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International Day of Solidarity with John Bowden, 25th May

Solidarity with John Bowden | 14.05.2007 19:38 | Repression | World

There will be a demo outside of the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, 25th May. For people who cannot be there, we are calling for solidarity action on an International Day of Solidarity.

There will be a demo outside of the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, 25th May. For people who cannot be there, we are calling for solidarity action on an International Day of Solidarity.


Send emails, phone calls and faxes to the Scottish Prison Service and your local British embassy. If possible, get people together to do picket outside of the British embassy.


Contents of fax/emails should be something like:


HANDS OFF JOHN BOWDEN!
ANARCHIST BLACK CROSS IS NOT A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
PRISON IS NOT THE SOLUTION.


(Clarify which country you are sending it from, so that they will know that people elsewhere in the world are concerned over the issue.)


It is also needed that people continue to send these protest communications to the authorities continually, not just on 25th May, but please help out as you are able.


As John's situation is getting more serious, condemned to be involved in "terrorist organization", we want to show the authorities that they cannot continue to detain him without international attention. The prison service and the government want to prevent his release because he refuses to denounce his ties with the Anarchist Black Cross. They want to smear the ABC as a 'terrorist organisation' even though this is a lie understandable to anyone. The prison authority ignored all the questions John made over the issue of his continuing confinement. He is asking everyone to enquire about his situation, whether he can receive mail, stamps and money, when he is going to be released. Sending emails and faxes to the authority shows them that they cannot bury John in prison and ignore the issue.


Showing them that there are people outside of the prison and the UK who are concerned about him and watching for injustice, would help prevent John Bowden from being further victimized. John has fought for the rights of prisoners throughout his detention and now it is time for us to campaign for his release! We are everywhere and we will not forget anyone!


Send a card reading 'Hands off John Bowden' to the Scottish Prison Service headquarters, and also don't forget to send John a card or letter to support him in his struggle for freedom.


Check out www.myspace.com/friendsofjohnbowden for more information about his case and for a letter written by John about what has been happening to him.




John Bowden,
6729,
HMP Glenochil,
King O' Muir Road,
Tullibody,
Clackmannanshire,
FK10 3AD
Scotland



Scottish Prison authority:


Audrey Parks,
Governor,
HMP Glenochil,
King O' Muir Road,
Tullibody,
Clackmannanshire,
FK10 3AD. Scotland


Scottish Prison Service:


Scottish Prison Service Headquarters
Communications Branch, Room 338
Calton House, 5 Redheughs Rigg
Edinburgh, EH12 9HW. Scotland


E-mail:  gaolinfo@sps.gov.uk


Tel: +44(0)1259 760471
Fax: +44(0)1259 762003

Solidarity with John Bowden

Comments

Hide the following 16 comments

Stamps

14.05.2007 20:17

John is now having stamps withheld from him - The jail priest of all people is saying that they could be used as currency!! So please when writing send at least a SAE. Better still, write to the jail and ask them what they are playing at.

Ronnie Red


having been

14.05.2007 20:32

a victim of this myself i hesitated.That is rectified.

Shame onme


Edinburgh

14.05.2007 20:59

I'll be there in Edinburgh. Hope plenty of other folk will be too. We've got too stand together

old lag


Stamp Duty

14.05.2007 21:12

I just sent him stamps with the last of my cash. They haven't been returned to me. I feel like calling the cops on the governor for petty theft. I take it he is not being allowed postal orders either then ?

Danny


The Currency

14.05.2007 21:22

In prison is.1 Tabacco.2 phonecards.3.Bathing stuff.Stamps are the least.There is one thing more valuable than them.Drugs.The other thing even more valuble is a screw,jailer.gauard.,or outside cop.No doubt for the political a goverment contactee. with screw.Take a close look at scouser Danny Jones.Visited in Liverpool Prison by the home office,direct to his cell with his 2 cellmates present.Who came back in and collected his possesins and left with them,to a form of freedom.I challenge you who do research to look to see what you can find!!!!!!!!

Baron


Stamps and postal orders

14.05.2007 21:26

John IS allowed postal orders, but is only allowed to spend a very limited amount each week. Presumably the stamps will have been placed in his 'private property'. John is challenging the ban, but anyone who has sent him stamps should complain. In fact EVERYONE should complain.

Friend of JB


Withholding of stamps

14.05.2007 21:32

The withholding of stamps is not about security, it's about reinforcing the monopoly of the privatised prison canteen. The priest should keep his nose in his prayer book, it's none of his business, John Bowden is an atheist anyway!

Moriarty


Prison canteens

14.05.2007 21:34

Moriarty


stamps

14.05.2007 21:45

When i was in jail you could sell just about anthing but stamps was worth next too FA, Most cons don't get many letters atall and the weakly freebie is enouh for them so they wodn't be intrested in buying stamps. It looks to me as if they is just stopping this blokes stamps out of spite.

Tom


To interfere with royal mail is

14.05.2007 22:22

a treasonable offence

Royal Seal


Freedom of expression

14.05.2007 22:56

I wrote a very nice letter to the Governor last week. Maybe she doesn't have any stamps to write back but I can't afford to stamp another letter to her now. Apart from ignoring me and effectively stealing my last £20, she is also breaching the European Convention on Human Rights Articles that are part of UK law. Many of these rights do not apply to prisoners convicted of crimes, and where they don't they are explicity stated as exemptions. One right that is not exempted from prisoners is "to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority" - which in a prison implies access to postage stamps.


ARTICLE 10
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This Article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.

Danny


I'm sending some stamps

15.05.2007 14:41

by special delivery,it's only a couple of quid and the screws have to sign and it can be tracked on line.

Meme


Hold off the stamps just now

15.05.2007 16:01

I've just had a letter confirming he got my stamps but they have been placed in his personal property box. He has to buy stamps from the privatised prison canteen out of the £6 weekly wage. If are going to write to him it might be worth trying enclosing a stamped addressed envelope though to see if that gets through.

Danny


Freepost

15.05.2007 16:21

I've had an idea but I'm not sure if it is possible, viable or desirable. Maybe some of the ex-prisoners here could comment on it.

We could setup a FreePost address where any prisoner can send mail without costing them anything. We could then forward the mail on to the peson they were writing to. It would cost £112 to setup, and then 23p for each letter received and another stamp to forward it on - although we could scan it and email it to people who have email accounts. It'd have to be run as a charity but it wouldn't be that expensive if people who received letters from prisoners were to donate the price of the stamp(s). It would allow prisoners to keep their £5 per week for other things.

It might be cheaper and easier though just to challenge this practice and have it overturned under the Human Rights act. I've written an email asking the Ochil MSP to investigate, and I'll write to my local MSP and MP too. Maybe you lot could do the same.

Danny


SAEs

15.05.2007 17:19

John is receiving the SAEs.

MB


Articles by John Bowden

10.12.2008 22:02

Here are two articles published by John on the 4WardEver Members Voice blog.
Thanks to George Coombs for submitting them on John's behalf:

Wholesale destruction of young working class
30th November 2008
 http://4wardevervoice.wordpress.com/2008/11/30/wholesale-destruction-of-young-working-class/

Prisoners battle for proper medical treatment
10th December 2008
 http://4wardevervoice.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/prisoners-battle-for-proper-medical-treatment/

4WardEver UK
mail e-mail: info@4wardever.org
- Homepage: http://www.4wardever.org