Ex-Puerto Rican political prisoners
Victoria A. Tullock
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News
|
Rodriguez and Perez described their imprisonment as being a psychological game, "They (guards) would log our every movement, every movement, then they would hold us in shackles, legs and arms; we had to be cuffed whenever we left the cell and lead around by two guards. We were treated as serial killers, all of this to make others think that we were dangerous and were to be feared." Rodriguez and Perez along with 11 other activists were arrested on April 4, 1980 in Evanston, Illinois.
What many people do not know is that there has been a huge movement going on since 1898 among the Puerto Rican citizens to become a free nation. As Rodriguez stated "We are one of the longest held colonies in the world, and we are being held by the U.S. government." As revolutionists they struggle, as do many of the country's people, to become separate from the U.S. They were arrested on charges stating that they were trying to overthrow the U.S. government using violent means, which was an attempt to send a message to other Puerto Rican loyalists, and they were also charged as being part of the group Armed Forces of Puerto Rican National Liberation (FALN).
Their only crime was fighting for their right to live in their own country without persecution from outside elements. As Rodriguez and Perez explained during the interview, the Puerto Rican constitution is not upheld by the U.S. government, and is treated as a lesser constitution than the U.S.'s. This means that because they are a territory of the United States, they do not have the same rights as U.S. citizens. The reality that Puerto Ricans face is that their rights are constantly violated by the U.S. government agencies, and they have nothing and no one to protect them.
Be the first to comment on this story