, prononcé en comparution immédiate.
[continuer] [de]
Actions across europe in support of ahmed [multilingual]
21.Aug.02 - Today actions in support of Ahmed took place in diffrent cities across Europe. In spite of the different actions Ahmed who was arrested during a demonstration in the context of the noborder camp in strasbourg, was sentenced by a court in strasbourg to sentenced to 8 months with 5 months of parole. He was also fined about 1000 euros. Ahmed had asked for creative actions. Here some the reports...
[read more]
Ahmed: solidarity action
20.Aug.02 - On August 20th, in front of the Elsau jail in Strasbourg, the Collective
to Support Ahmed made a solidarity action to brighten up prison life. We
launched red balloons, from which were hung flags denouncing all prisons
and the conditions inside. Besides being an anti-prison action, this
action was meant to let Ahmed know, the day before his trial, that the
police's attempt to criminalize him will not go unnoticed. Ahmed,
co-founder of the political group "Spontaneous Movement," has been held in
pretrial detention since July 26 and, being considered an antiprison
activist, has been held in solitary confinement. The Collective to
Support Ahmed calls for these judicial proceedings against him tp be
stopped. Free Ahmed!
[read more] [fr] [es]
August 21st: International mobilisation for the liberation of Ahmed
18.Aug.02 - Ahmed, an activist of the Mouvement Spontané and participant of the no border camp at Strasbourg, has been subject to a targeted arrest during the demonstration on 24/07 for freedom of movement and settlement and for the closure of detention centers.
To demand his liberation and the stop of the legal proceedings against Ahmed and also others who have been charged during the no-border camp (6 participants of the camphave to appear in trial at Strasbourg next February), we are calling the "incontrollables" of Europe and beyond to come to Strasbourg to assist in the trial of August 21st, and to participate in the organisation of an international day of actions and manifestations of solidarity everywhere else.
[read more] [de] [fr]
Call for solidarity with Ahmed [imprisoned since 24/07]
12.Aug.02 - The support collective for Ahmed (and for the other activists that have been criminalized after the noborder demonstrations) from Strasbourg has decided to invite all organizations and associations to act in solidarity against the criminalization of activists, to express their support for Ahmed on the 21st of Augustus during his trail, and to demand the end of his isolation in prison and support his demand to be freed.
[read more]
A message from CAE Paris
05.Aug.02 - The CAE (Anti-deportation Collective), which takes part in the no-border
network and is concerned with struggles against repression, whether they are
lead in prisons or anywhere else, entirely supports the declaration made by
the Il-legal team...
[read more] [fr]
Des ballons pour un parloir sauvage...
04.Aug.02 - Suite à l'incarcération d'Ahmed, son placement en régime d'isolement
accompagné d'un refus suite à la demande de parloir, nous avons décidé de
lui adresser quelques saluts ainsi qu'à tous les prisonniers de la maison
d'arret de Strasbourg, en reprenant quelques revendications des prisonniers
en lutte (fermeture des quartiers d'isolements, abolition du mitard...).
[continuer]
After the Camp, an Activist in Prison
04.Aug.02 - The violence of the police repression during this protest (massive use of
tear gas and pepper spray, and beatings) severely injured at least two
activists, one by a rubber bullet fired at a distance of less than four
meters. The whole camp was subject to constant police harassment, such as
a ban on all demonstrations, 50 arrests, and charges leading to trial for
7 people.
[read more] [fr]
Il/Legal Team: how to go on?
31.Jul.02 - We are participants in the No Border camp; we are not lawyers nor barristers (see the text presenting the legal team in the camp's legal defense guide). We act, in connection with both local and out-of-town lawyers who accept our way of working, with a perspective self-organization, in the face of repression, both via mobilization and via defense in the courts
[read more] [de] [fr]
Neither good nor bad, neither guilty nor victims...
31.Jul.02 - Freedom of movement frightens many. It is accorded or, more often, refused, according
to discriminatory criteria: country of origin; sex; level of education; familial, social,
political, or economic status... the climate created by the security forces is accentuated by
laws connected to the September 11th attacks and new tools of repression, such as the
Schengen Information System. It was to construct a place of rupture with the processes
that control our lives that the international No Border network organized a camp at
Strasbourg, from July 19 to 28.
[read more] [de] [fr] [es]
How the Legal Team will work during the Camp
08.Jul.02 - The legal group has given itself two objectives: (1) help about participants self-management on the camp in case of repression and (2) propose a legal workshop and discussions on knowledge and skill sharing regarding repression.
[read more] [fr]
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