Keep on Calling to Free Oscar López Rivera!

Students, senators, family, friends, celebrities, and other community members from the U.S., Puerto Rico, and beyond who support the release of Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera have been continuing to call in to the US Parole Commission. (To see Oscar’s art, learn more about his contributions to the community, and his case, see my earlier blog posts at Freedom for Oscar López Rivera and The Campaign to Free Oscar López Rivera Continues! or visit the Boricua Human Rights website)

East Coasters (U.S.) - Tuesday is our day! Those calling from the Midwest have been calling on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and the West Coast as been calling Thursdays or Fridays. Please mark your calendars and take a few moments to call into the USPC to call for the end to Oscar’s nearly 30 years of incarceration for his commitment to the liberation of the people and land of Puerto Rico. The USPC may tell you that you must put your comments into writing. You can print out a letter to sign and mail in. I’ve printed out extra letters and have been carrying them with me to work, on errands, and to events that I attend to share with others and mailing in the signed letters. If you can let the Boricua Human Rights Network know the number of letters you’re sending in, it helps them keep track of how many supporters are in touch with the USPC. Also, continue to call! Leave a message with the operator if you can, or leave a message on their voicemail if they put you through or if you call outside of business hours. Your calls, your letters, and your faxes really do count. Asking friends, family members, co-workers, and people in organizations that you’re a part of to sign letters of support for Oscar not only builds a stronger movement calling for his release, it is also a great way to spark conversations about US Political Prisoners, incarceration, and issues affecting communities near and far.

If you’re already familiar with the case, you can call (301) 492-5990 and hit 0 to speak to operator or leave a voicemail. You can simply say “Hello, I’m calling for the release of Oscar López #87651-024 and I live in Vermont [NY, ME, MI, etc.] The Parole Commission should reconsider its order denying him parole, and grant him immediate parole.” For a phone script and for the letter to print out and mail in and/or fax, please click here.

Another way to show some love and raise awareness about Oscar’s (and others’) incarceration is to wear your message. May 29^th marks the 30^th anniversary of Oscar López Rivera's arrest, and to commemorate this a new OLR t-shirt (image above) has been created and is on sale now! The t-shirt is available in med, large, XL, and 2XL. Each shirt costs $20 plus $5 shipping and handling in continental US and Puerto Rico. The designer, Michael Reyes, is Oscar's nephew and a portion of the sale of each t-shirt goes to the campaign to free Oscar.

To order, please mail your check and t-shirt size to:

National Boricua Human Rights Network
2739 W. Division Street
PASEO BORICUA
Chicago, IL 60622

I know I’m sending my check in soon and hope to see others rocking one soon, too! Many thanks for taking the time to support our community members who are locked up for their political belief, community actions, and dedication to freedom.

Please be in touch if you have questions or comments!

The Campaign to Free Oscar López Rivera Continues!

Clockwise from top left. Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera, National Boricua Human Rights Network - working tirelessly for Oscar's freedom, the last of Oscar's co-defendents Carols Alberto Torres is Free! July 26, 2010, and youth calling for the release of the remaining Puerto Rican Political Prisoners,

The US Parole Commission has daily received hundreds of calls, along with thousands of faxes and letters in support of US Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera over the last 3 week period. (Please see the 2/12 Freedom for Oscar López Rivera! post for more info) The National Boricua Human Rights Network is continuing the campaign to win freedom for Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera. On Friday, February 18, the U.S. Parole Commission issued its decision in the case of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, stating “Deny parole. Continue to a 15-year reconsideration hearing in January 2026 or continue to expiration, whichever comes first.”

Please continue to call, fax and mail letters to the USPC. THERE ARE NEW VERSIONS OF THE PHONE SCRIPT AND LETTER. Please make sure you use those.

This decision ignores the express will of the Puerto Rican people and those who believe in justice and human rights, counting tens of thousands of voices supporting his immediate release, the Commission ignored the evidence establishing that Oscar met all the criteria for parole, and also ignored its own rules in the process. Among these many ignored voices are members of legislatures including the United States Congress; the state legislatures of New York, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania; the city councils and county boards of many locales in the U.S. and Puerto Rico; the mayors of many towns in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including the Association of Mayors of Puerto Rico; bar associations including the Puerto Rico Bar Association, the National Lawyers Guild and the American Association of Jurists; clergy and religious organizations, including the Ecumenical Coalition representing every religious denomination in Puerto Rico; human rights advocates, academics, students, artists, community organizations, and workers.

Oscar and his attorney Jan Susler will meet next week to discuss the decision. Meanwhile, the National Boricua Human Rights Network in the U.S. and the Comité Pro Derechos Humanos in Puerto Rico will continue the campaign to express to the Parole Commission the depth and breadth of support for Oscar’s immediate release.

Oscar, his family, his attorney, National Boricua Human Rights Network in the U.S. and the Comité Pro Derechos Humanos in Puerto Rico want to express our deepest gratitude for the vast support for his release.

Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project Denounces US Parole Commission's Decision

The Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project denounces the US Parole Commission's decision to deny the parole petition of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera, a father, grandfather, artist, community organizer, and decorated Viet Nam veteran who has spent nearly 30 years in prison for acts and beliefs in favor of independence for Puerto Rico.

In making this decision, the Parole Commission clearly failed to follow its own guidelines, which stipulate that the petitioner not pose a safety threat and not be likely to commit a future offense.

Past and present supporters of his release include Nobel Laureates such as Desmond Tutu and Rigoberta Menchu; scores of other prominent people, including elected officials, celebrities, and religious leaders and denominations, reflecting the broadest cross-section of the Puerto Rican society. Clearly his supporters would not be working to welcome him home to Puerto Rico if they considered it remotely possible that he posed a danger to themselves or their loved ones.

A whole generation has grown up in the thirty years that Mr. López Rivera has been in prison. Around the world, we see people breathing in the new possibilities of freedom and democracy, while students in one of the few remaining colonies in the Americas are maced and tear-gassed for engaging in peaceful protest at the University of Puerto Rico. Regardless of one's views concerning Puerto Rico's political status, it's past time for people of conscience everywhere to join in this call to pray, meditate, demand, and struggle to bring Oscar home.

Rev. Dr. C. Nozomi Ikuta

Co-Chair, Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project.