An appeal from the Russian leftists to their comrades in the struggle:

We, the representatives of Russian leftist organizations, turn to our comrades all over the world with an appeal for solidarity. This call and your response to it are very important to us. Right now we are facing not just another instance of dubious sentencing by the Russian “justice” system or another case of a human life broken by the encounter with the state’s repressive apparatus. Today the authorities have launched against us a repressive campaign without precedent in the recent history of Russia, a campaign whose goal is to extinguish the Left as an organized political force. The recent arrests, threats, beatings, aggressive media attacks and moves towards declaring leftist groups illegal all point to the new general strategy on the part of the authorities, much more cruel and much less predictable than that of recent years…

Please, send your reports on solidarity action and any other information or questions to this email: solidarityaction2012@gmail.com.

Solidarity is our only weapon!

United, we will never be defeated!

***

Community leader Felix Manuel Banguero was among 27 Afro-Colombian and Indigenous activists arrested by the Colombian military in June, accused of ties to the FARC guerrillas. Some of those arrested were already under threats by the right-wing paramilitaries that the government claims no longer exist.

Banguero was serving as Cultural Adviser of the town of Guachene. He has a long history of community activism, and was a significant figure in the struggle for Law 70, which in theory guarantees that Afro-Colombian lands and culture must be respected. His arrest is one more example of how little the Colombian state wishes to comply with its own written laws.

To support Felix Manuel Banguero and others arrested please contact Charo Mina Rojas of Black Communities Process International at charominarojas@gmail.com.

Gerry Emmett

Chicago