ProLibertad United Nations

We, the undersigned, respectfully petition the United Nations General Assembly to address in plenary the cases of the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners (Carlos Alberto Torres, Haydee Beltran and Oscar Lopez Rivera) incarcerated in U.S. jails for their political beliefs and actions in the defense of self determination and freedom for Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States of America since 1898; the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Resolution 1514 (XV) declares colonialism as an international human rights violation and calls for the self-determination and independence of all colonies. The United Nations Special Committee on De-colonization recognizes Puerto Ricos colonial reality and has passed many resolutions calling for its self-determination and independence. The Puerto Rican Political Prisoners found Puerto Ricos colonial reality intolerable and unacceptable; this led them to join the Puerto Rican Independence movement and to confront the United States government, which was their right as International citizens, as stipulated in the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, Resolution 1514 (XV).

When arrested in April 1980, the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners invoked prisoner of war status and argued that the U.S. courts and its political subdivisions did not have jurisdiction to try them as criminals; they petitioned their cases to be handed over to an international impartial court, which was their right under Article 4 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949. The U.S. government did not recognize their request and tried them; they did not defend themselves and were given sentences 19 times longer than the average sentence given out that year. These sentences are punitive and excessive; it is clear that they were being punished for fighting against U.S. colonialism in Puerto Rico.

During their 25-year incarceration, the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners have been subjected to physical and psychological torture; this is in direct violation of international law, which prohibits the mistreatment of prisoners due to their political beliefs [United Nations; Minimum Uniform Rules on the Treatment of Prisoners (UNSMRTP), Rule A1 6(1).].

We petition the United Nations General Assembly to pass a resolution in favor of the unconditional release of the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners from U.S. jails and for the de-colonization of Puerto Rico.