Fwd: People being beaten in Cells in Prague Now. Need Help Now.

[The Land Is Ours]

>From: "Leeds EF!" <leedsef at ukf.net>
>To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:@radius.connectfree.net;>
>Subject: People being beaten in Cells in Prague Now. Need Help Now.
>Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 15:08:11 +0100
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6600
>
>
>Protestors against the World Bank / IMF summit in Prague this week are being
>beaten, tear gassed, tied up for hours on end and sexually harassed in
>prison cells in the Czech Republic, following two days of severe police
>brutality on the streets of the city.
>
>The OPH legal team in Prague is reporting that there are more than 859
>prisoners being held as a result of S26 actions. The police are reporting
>that of that 859 around 200 are not Czech citizens. Only 20 have been
>charged. 30 people inside the jails have been denied food, water and sleep.
>We have reports of people having limbs broken and teeth knocked out. One
>woman has a broken spine. There is clear evidence of tourture by the police.
>
>
>And people are still being arrested.
>Those arrested are a combination of Peaceful protestors, Rioters and Medics
>(who were picked out first). All deserve support and protection from police
>brutality.
>
>They need your help NOW!!! Call these numbers and write to these emails to
>demand their release, complain about the brutality and generally hassle the
>authorities:
>
>Czech Ministry of Justice: wsp at wsp.justice.cz
>Czech President, Vacslav Havel: president at hrad.cz
>Czech Embassy: 0207 243 1115
>British Embassy in Czech Republic: 0042 0257 530278
>fax: 0042 0257 530296 info at britain.cz
>UK Foreign Office: 0207 270 3000 0207 238 4586
>
>Czech Centre zykan at london.czech.cz cclondon at czechcentre.org.uk 0207 291 9920
>fax 0207 4368300
>
>Despite the arrests, the resistance to the summit was highly successful,
>causing the talks to shut down one day early. For news of what really
>happened this week in Prague and for updates visit the website:
>www.prague.indymedia.org
>
>
>Brief summary follows
>
>!World Bank/IMF cancel annual meeting & pull out of Prague!
>
>The World Bank has now cancelled its meetings for the third and final day of
>its annual meeting (September 28), and is pulling out of Prague. This is a
>direct result of the successful resistance to the World Bank/IMF shown on
>September 26.
>
>September 26th background:
>11,000 police deployed in Prague (1/4 of total Czech police force)
>15-20,000 activists, operating in clusters of affinity groups, keeping in
>touch through communications network, barricade delegates inside Prague
>Congress Centre over 8 hours, in face of...
>Police using water cannons, tear gas, CS gas, rubber bullets, flash-bangs
>(stun grenades) in large quantities, baton charges against peaceful
>protestors, as well as pitch battles with tooled up Spanish/Italian affinity
>clusters
>People carrying medical supplies targeted and snatched by police
>Access to injured people (including severe head injuries) frustrated by
>police
>Police dressed as masked up "protestors" starting fights within the crowds
>Similar actions from fascists, supported by police
>Czech people assist protestors - old man handing out cobblestones, water
>being poured from appartments onto riot police.
>About 60 people in police custody as of 2200 hrs on September 26. Main
>police focus to keep control of Congress Centre, not make mass arrests
>Evening social events at Opera cancelled. Banquet for 6000 delegates gets
>attention from 1000-strong black block
>Hardly any police on streets of Prague old town from about 1800-2200 hrs,
>when extensive damage caused to banks and fast food outlets (yes, including
>lots of McDonalds), mainly around avenues that were focus for 1989 Velvet
>Revolution - lots of Czechs involved in this.
>September 26 involved largest and most brutal police presence on streets of
>Prague since weeks leading up to Velvet Revolution
>
>September 27
>Protestors gather in Old Town Square for "Party", in defiance of police
>clampdown, and to keep their spirits up!
>2031 hrs, confirmed reports of extreme police brutality in jails - people
>being tied together for hours, gassed, beaten, men and women separated and
>women sexually assaulted (not known to what extent). Some of this
>information from a mobile phone inside a jail, until cut off.
>Legal observers denied access to jails
>Czech Ministry of Interior breaks off relations with OPH, the Czech based
>legal monitoring group.
>Evening, 1000 demonstrators outside one jail where people being held. Police
>surround crowd and pick out medics, then remove all press. Protestors told
>to leave one by one giving passport details - attempts to break police lines
>leads to police using gas and baton charges on crowd. More arrests - extent
>of injuries not known
>Some people being released, police still picking up others demanding them to
>account for their whereabouts on September 27
>
>September 28 - TODAY
>
>1206 hrs Indymedia in Letna Square surrounded by police
>1219 hrs Demonstrators gathering on Charles Bridge in Old Town - highly
>visible - to protest at police brutality and demand release of prisoners
>1224 hrs Demonstrators outside Ministry of Interior. Reports of extreme
>police brutality 10-20 people arrested so far.
>
>http://prague.indymedia.org/
>
>
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>
>Sent From ...
>Cornerstone Resource Centre, Leeds, UK.
>www.cornerstone.ukf.net/crc/
>
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