The Puerto Rican Cultural Center wishes to convey its condolences to Abel de Jesus and family on the passing of his father, Ramón de Jesús, in Utuado, Puerto Rico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Holidays are a particularly difficult time for the homeless. For that reason, the staff over at El Rescate Transitional Home are working hard to help provide a safe, fun and cheerful Christmas for our residents. In order to do this, we have developed a Christmas Wish List starting with the things the residents need most.

• Computers/Computer Equipment: Because we know that there is no single item that empowers the individual more than a computer and internet connection, the staff at El Rescate have been working tirelessly to build a computer lab for our residents. With computers, our residents will be able to develop a resume/cover letter, apply for jobs, register for FAFSA and college, look for apartments, among countless other productive activities.
• 1 Refrigerator
• 1 Stove/Oven
• Winter Hats/Gloves/Scarves
• Business/Interview Clothes
• Winter Shoes (Male and Female)
• Non-perishable food items
• New or Lightly used clothing
• 1 Sofa /living room furniture
• Long Twin size bedding
• Blankets
• Towels
• Laundry Detergent
• Bath Soap
• Heavy Duty Trash Bags
• Cleaning products
• 2 DVD Players/TV
• First Aid Kit
• Decorative Items 

The National Boricua Human Rights Network is working with activist in Germany to educate and publicize the plight of Oscar López Rivera.

 

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El Rescate Cleanup Event

 

Friday morning, December 14, the residents at El Rescate woke up with a purpose. After brainstorming about productive things to do, the residents decided to clean up the area around El Rescate. They started by raking dead grass and sweeping up debris in and around the residence. They also took it upon themselves to clean up all the cigarette butts and garbage that accumulated in front of the building, leaving it looking brand new.

 

All the residents are doing their part to give back to the community that provided them a home. It was a humbling experience to witness them take ownership of their space and to see how much they truly appreciate all that has been done for them. 

The Summit on Human Rights 2012 for the release of Oscar López Rivera and to the memory of Puerto Rican attorney Juan Santiago Nieves, to whom we owe this initiative, is an ambitious effort for the broadest discussion of the current state of human rights in the world. It is conceived in the principle articulated by compañero Oscar that all efforts
for his release should be framed in a context that educates for the freedom of the Homeland and to achieve social justice. Meanwhile, it helps denounce the colonial situation of Puerto Rico and highlights the intimate relationship that exists between the
case of the Puerto Rican political prisoners and Human Rights.

WHEREAS, Puerto Rico and its inhabitants, without any consultation whatsoever and under military control, were ceded to the United States as war booty via the Treaty of Paris of December 10, 1898.

WHEREAS, the People's Right to Self-Determination and Independence has been recognized in Resolution 1514(XV) of 1960 of the General Assembly of the United Nations; and as Prevailing Norm of Public International Law in the Consulting Opinions
of the International Court of Justice on Western Sahara and Namibia.

WHEREAS, no people should be subject to foreign domination, and colonialism is a crime against humanity; thus the inalienable right of a people to struggle against colonialism in all its forms and manifestations is recognized.

WHEREAS, respect for the physicial and territorial integrity of all peoples strengthens friendly relations among peoples, promoting peace and world security.

WHEREAS, all branches of human rights are equally important and interdependent. It is indispensable that the right of self-determination of all peoples be respected as a requirement for the full exercise of all the other rights, collective as well as individual, in
accordance with the Vienna Treaty of 1993.

WHEREAS, the demilitarization and the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of war is demanded as a requirement for the effective exercise of the right of selfdetermination of the Puerto Rican people.

WHEREAS, Oscar López Rivera, 69 years old, has been incarcerated for more than 31 years in United States prisons because of his commitment and struggle for the Independence of Puerto Rico.

WHEREAS, Oscar López Rivera was convicted for the ideological crime of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 70 years in prison at the beginning of the 1980's along with 14 other political prisoners.

WHEREAS, Oscar López Rivera was not convicted of killing or harming anyone.

WHEREAS, the imprisonment of Oscar López Rivera constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights.

WHEREAS, while in prison he has also been exposed to more than a decade of total isolation, to multiple aggressions, as well as to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in violation of the International Charter of Human Rights and the Standard Minimum
Rules of the Treatment of Prisoners of the United Nations.

WHEREAS, the political prisoners tried, convicted, and sentenced with Oscar López Rivera were released when President William J. Clinton decided to commute their sentences, after determining that they were disproportionately long and unjust.

WHEREAS, the political prisoners tried, convicted, and sentenced with Oscar López Rivera were released after having spent 16 and 20 years in prison, and have integrated into the life of their communities, living productive and exemplary lives.

WHEREAS, Oscar López Rivera is the Puerto Rican political prisoner who has been held for the longest time in United States prisons in the history of Puerto Rico.

WHEREAS, the decision of the United States Parole Commission last year, denying parole and determining that Oscar López Rivera must serve an additional 15 years before it would consider him for parole again, when he will be 83 years old, constitutes an extraordinary and unbelievable exacerbation of the violation of his human rights.

WHEREAS, the civil society of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican community in the United States and leaders of all the political parties, labor unions, religious and cultural institutions demand the immediate release of Oscar López Rivera.

WHEREAS, on the international level as well, his immediate release is demanded by prominent personalities from Latin American, African, Asian and European countries.

WHEREAS, the Decolonization Committee of the United Nations, as well as the Non- Aligned Movement, have passed multiple resolutions calling on the President of the United States to release Oscar López Rivera.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: on the 64th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, those who participated in and attended the Summit on Human Rights 2012:

FIRST: demand unconditional respect for the right of self-determination and independence of the People of Puerto Rico by means of the immediate transfer of all
sovereign powers;

SECOND: ask the President of the United States Barack Obama to exercise his constitutional power of presidential pardon to order the immediate and unconditional release of Oscar López Rivera.

THIRD: commit to the broad dissemination of the violation of human rights that Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera is experiencing and to struggle vigorously for his immediate release.

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 10, 2012.