"Amadeu says that he will exit on his own legs, or with his feet forward" (EN)
Anarkista | 02.09.2008 16:05 | Repression | World
per Luther Blisset 01 set 2008 01:27:23
English translation of interview with the Mother, Lawyer, and supporter of Amadeu Casellas, anarchist prisoner on his 71st day of hungerstrike. Please spread it!
Laia ALTARRIBA i PIGUILLEM
"Amadeu says that he will exit on his own legs, or with his feet forward"
Josefina Ramon, Diana Reig y Roser Iborra
MOTHER, LAWYER, and Supporter OF AMADEU CASELLAS
English translation of interview with the Mother, Lawyer, and supporter of Amadeu Casellas, anarchist prisoner on his 71st day of hungerstrike. Please spread it!
Laia ALTARRIBA i PIGUILLEM
"Amadeu says that he will exit on his own legs, or with his feet forward"
Josefina Ramon, Diana Reig y Roser Iborra
MOTHER, LAWYER, and Supporter OF AMADEU CASELLAS
In spite of Amadeu Casellas having today reched 71 days of hunger strike, the provincial
government of Catalonya refuses to recieve his relatives. The Mossos d'esquadra (regional
police) impeded their monday meeting with Albert Batlle, responsible for the Penitentiary
Service, if the support demo which was taking place in front of the Government premises was not
disassembled.
Q: Why is Amadeu Casellas in prison?
DIANA REIG: Principally for the various bank robberies during the 70's and 80s'.
The money taken was given, above all, to workers of businesses in struggle. He was a militant
Anarchist.
Q: And why did the hunger strike of the past 23rd of June start?
D.R.: What Amadeu requires with the hunger strike is that he is set free, and two options are
offered: that he is given the 'third grade', or the merging of sentences currently being met.
In 1987 he already had 5 convictions merged, which converted to 15 years. What we ask now is
that thay make the same with those which are being served, as it's a normal practise with all
prisoners. If the sentences which are being serves now are merged, they become 15 years.
Altogether then, 30 years of imprisonment. If from these 30 years we subtract eight years of
penitentiary benefits, we collect the 22 years of prison which have already been served.
Q: Taking all of these elements into consideration, what is the reason he has not been released already?
D.R.: the Penentiary Institution of the Governemnt gives the excuse of breach of condemnation, which have been broken various times. But there there's a trap, because in reality they make him pay two times for the crime: on the one hand, among the convictions for which he serves time include violation of condemnation, but also say that breaking the prison sentence he loses benefits. It's a double conviction for a single offence.
Q: The petition of release, At what point of the legal level is it found?
ROSER IBORRA: We presented it to the Judge de Vic as proper, but she has shown to be very hard
and denied freedom. She never tired of repeating that she was subjected to the "rule of law".
Now we have appealed to the Provincial Audience of Barcelona. But we know that the reason for
which they maintain him encarcelated isn't legal so much as political. They do this to punish
him as a prisoner that has been very vindictive.
Q: In what revindications has Amadeu Casellas participated during his stay in prison?
D.R.: He has participated in many campaigns during the space of all the years which he has been in prison -He has been in all the Catalan prisons-, and has made various hunger strikes.
Recently he has participated in the campaign against the FIES prisons and for the release of
ill prisoners.
Q: How is he physically after 70 days of hunger strike?
D.R.: He has lost 30 kilos in these 70 days, and now only weighs 63, as such is very skeletal.
And now we are worried because if he stops taking glucose his health can deteriorate very rapidly.
JOSEFINA RAMON: I'm afraid because I don't know what will happen, i've afraid that there are
sequels left. Now he's starting to lose his sight, and can't get out of bed. he doesn't want
that I visit him so I don't see how he is. Those of the Penitentiary Institutions have their
compassion in the feet. The last time I was there alone they left me only 15 minutes to be with
him. Many times i've bit my toungue because I don't want to say things that could bring him
problems.
R.I.: Since he has been transferred to the hospital they only let his Mother, the Lawyer, and two people more enter. I have made the request to visit him 4 times, and Amadeu himself as well has asked, but every time we ask they tell us that they don't have a record of the request and we have to return again to ask.
Q: In respect to his state of mind, how have you found him?
D.R.: He is very lively, has many hopes, and this makes us have a lot of hope for everything.
The truth is he is almost skeletal, but when you speak with him he's always still lively, and
he also makes you more lively. He is convinced with what he's doing. The first hunger strike
began in April, but he stopped because the head of the prison told him he would resolve the
situation; but he did not, so Amadeu saw that he had been "sold smoke", that he had been cheated.
Now he says that he will exit on his own legs, or with his feet forward. The hunger strike is
to the final consequences.
...
GARA 31 august 2008
Translated from:
http://www.gara.net/paperezkoa/20080831/94285/es/Amadeu-dice-que-saldra-
This interview eas originally published in L'ACCENT, catalan left newspaper www.laccent.cat
government of Catalonya refuses to recieve his relatives. The Mossos d'esquadra (regional
police) impeded their monday meeting with Albert Batlle, responsible for the Penitentiary
Service, if the support demo which was taking place in front of the Government premises was not
disassembled.
Q: Why is Amadeu Casellas in prison?
DIANA REIG: Principally for the various bank robberies during the 70's and 80s'.
The money taken was given, above all, to workers of businesses in struggle. He was a militant
Anarchist.
Q: And why did the hunger strike of the past 23rd of June start?
D.R.: What Amadeu requires with the hunger strike is that he is set free, and two options are
offered: that he is given the 'third grade', or the merging of sentences currently being met.
In 1987 he already had 5 convictions merged, which converted to 15 years. What we ask now is
that thay make the same with those which are being served, as it's a normal practise with all
prisoners. If the sentences which are being serves now are merged, they become 15 years.
Altogether then, 30 years of imprisonment. If from these 30 years we subtract eight years of
penitentiary benefits, we collect the 22 years of prison which have already been served.
Q: Taking all of these elements into consideration, what is the reason he has not been released already?
D.R.: the Penentiary Institution of the Governemnt gives the excuse of breach of condemnation, which have been broken various times. But there there's a trap, because in reality they make him pay two times for the crime: on the one hand, among the convictions for which he serves time include violation of condemnation, but also say that breaking the prison sentence he loses benefits. It's a double conviction for a single offence.
Q: The petition of release, At what point of the legal level is it found?
ROSER IBORRA: We presented it to the Judge de Vic as proper, but she has shown to be very hard
and denied freedom. She never tired of repeating that she was subjected to the "rule of law".
Now we have appealed to the Provincial Audience of Barcelona. But we know that the reason for
which they maintain him encarcelated isn't legal so much as political. They do this to punish
him as a prisoner that has been very vindictive.
Q: In what revindications has Amadeu Casellas participated during his stay in prison?
D.R.: He has participated in many campaigns during the space of all the years which he has been in prison -He has been in all the Catalan prisons-, and has made various hunger strikes.
Recently he has participated in the campaign against the FIES prisons and for the release of
ill prisoners.
Q: How is he physically after 70 days of hunger strike?
D.R.: He has lost 30 kilos in these 70 days, and now only weighs 63, as such is very skeletal.
And now we are worried because if he stops taking glucose his health can deteriorate very rapidly.
JOSEFINA RAMON: I'm afraid because I don't know what will happen, i've afraid that there are
sequels left. Now he's starting to lose his sight, and can't get out of bed. he doesn't want
that I visit him so I don't see how he is. Those of the Penitentiary Institutions have their
compassion in the feet. The last time I was there alone they left me only 15 minutes to be with
him. Many times i've bit my toungue because I don't want to say things that could bring him
problems.
R.I.: Since he has been transferred to the hospital they only let his Mother, the Lawyer, and two people more enter. I have made the request to visit him 4 times, and Amadeu himself as well has asked, but every time we ask they tell us that they don't have a record of the request and we have to return again to ask.
Q: In respect to his state of mind, how have you found him?
D.R.: He is very lively, has many hopes, and this makes us have a lot of hope for everything.
The truth is he is almost skeletal, but when you speak with him he's always still lively, and
he also makes you more lively. He is convinced with what he's doing. The first hunger strike
began in April, but he stopped because the head of the prison told him he would resolve the
situation; but he did not, so Amadeu saw that he had been "sold smoke", that he had been cheated.
Now he says that he will exit on his own legs, or with his feet forward. The hunger strike is
to the final consequences.
...
GARA 31 august 2008
Translated from:
http://www.gara.net/paperezkoa/20080831/94285/es/Amadeu-dice-que-saldra- This interview eas originally published in L'ACCENT, catalan left newspaper www.laccent.cat
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