"After my family, what I miss most is the sea" Oscar L�pez Rivera
The Water's Edge/ La Orilla del Mar 
Welcome to the Water's Edge, the bi-weekly magazine of the
National Boricua Human Rights Network, featuring articles in English and Spanish.

Bienvenidos a la revista quincenal de la Red Nacional Boricua Pro Derechos Humanos 

"La Orilla del Mar", con art�culos en Ingl�s y Espa�ol.

 

View Past Issues

http://boricuahumanrights.org/the-waters-edge-archives/ 

5,000 March with "One Voice for Oscar"

5.5. Million Tweet #FreeOscarLopez

Alejandro L. Molina and Ana M. L�pez, May 30th Coalition
On May 30th, in the streets of West and El Barrio (East Harlem), community activists, churches, activists, labor and federal, state and local elected officials came together for the freedom of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar L�pez Rivera.

 

The march began at 125th and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. to 106th and Lexington Avenue. A well organized, spirited and human rights march left a historical imprint. This is the first time a march of this magnitude has taken place demanding the freedom of a Puerto Rican political prisoner has taken place. Oscar, who has endured 34 years in US prisons- 12 of them in control unit prisons and solitary confinement- was convicted of "seditious conspiracy" for struggling for the freedom of his homeland, Puerto Rico.

While 5,000 marched through Harlem to rally in El Barrio, the May 30th Coalition reached 5.5 million Twitter accounts using the hashtag #freeoscarlopez. This extraordinary achievement was made possible by its member organizations- faith-based, labor, community, student and Latin American organizations using the same hashtag in addition to local, state and federal elected officials.

 

With no break, the Coalition is organizing a contingent of 1,000 Oscar supporters for the National Puerto Rican Parade. Come join us so we can proclaim in "One Voice" FREE OSCAR LOPEZ.

Details in next Tuesday's issue of The Water's Edge.

5,000 Marched with 

"ONE VOICE FOR OSCAR" Freedom Now!

By Ana M. L�pez, May 30th Coalition
In the city of skyscrapers, the "Coalition May 30, 2015" took to the streets in a mobilization with 5,000 people with the theme of "ONE VOICE FOR OSCAR". This is the first time that a march of this magnitude takes place in New York City demanding the release of a Puerto Rican political prisoner casting a historic impression in Harlem.

 

Oscar at the age of 72 years has suffered 34 years in prison in the United States,-12 of them in the control unit in solitary confinement.  He was sentenced to 70 years in prison. He was convicted of the crime "seditious conspiracy" for fighting for the freedom of their homeland, Puerto Rico.

 


The march began at 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Avenue in West Harlem down to 106th Street and Lexington Avenue in El Barrio. The march was marked with full of patriotic spirit and fervor voiced with the slogans: "Free, Oscar-Free Oscar", "
We believe in human rights-So for Oscar we will fight!" and "New York City is the key, to set Oscar L�pez Free" and "We raise one voice and we say- Set Oscar L�pez free today!"

 

This remarkable achievement was made possible by the more than two dozens of elected officials at the federal, state and city level, groups of 33 churches for Oscar, labor organizations, community organizations, student and Latin American organizations.

Other rhythmic slogans repeatedly were heard with the sounds of the pleneros of the El Maestro Group, Herencia de Mi Tambor and Pleneros de la 21. The march was filled with the echoes of chants describing the beginning of 34 years of imprisonment, "For Oscar it's year 34-His freedom's what we're marching for!" "34 -NO MORE! ","Obama listen to us, 34 years is long enough! And "Leader, fighter, Vietnam Vet-His sacrifice we won't forget!"

 

As we march through the streets, it was visible the many tenants in public housing projects demonstrating  their solidarity by displaying the Puerto Rican flag out their windows and chanting "Free Oscar".

 

The rally on 106th Street was nurtured with messages of solidarity and a cultural component in the Latino barrio.  All the clamored for the release for Oscar L�pez Rivera. The program reflected the diversity of the supporters of this great humanitarian gesture. It began with drums hosting the celebration our existing African-indigenous influence in a forceful drive for Oscar. The program was moderated by Professor Ana M. L�pez, spokesman for the NY Coordinator for the freedom of Oscar L�pez Rivera and one of the main organizers of the Coalition May 30 who welcomed and congratulated all the organizers of a march. There were many messages of high caliber and moving.

Maria de los Angeles Vives of the Spanish Evangelical Church of the Bronx, another moderator, began with the presentation of Senator Ruben Diaz who gave the invocation. The senator is the State of New York since 2002, he is an ordained minister and president of the Hispanic Clergy Organization New York, consisting of 150 Pentecostal ministers of the tri-state area. Other representatives of clerics like Reverend Raymond Rivera (Latino Pastoral Action Center) and Danilo LaChapel (Bronx Spanish Evangelical Church) and Rev. Francois III (First Corinthian Baptist Church) who led his choir to sing a song of love for humanity gave messages of clamor for clemency.

The program continued with the president of the city council of New York, Melissa Mark-Viverito who has taken a stand in favor of Oscar's freedom for some time now. She spoke of her recent visit to Oscar in the prison of Terra Haute, Indiana and her belief in social justice and human rights. Mark-Viverito said: "the humanitarian case of Oscar L�pez Rivera is a priority". The president of the Jewish caucus of NYC, Mark Levine gave his message of solidarity with the same conviction in both languages. The two Congresspersons Jos� Serrano and Nydia Velzquez said that "President Obama cannot ignore us any more" and urged the matter of clemency of Oscar L�pez Rivera. All send a message of optimism. They explained that they were working arduously for the presidential pardon. Jos� Serrano spoke of already imagining Oscar's return to Puerto Rico.

Natasha Bannan, Esq., related the message of the 34mujeresnycXOscar, a group of women which have established a monthly ritual of protest in different parts of the city demanding freedom for Oscar.

Matt Meyer of the War Resisters League and member of the coalition was the next moderator to present Jose Rivera, state assemblyman and supporter more than 40 years on the question of Puerto Rican political prisoners. Jose Rivera said "we do not come to beg, we come to demand the release of Oscar, that we owe nothing to any political party, to the contrary, they owe us, especially the Puerto Ricans people when they want our vote for the next presidential elections." Others, like Rosie Mendez, NY municipal council also urged unity for the release of Oscar.  A special honorable mention was given to former political prisoners Ricardo Jim�nez, Edwin Cortes, Adolfo Matos Antongiorgi, and Lu�s Rosa whom share the stage with Jos� Rivera.

Elected officials in other cities also echoed their support for the release of Oscar. Deputy Mayor of Newark-Jacqueline Quiles and James Flores of Connecticut. The campaign for Oscar's freedom has stretched through the eastern corridor.

The center of attraction was when Clarisa L�pez Ramos, daughter of Oscar, had her turn. She read a letter from Oscar that was emotionally received. Oscar tells us:

When i was arrested on the 29th of May, 1981, i had no idea i was going to spend 34 years and counting in prison.  What i knew and anticipated was that i was going to be facing very hard and difficult challenges that were going to require lots of inner strength, spiritual and mental fortitude and discipline if i were going to deal with and try to transcend them.  i also knew i had to prepare and to start doing it from that moment on. 


Later in his letter, he says:


... And I can say that no matter what the future brings. I can walk every day with my honor, dignity and courage intact and strong. Let us dare to fight, let's dare to win. Resistance and struggle, OLR.


We had the presentation of composers and singers of songs dedicated to Oscar. Composers, like Yova Rodr�guez, Lu�s Enrique Romero, and Gabriel Miranda. The cultural program was moderated by the beloved community leader Fernando "Ponce" Laspina, Executive Director of the Cultural Center El maestro and from the NY Coordinator.


We were startled with the presence of other cities of ranging from A-V who arrived with great sacrifice to New York. Those cities with people that traveled from far away were Allentown, Pa, Atlanta, Georgia, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Ill, Connecticut, Detroit, Michigan, Los Angeles, California, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia (came with 3 buses), Fitchburg, Mass, ten villages of New Jersey and Vermont. Organizations like Chicago Aspira provided support to mobilize youth from Chicago.

We closed the program with Jose E. L�pez, brother of Oscar, with students from Chicago and rhythms of the pleneros filled with love, solidarity and hope that Oscar L�pez Rivera will be home soon!

 

�Thank You!
We are writing to thank you for your part in making the May 30th mobilization to Free Oscar L�pez Rivera a success. But thanks is more than in order. There is much to evaluate regarding the strengths and weaknesses of our efforts, and much work still to be done to ensure Oscar's freedom.

 

It is clear that together we built a demonstration of a magnitude never seen in New York City before. The May 30th Coalition included, at our base, most of those one might expect to support Oscar's freedom. However, also at our earliest stages, we had the beginnings of labor, electoral, religious and community engagement which were to grow over the months of building the campaign. Bringing close to 5000 people out for the march and rally was historic; having the action covered in positive reports on the cover and page four of El Diario, as a feature on NY1 television, and in over 5.4 million tweets surpassed our original hopes and expectations.

 

These efforts were completed with very little staffing, and with less money than these efforts usually require. We were able to do this primarily because of the generosity of our union sponsors and the many grassroots cash contributions from endorsing and sponsoring organizations. There is, however, still some outstanding debts - and, perhaps more importantly, no seed money available for the ongoing work of the coalition including the plans for late 2015 and 2016 mobilizations.

 

To help with this, a signed limited edition Oscar print has been donated by Elizam Escobar, and we hope that you can purchase at least one of these wonderful investments. In addition, for any organization which pledged a contribution for their sponsoring or endorsing fee but were not yet able to pay it, please make sure you get those monies to us as soon as possible. No group was left off the various announcements for lack of funds. Make checks payable to El Maestro, and send to 1300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10459. In the memo please write "Free OLR".

 

Finally, please attend or send a representative to the important follow-up meeting of the Coalition, to evaluate our efforts and discuss our next steps. It will be taking place on Wednesday, June 10, 6 pm, at Hostos Community College, 500 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY, Room B501 on the 5th floor. We look forward to seeing you there, as we continue the struggle to bring Oscar L�pez Rivera home.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ana M.  L�pez          Ponce Laspina       Matt Meyer        Alejandro L. Molina

For the May 30th Coalition to Free Oscar Lopez Rivera

Urgent Fundraising Appeal from May 30 Coalition
$7500 raised, $2500 left!
 

We come from different backgrounds, but we speak with

"One Voice For Oscar!"

On almost no money, all volunteer labor, and supporters far and wide, the May 30th Coalition organized the largest demonstration for a US political prisoner in the last 2 decades.  But we still need your help! From retiring our small to debt to building for the future, please make your donation now!

 

We've raised $7500 and need to raise $2,500 to retire the debt from 
our hugely successful May 30th March and Rally!

 

Donate generously. This link works!

Visit our website and donate through the Paypal link 
(El Maestro Cultural Center is our fiscal sponsor). OR:
Mail checks to (and write May 30th Coalition in the memo):
El Maestro, Inc
1300 Southern Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10459

From Many Artistic Traditions: One Brush for Oscar

Pre-Order May 30th Print Signed by Elizam Escobar

Own a piece of history by supporting the May 30 Coalition to Free Oscar Lopez Rivera and purchasing this LIMITED EDITION SIGNED GICLEE PRINT, designed, drawn and coordinated by world-renowned Puerto Rican artist and former political prisoner ELIZAM ESCOBAR. Bringing together the work of over two dozen Puerto Rican painters, graphic artists, cartoonists, and designers, Elizam created this special Oscar montage as part of the movement to win justice and freedom for his long-time friend.

Offered exclusively as a benefit for the May 30 Coalition, only 100 11x17 PRINTS will be produced, each NUMBERED AND SIGNED BY ELIZAM.

For $150.00 (postage and handling included), invest in a fantastic piece of signed art work while also investing in the work to bring Oscar home. Make checks payable to El Maestro, Inc, and sent to: RnB, 309 Park Place, Brooklyn NY 11238. Prints should be ready for shipping by mid-June 2015.


Oscar L�pez Rivera ha luchado por la independencia de Puerto Rico, al que califica de colonia americana. �Qu� opinan los expertos sobre su caso?

Tiempo de Debate: �scar L�pez Rivera, �h�roe o terrorista?

Univision Canal 41 Nueva York

 

  Vease el video.

 


International News/Noticias internacionales

Support for Oscar L�pez Rivera broader and more diverse

New York communities call on president Obama for his immediate release

By Jos� A. Delgado, El Nuevo Dia

 NEW YORK- Yesterday's march in New York wasn't only the most numerous of those that have taken place in the United States in almost two decades in support of the release of political prisoner Oscar L�pez Rivera, but it also reflected a diversity and level of solidarity reaching other New York communities.


Members of the Mexican community, the leader of the Jewish Caucus of the City Council, the Organization of Hispanic Ministers of New York, and influential unions such as 1199 and 32BJ, accompanied important sectors of the New York Puerto Rican political class in a march at noon for 22 blocks in Harlem, carrying flags from Puerto Rico and Mexico and banners under the theme "A single voice for Oscar," asking president Barack Obama to free L�pez Rivera.


Just as with the struggle against military training in the island municipality of Vieques, "it is through solidarity that we are going to win Oscar L�pez' release," said New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito.


More than a decade ago, Mark Viverito was the coordinator of the movement All Puerto Rico with Vieques. Now she is the second highest elected official in the city of New York.


One of the speakers at the event was city councilman Mark Levine, who chairs the Jewish Caucus, a community with a great amount of political and economic influence in New York City, comprising 14 of the 51 members of the City Council. 


The organizers of the march - who agree with other observers that more than 3,000 people paraded through the streets of Harlem, the African American neighborhood and the oldest Puerto Rican neighborhood -, feel that personalities like Levine will help erase the constant efforts of those who oppose L�pez Rivera's freedom who insist on connecting him to the 1975 New York bombing of Fraunces Tavern, for which the FALN took credit and in which four people died. 


Rarely, the organizers noted, do you see marches with thousands of people in a city as busy as New York. 


Jos� L�pez Rivera, Oscar's brother, believes that his brother Oscar's clemency petition is before "a president who is extremely complex, center right, careful, and before a permanent government that through the FBI expresses that someone must pay for what happened in Fraunces Tavern."


"Oscar is the last one left, and they have to look for one way or another that those who they believe are responsible for the incident at Fraunces Tavern pay for it," added Jos� L�pez Rivera. 


L�pez Rivera, in interviews with El Nuevo D�a, has advised that in spite of what ex-FBI agents and families of the victims of the bombing usually remind people about the bombing when they talk about his case, he had nothing to do with it. "I have no blood on my hands," L�pez Rivera said of 1975, when he advised that at the time he was in Puerto Rico.


After 34 years in prison, L�pez Rivera's release "is about an act of human rights," city council member Levin said from the stage at the end of the march. 


"It's time for president Obama and the U.S. Department of Justice to hear our call and to free Oscar," Congressman Jos� Serrano (New York) stated, speaking from the stage, standing between Jos� L�pez Rivera and Oscar's daughter Clarisa L�pez. 


Clarisa arrive in New York late Friday night, after having led the demonstration on Friday in San Juan. Jos� L�pez Rivera came from Chicago, where he is a university professor and community leader. "This shows that his case has support in the diaspora, from Latin Americans, and that there is hope that my father will soon come home to be with his family," said Clarisa.


The kind of unity seen in yesterday's demonstration, according to State Assemblyman Jos� Rivera, is what took place before the release of the Nationalists Rafael Cancel Miranda, Lolita Lebr�n, Irvin Flores and Oscar Collazo in 1979.


In the first row of the march were Puerto Rican political leaders, including Congresswoman 

Nydia Vel�zquez, L�pez Rivera's family, and the director of the New York office of Puerto Rican Federal Affairs (PFAA), Brenda Torres.


The march included musicians, a huge Puerto Rican flag, a large puppet head in homage of L�pez Rivera, artists like Antonio Martorell and Miguel Luciano, writer Nelson Denis, union members and representatives of the Mexican community, a growing group in the old Puerto Rican neighborhood.


The organizers pointed out the importance of the presence of Puerto Rican State Senator Rub�n D�az - a very conservative Democrat and defender of statehood - accompanied by dozens of pastors from the Organization of Hispanic Ministers. "Enough already, 34 years is enough," said D�az. 


Several days ago, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, comprised of 26 Democratic legislators, also called for L�pez Rivera's freedom.


Convicted of seditious conspiracy, due to his connection with the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), L�pez Rivera was sentenced on May 29 of 1981 to 55 years in prison. Another 15 years were added after he was accused of conspiracy to escape. 


Since 2011, president Obama has had a petition for the executive clemency of L�pez Rivera, who rejected a previous offer from president Bill Clinton mainly due to the fact that two other compa�eros, who are now free, were not included in that offer.


President Obama's administration has taken almost four years to decide, in spite of the fact that if L�pez Rivera had accepted the 1999 offer, he would have been released in 2009.


Congresswoman Vel�zquez contrasted the sentence and the 34 years L�pez Rivera has been in prison with the sentence of 20 years meted out to U.S. citizen John Walker Lindh, arrested in 2001 after the invasion of Afghanistan as part of the Taliban movement and declared an enemy combatant. 


"Puerto Rico is experiencing a tough fiscal crisis," Congresswoman Vel�zquez noted, on another matter about which Puerto Rican authorities are disenchanted with the Obama administration's positions, but "here, Mr. President, you have an opportunity to grant a moment of happiness to the Puerto Rican people."

Thousands Rally to Demand Freedom for Puerto Rican Activist

NEW YORK, Jun 1 2015 (IPS) - Children in strollers held placards. Those unable to make it into the streets leaned out of high-rise apartment building windows, shouting support to the river of protestors below. For hours, several city blocks became a mass of red and blue, as scores of people waved the national flag of Puerto Rico. One name was on everyone's lips, but the cause was broader than a single man.

On Saturday, May 30, close to 4,000 people marched through New York City's East Harlem demanding the release of Oscar L�pez Rivera, a 72-year-old Puerto Rican activist currently serving out his 34th year in prison.

He was convicted for seditious conspiracy in 1981 and sentenced to 55 years. He is one of the longest held political prisoners in Latin America.

His supporters - who span the globe and number in the millions - run the gamut from community organisations to Nobel laureates. They are petitioning U.S. President Barack Obama to order Rivera's immediate release on the grounds that he was imprisoned solely for his work as an activist and organizer - and has never been charged with any violent crime.

Thousands Attend Rally for Freedom of Imprisoned Puerto Rican Independentist
By Erin Clarke, NY1

The fight to release a long incarcerated political activist drew thousands of people in Manhattan Saturday. NY1's Erin Clarke filed this report. 

They say "enough is enough."

Supporters of one of the world's longest held political prisoners marched through the streets of Harlem calling on President Barack Obama to grant clemency to Oscar Lopez Rivera.

He's been in prison since 1981 for his connection to the FALN-an organization fighting for independence for Puerto Rico that was tied to more than 100 bombings across the U.S. in the 70s and 80s.

Rivera himself was never found to be directly connected to any of the attacks.

"He's convicted of seditious conspiracy to try to end US colonial control over Puerto Rico," says Jan Susler, Lopez Rivera's lawyer. "Nelson Mandela was in prison for the same thing Oscar Lopez is in prison for."

He's been imprisoned seven years longer than Mandela, however, for what many here say is not a crime. 

In 1999, the Vietnam veteran refused a pardon offer from President Bill Clinton because it wasn't given to all imprisoned advocates for Puerto Rico's independence.
"They have special rules that you don't leave nobody behind. He refused to sign because there were two of our comrades left," says former political prisoner Adolfo Matos. 

Misi�n de Puerto Rico en Cuba: Reclamo de libertad de Oscar L�pez Rivera a 34 a�os de injusta prisi�n
Por L. Eduardo Dom�nguez, Ladyrene P�rez 

En horas de la ma�ana se celebr� en la Misi�n de Puerto Rico en Cuba, un acto de solidaridad para reclamar la libertad del prisionero pol�tico boricua Oscar L�pez Rivera, quien este viernes cumple 34 a�os de injusta condena.

 

La directora general de la Asociaci�n Cubana de las Naciones Unidas (ACNU), Soraya �lvarez N��ez, dio lectura a la declaraci�n que la Asociaci�n hace llegar al comit� de descolonizaci�n de las Naciones Unidas y reafirm� el compromiso de la mayor de las Antillas con la causa de Oscar.

"La libertad de L�pez Rivera es un asunto de justicia, de derechos humanos, y que haya sido sentenciado a privaci�n de libertad por 70 a�os constituye una excesiva condena para un ser humano", asegur� �lvarez N��ez.

Durante el encuentro, los invitados al acto de solidaridad hicieron un llamado al presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, para que interceda por Oscar y que este pueda regresar finalmente con su familia.

�ES POSIBLE LA LIBERACI�N DEL BORICUA �SCAR L�PEZ RIVERA? EL PARLAMENTO VENEZOLANO APROB� PROYECTO
Subheading

Durante la sesi�n ordinaria de este martes, la Asamblea Nacional aprob� un acuerdo por la liberaci�n del independentista puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, encarcelado en Estados Unidos desde 1981 por participar en las Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaci�n Nacional (FALN) que se opuso a la colonizaci�n norteamericana de Puerto Rico.

 

En Venezuela, diferentes movimientos sociales y el Gobierno Nacional han reiterado su apoyo a L�pez Rivera, exigiendo al gobierno de la Casa Blanca su liberaci�n.

 

Acusado de conspiraci�n por su lucha clandestina por la independencia de Puerto Rico, el boricua de 72 a�os permanece encarcelado como prisionero de guerra, aunque su causa tuviera como norte la paz y la justicia.

 

Durante el pasado mes de mayo, L�pez Rivera cumpli� 34 a�os de prisi�n, convirti�ndose en el preso pol�tico m�s antiguo de la historia con una condena de 70 a�os.

Gefangener der USA
Von J�rgen Heiser, jungewelt

In New York City gingen am Samstag mehrere tausend Demonstranten auf die Stra�e, um Freiheit f�r den puertoricanischen Unabh�ngigkeitsk�mpfer Oscar L�pez Rivera zu fordern. Der zentrale Marsch eines breiten B�ndnisses durch Manhattan und Harlem unter der Losung �Ein Tag f�r Oscar L�pez Rivera - Eine Stimme f�r Oscar� war der H�hepunkt der in Puerto Rico, den USA sowie in Lateinamerika, Asien und Europa ausgerufenen Aktionstage im Monat Mai.

Bereits am Freitag, dem 29. Mai, hatten auf der Karibikinsel in 34 Orten Kundgebungen stattgefunden. In ebenfalls 34 US-St�dten fanden Aktionen statt, die sich mit der Zahl auf das 34. Jahr beziehen, das der politische Gefangene nun schon in einem US-Gef�ngnis verbringen muss. 1981 hatte ihn die US-Justiz unter dem Vorwurf verhaftet, sich mit Militanten der �Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaci�n Nacional� dagegen aufgelehnt zu haben, dass Puerto Rico seit 1898 Kolonie der USA ist. Obwohl er nicht wegen Beteiligung an gewaltsamen Aktionen gegen die USA angeklagt war, erhielt er wegen �Verschw�rung zum Umsturz� eine Strafe von 55 Jahren. 1988 bekam er wegen eines angeblich geplanten Fluchtversuchs noch einmal 15 Jahre dazu. Offiziell k�nnte der heute 72j�hrige fr�hestens 2027 aus der Haft entlassen werden.

EEUU: Miles exigen en Nueva York liberar a Oscar L�pez Rivera
Por TeleSUR / EFE  

A prop�sito de celebrarse el D�a de Acci�n Mundial por el luchador puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, miles de manifestantes exigieron al mandatario estadounidense Barack Obama otorgar clemencia al independentista que lleva 34 a�os en la c�rcel, siendo el preso pol�tico m�s antiguo del mundo.


Miles de personas exigieron este s�bado en Nueva York, en Estados Unidos (EE.UU.), la excarcelaci�n del independentista puertorrique�o �scar L�pez Rivera, quien lleva 34 a�os presos en una c�rcel estadounidense. 

En el marco del D�a de Acci�n Mundial por el luchador puertorique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, los manifestantes pidieron al presidente Barack Obama "entender que este es uno de los temas m�s importantes que une a los puertorrique�os" y que no bajar�an la presi�n, dijo la congresista Nydia Vel�zquez, quien particip� en la marcha.

La legisladora de origen puertorrique�o agreg� que "Obama no puede predicar la reconciliaci�n en Medio Oriente y no hacerlo en su casa". Vel�zquez estuvo acompa�ada de Larisa L�pez, hija del independentista preso, el congresista Jos� Serrano y la presidenta del Concejo municipal de Nueva York, Melissa Mark Viverito, as� como l�deres sindicales, estudiantes y activistas de derechos humanos. 

Marchan por la liberaci�n de Oscar L�pez
Por Peri�dico Rebeli�n
Al cumplirse 34 a�os del confinamiento de Oscar L�pez Rivera, el reclamo para su excarcelaci�n lleg� hoy, viernes, hasta los predios del Tribunal Federal, en Hato Rey, donde culmin� la Segunda Caminata Nacional por Oscar.

El acto de hoy, que parti� del estadio Hiram Bithorn, es la culminaci�n de una caminata que se llev� a cabo en 40 pueblos costeros y dur� 34 d�as, seg�n indic� Maril� Carrasquillo, del comit� organizador.

La marcha se llev� a cabo tambi�n en el marco del D�a Nacional de Llamar al Gobierno de Estados Unidos por la Excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez, que buscaba que las personas llamaran a la Casa Blanca y al Departamento de Justicia federal para pedir la liberaci�n del prisionero pol�tico utilizando frases como "Free Oscar L�pez now" (Liberen a Oscar L�pez ahora).

Entre los cientos de participantes de la marcha estaba la hija del prisionero pol�tico, Clarisa L�pez; el congresista boricua, Luis Guti�rrez; y la alcaldesa de San Juan, Carmen Yul�n Cruz, entre muchos otros.

"Nosotros lo queremos (de regreso) y debe regresar para que sea un buen abuelo", expres� el congresista Guti�rrez en un mensaje ofrecido frente al Tribunal Federal, donde los marchantes mostraban pancartas con mensajes como "Obama, Puerto Rico reclama excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez".

"Debe regresar para que sea un padre junto a su hija. Lo que ustedes han logrado hacer, unirse, y todas sus voces son importantes para su excarcelaci�n", a�adi� Guti�rrez.

El grupo coloc� 34 flores en los portones del Tribunal Federal, una por cada a�o de prisi�n de L�pez, de 72 a�os.
Movimientos sociales reiteran su lucha por liberaci�n de �scar L�pez Rivera
Por Hernan Porras, entorno inteligente
Movimientos sociales reiteran su lucha por liberaci�n de �scar L�pez Rivera / AVN / Caracas, 31 May. AVN.− Al cumplirse ayer 34 a�os del encarcelamiento de �scar L�pez Rivera,  condenado a prisi�n en c�rceles de Estados Unidos por su lucha a favor de la independencia de Puerto Rico, convirti�ndose en el preso pol�tico m�s antiguo de la historia con una pena de 70 a�os de c�rcel, movimientos sociales y miembros del Gran Polo Patri�tico (GPP) organizaron este s�bado un acto de solidaridad en la sede del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, en Caracas. 

Durante la actividad, Jos� Ignacio Jim�nez, presidente del Comit� Venezolano de Solidaridad con Puerto Rico, resalt� que el l�der puertorrique�o es un "hombre de una integridad sublime, de una entrega a la causa justa de nuestra Am�rica, un aut�ntico revolucionario, un amigo de Venezuela y un s�mbolo de la dignidad de Puerto Rico en su lucha por alcanzar la libertad y la soberan�a de la isla", citado en Ciudad Caracas.

Oscar sigue siendo nuestro, Oscar volver�!

Por Lourdes Cervantes V�zquez / OSPAAAL

Privar de la libertad a un patriota que lucha contra el colonialismo --lucha que constituye un derecho reconocido por la legalidad internacional a todos los pueblos y territorios coloniales-- es un grave delito. Batallar con firmeza y persistencia hasta conquistar la independencia nacional de un pueblo no lo es, no puede aceptarse que se le califique como un delito.

Parad�jicamente, el h�roe independentista a quien ampara un derecho inalienable, nuestro hermano Oscar L�pez Rivera, permanece privado de libertad en una c�rcel estadounidense desde hace 34 a�os. Mientras, quien comete el delito, el victimario de la independencia conculcada a Puerto Rico y del secuestro de la libertad de Oscar, impone su delincuente y criminal pol�tica sobre la base de la desigual superioridad de su poder�o y del inmoral uso de la fuerza.

Por eso, para quienes militamos en las filas de la solidaridad tricontinental, conquistar la libertad de Oscar es derrotar una colosal injusticia y tambi�n una batalla de dimensi�n universal en rechazo a la criminalizaci�n de la lucha por la independencia nacional.

Convicto por supuesta sedici�n desde el a�o 1981, Oscar nunca fue acusado ni hallado culpable de causar da�o o muerte a persona alguna. Ha cumplido 72 a�os de edad y purga una condena superior a todos sus a�os de vida. Paga un castigo adicional, el ensa�amiento de la metr�poli imperial por haber rechazado el indulto condicionado que el presidente Bill Clinton extendi� en 1999 a once  prisioneros pol�ticos puertorrique�os, actitud que asumi� en gesto de coraje y solidaridad hacia dos de sus compa�eros excluidos de esa indulgencia, quienes ya est�n fuera de la c�rcel.

Noble e ind�mito, nadie fue m�s libre que Oscar en la firmeza de sus convicciones y certezas en 1999. Digno e invencible, el prisionero pol�tico m�s antiguo del mundo, con 13 a�os en confinamiento en solitario, es el puertorrique�o s�mbolo que disfruta de la mayor admiraci�n y acompa�amiento internacional. La sensibilidad y la verdad vencieron al  aislamiento y la injusticia.  

Alienta la dimensi�n que ha ido cobrando la campa�a por su excarcelaci�n. El justo clamor por su libertad ha congregado a autoridades, partidos y sectores sociales de todos los signos pol�ticos en Puerto Rico; a la comunidad borinquen en los Estados Unidos y a un ascendente n�mero de activistas norteamericanos; e incorpora de forma creciente a otros muchos pueblos hermanos, gobiernos y personalidades del mundo.

En cumplimiento del compromiso adoptado en la Declaraci�n Final de la Cumbre de los Pueblos, que sesion� de forma paralela a la VII Cumbre de las Am�ricas en Panam� el pasado mes de abril, hasta esta ma�ana hemos identificado que en m�s de 10 pa�ses de Nuestra Am�rica --incluido el pa�s sede de dichos eventos-- est�n realiz�ndose hoy acciones simult�neas.

Pero ninguno de nuestros empe�os es suficiente. Tan vergonzante, ilegal e inmoral resulta la existencia en pleno Siglo XXI de pa�ses y territorios coloniales, como la permanencia de patriotas encarcelados por denunciar y combatir el colonialismo.

Como a Nelson Mandela durante su primera visita a Cuba, se acerca el d�a en el que la OSPAAAL tendr� el honor inmenso de colocar en el pecho de Oscar L�pez Rivera la Orden de la Solidaridad El Mehdi Ben Barka, que nuestro Secretariado Ejecutivo internacional le otorg� en septiembre de 2013.

Aunque desde el 17 de diciembre de 2014 disfrutamos la alegr�a inmensa de tener en Cuba a nuestros hermanos, a nuestros H�roes Gerardo, Ram�n, Tony, Ren� y Fernando;

Oscar sigue siendo nuestro, Oscar volver�!

Venezuela: Caminata por la libertad de Oscar L�pez Rivera
Por TeleSur
Activistas de monta�ismo asociados al Comit� de Solidaridad Internacional (COSI) protagonizar�n una caminata en la capital venezolana para exigir la liberaci�n del puertorrique�o. En el marco de las actividades por el D�a de Acci�n Mundial por el luchador puertorique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, en Venezuela realizar�n este s�bado una caminata hacia el pico El �vila en el parque Nacional Waraira Repano ubicado en la capital del pa�s, Caracas. La actividad fue convocada por el grupo de Monta�ismo Pol�tico Cusp�des del Alba, adscrito al Comit� de Solidaridad Internacional (COSI) miembro del Consejo Mundial de la Paz (CMP), y se realizar� desde las 08H00 hora local. En el acto, los participantes recordar�n la crueldad y frialdad con la cual el sistema legal de Estados Unidos violando todos los principios del derecho, juzga y sentencia sin ning�n elemento probatorio a un patriota como castigo por luchar en pro de la independencia de Puerto Rico.
Debaten en Venezuela sobre democracia y derechos humanos
Por Prensa Latina

Caracas, 29 may (PL) M�s de 250 delegados de 14 pa�ses participaron hoy en los talleres y conversatorios del I Congreso Internacional Inventar la democracia del siglo XXI, inaugurado la v�spera en esta capital.

Una de las actividades destacadas de la jornada fue la creaci�n de un Comit� de Solidaridad con el puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, encarcelado en Estados Unidos hace 34 a�os por sus ideas independentistas.

El grupo de apoyo fue conformado por artistas, intelectuales y miembros de movimientos sociales en una localidad caraque�a que lleva el nombre del boricua.

La causa de L�pez Rivera es apoyada por diversas personalidades y agrupaciones pol�ticas, sindicales, sociales y religiosas de Puerto Rico y de varios pa�ses.

En la instalaci�n de las mesas de trabajo del congreso, el ministro venezolano de Cultura, Reinaldo Iturriza, inst� a convertir a la democracia en un tema central de los debates pol�ticos actuales.

Iturriza declar� a Prensa Latina que el an�lisis en todos los foros de temas como la democracia y los derechos humanos es un imperativo para los revolucionarios de Am�rica Latina y el mundo.

Seg�n el ministro, hay que disputarle la difusi�n de esos conceptos a los grandes centros de poder.

No podemos permitir que unos pocos digan cu�l es el significado de la democracia, mucho menos a los poderes hegem�nicos estadounidenses, afirm�.

Por su parte, acad�micos participantes en el congreso destacaron la pertinencia de orientar el desarrollo cient�fico hacia el progreso de pueblos y comunidades.
Panam� se une en solidaridad por la liberaci�n de
Oscar L�pez Rivera

Ciudadanos en Panam� se unen en solidaridad por la liberaci�n de Oscar L�pez Rivera, quien este 29 de Mayo cumple 34 a�os de encarcelamiento en una prisi�n estadounidense por el �nico delito de alzar la voz por la independencia total de Puerto Rico.
Divulgan en Naciones Unidas informaci�n sobre el reclamo de excarcelaci�n de Oscar
Por Olga I. Sanabria D�vila / COPRONU 

Como parte de las m�ltiples expresiones del reclamo por la excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez Rivera con motivo de cumplirse hoy, 29 de mayo, 34 a�os de c�rcel del preso pol�tico m�s antiguo en Am�rica Latina y el Caribe, el Comit� de Puerto Rico en Naciones Unidas envi� hoy informaci�n sobre Oscar y la campa�a para su excarcelaci�n a un gran n�mero de diplom�ticos(as) en Naciones Unidas y tambi�n a decenas de sedes de las misiones permanentes ante Naciones Unidas.

 

La intensificaci�n de la divulgaci�n en Naciones Unidas sobre Oscar L�pez continuar� en junio de manera igualmente dirigida. Se espera que al igual que otros a�os el reclamo por la excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez y sus d�cadas en c�rcel sea uno de convergencia en las intervenciones de los(as) peticionarios que participar�n en las vistas sobre Puerto Rico que celebrar� el Comit� de Descolonizaci�n de  Naciones Unidas el pr�ximo 22 de junio,

Campa�a pro Oscar en Nueva York:

Durante el presente fin de semana que marca los 34 a�os de Oscar en c�rcel, la ciudad de Nueva York ser� escenario de varias actividades en reclamo de su excarcelaci�n, incluyendo una marcha que se espera sea masiva, el s�bado, 30 de mayo (11am desde la calle 125 en Manhattan y Ave. Adam Clayton Powell.)

JORNADA DE SOLIDARIDAD POR LA LIBERTAD DE OSCAR L�PEZ RIVERA
Por Partido Independentista Puertorrique�o (PIP)

From the/desde la Diaspora
La demanda es 'Libertad para Oscar'
Por: Mar�a Pe�a, El Diario NY
L�pez Rivera, un preso pol�tico que espera la clemencia de Obama, lleva 34 a�os en una prisi�n de Indiana

Washington.- No fue condenado por matar a alguien, pero el puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, a quien se le ha comparado con Nelson Mandela,  cumplir� este viernes 34 a�os en prisi�n, esperando la clemencia del presidente Barack Obama para regresar a la isla.

L�pez Rivera, considerado el prisionero pol�tico con m�s tiempo tras las rejas en EEUU, purga en una c�rcel de Indiana una sentencia de 70 a�os, tras ser condenado por sedici�n por sus v�nculos con las Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaci�n Nacional (FALN).

La Oficina de Prisiones del gobierno federal a�n no ha contestado a la solicitud de este diario para entrevistarlo.

Sin embargo, en entrevista telef�nica desde Illinois, su abogada, Jan Susler, afirm� que L�pez Rivera, un condecorado veterano de guerra del Vietnam, ahora de 72 a�os de edad, merece la clemencia sin demoras.

"Oscar solo quiere regresar a la isla, con su hija, su nieto, su pueblo. La gente ve su encierro como una traici�n a la democracia, una mancha para EEUU, y el presidente Obama puede dejarlo en libertad", dijo Susler, especialista en derechos civiles y en casos de prisioneros pol�ticos.

Puertorrique�os en Nueva York piden libertad de Oscar L�pez Rivera
Jos� Manuel Rodr�guez, HispanTV
En Nueva York se celebr� una gran manifestaci�n para pedir la libertad de �scar L�pez Rivera, un preso pol�tico, luchador por la independencia de Puerto Rico, que lleva 34 a�os encarcelado sin haber cometido delitos de sangre.

Es un preso pol�tico que ha luchado por la independencia de Puerto Rico y est� acusado de conspiraci�n sediciosa e intentar derrocar al gobierno de Estados Unidos, as� que lo apoyamos y exigimos su excarcelaci�n al presidente Barack Obama.

L�pez Rivera particip� en la guerra de Vietnam en los a�os sesenta y a su vuelta se implic� en el activismo social y por la mejora de la juventud, muy afectada por las drogas en la ciudad de Chicago, donde resid�a.

Esta campa�a por la liberaci�n tiene un amplio apoyo de decenas de iglesias de Estados Unidos, miembros del Congreso, regidores de la ciudad de Nueva York y de artistas e intelectuales.
Mass March for 'Latino Hero' Oscar Lopez Planned in New York
By TeleSur
Oscar Lopez Rivera was a leading voice for Puerto Rican independence as a community organizer and liberation fighter in the 1970s.  A march calling for the release of incarcerated Puerto Rican liberation fighter Oscar Lopez is expected to rally over 5,000 people in New York City on Saturday, organizers said. Under the banner of "One Voice for Oscar Lopez," a large diversity of community organizers, labor activists, artists and governors are expected to march in order to pressure U.S. President Obama to free Lopez. The rally will mark the 34th anniversary of Lopez's arrest by the U.S. government. Lopez will be 84 years old by the time his sentence is completed in 2027. "It's important to see Oscar not as an isolated case, but as the latest example of a long trajectory of Puerto Rican resistance to US colonialism and the extent to which the US will go to try to maintain its colonial control over Puerto Rico," Jan Susler, L�pez Rivera's attorney, told online media outlet Truthout.
Marchan en Nueva York por la excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez
Un diverso y nutrido grupo de boricuas y neoyorquinos demandan acci�n del presidente Obama

Nueva York - Bajo la consigna "Una sola voz por Oscar", miles marcharon por calles de Harlem en Nueva York, en busca de elevar el reclamo para la liberaci�n del prisionero pol�tico puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera. "Hace mucho tiempo que Oscar pag� su deuda con la sociedad. No es un terrorista y no le hizo da�o a nadie. Despu�s de 34 a�os, hace tiempo que Oscar debi� ser liberado y permit�rsele regresar a su casa, su familia y su comunidad", indic� la congresista dem�crata Nydia Vel�zquez, puertorrique�a electa por el distrito 7 de Nueva York.

Junto a Vel�zquez participan de la manifestaci�n su colega Jos� Serrano, la presidenta del Concejo Municipal de Nueva York, Melissa Mark Viverito, el senador estatal Rub�n D�az, y los representantes estatales Jos� Rivera y Carmen Arroyo, entre otros.

Despu�s de haber participado ayer en San Juan en el cierre de la Segunda Caminata Nacional por Oscar, Clarissa L�pez, hija del prisionero, se integr� esta ma�ana a la que se prev� ser� la manifestaci�n m�s multitudinaria en pro de la liberaci�n de su padre.

SIGA LEYENDO.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus to President Obama: Free Oscar L�pez Rivera
By Latino Rebels
Earlier this month, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Linda S�nchez (D-CA) wrote the following letter to President Obama, calling for the "immediate release" of Oscar L�pez Rivera. This is the full letter Latino Rebels received today.
Rally For Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar L�pez Rivera In San Francisco
By laborvideo
Labor and community activists rallied for Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar L�pez Rivera on May 29, 2015 in San Francisco. He has been in prison for over 34 years and activists and the AFL-CIO is demanding he be released. The US instituted "Operation Bootstrap" which was the first free trade zone by the US to turn Puerto Rico into a cheap non-union labor center for US multi-nationals. 

Oscar L�pez Rivera: Will Obama Pardon This Political Prisoner?
By Dahr Jamail, Truthout | Report

"Mr. Margolis has said that there are democratic ways to struggle and get things done. He forgets to tell you that I have a history of precisely that. That I have marched. That I have taken part in demonstrations. I have begged and pleaded. I have a history that has not been presented here. I have marched alongside black people for their rights. I have marched in support of jobs. I have a history of that. I have marched for access to decent housing. I have a history of that. I have marched against the war in Vietnam. I am a veteran of that war. And I have a history of that. [...] Mr. Margolis does not know how it feels to be a Puerto Rican in this country. Mr. Margolis does not know how it feels to be black in this country. He does not know the indignation one feels when the police, who supposedly represent law and order, call us "spic" or "nigger" and then spit in our face. I have had people spit in my face for being Puerto Rican. And I have been arrested for participating peacefully and legally in public demonstrations. So that which Mr. Margolis alludes to does not exist. [...]

"If I am standing here today, it is not because I lack the courage to fight, but rather because I have the courage to fight. I am certain, and will reaffirm, that Puerto Rico will be a free and sovereign nation."

- Oscar L�pez Rivera, at his trial for seditious conspiracy, 1981


Oscar L�pez Rivera, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and respected community activist, is now one of the longest-held political prisoners in the world.

Thousands March in New York and Puerto Rico for Oscar L�pez Rivera
By Edwin Molina, Informaci�n al Desnudo

On May 30, 2015, nearly 5,000 marched in New York to call on President Obama to offer clemency to Oscar L�pez Rivera. Puerto Rico also celebrated their 2nd Caminata Nacional for the Puerto Rican political prisoner who completed 34-years behind bars yesterday.

The New York march, which went from Central Harlem to El Barrio for a subsequent rally, included prominent elected officials, such as New York City council members Rosie M�ndez and Melissa Mark-Viverito; and Congressional Representatives Nydia Vel�zquez and Jos� Serrano. The march, organized by the May 30th Coalition to Free Oscar L�pez Rivera, also included important community members from across the Diaspora such as Professor Ana L�pez, LGBTQ activist Pedro Julio Serrano, youth from El Puente's many programs, and contingents from Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Massachusetts.

La Respuesta magazine's New York crew proudly marched side-by-side with our people and were met with many non-Boricuas practicing solidarity, including our sisters from the Dominican Diaspora magazine, La Galer�a, and Mexican residents of Nueva York.

BronxNet: Dialogo Abierto con Javier E. G�mez
Por BronxNet
Dialogo Abierto, es una producci�n de BronxNet Television. Y es su coneccion en espa�ol a toda las cosas del Bronx. Puede verlo en vivo por BronxNet, Cablevision Channel 69 | Verizon Channel 35, todos los miercoles a las 6:30 pm. Retransmitido Jueves, 2:30 pm, 6:30 pm, 11:30 pm; Viernes, 9:30 am, 2:30 pm, 6:30 pm, 11:30 pm; Sabados, 6:30 pm; Lunes, 11:30 pm; Martes, 9:30 am, 2:30 pm, 6:30 pm, 11:30 pm; Miercoles, 4:30 am, 9:30 am, 2:30 pm y 11:30 pm. - See more at: http://www.bronxnet.org/tv/dialogo/viewvideo/5539/qdialogo-abiertoq/dialogo-abierto--mayo-27-2015#sthash.zNztQuAt.dpuf.
Punto de Vista Con Carlos Cabrera
Por MNN NYC
Punto de Vista with Carlos Cabrera 
"Colonialism and the Diaspora: Puerto Rico and the Caribbean"
Featuring 
Ana L�pez, Profesora Hostos Community College 
Nelson Denis, Autor "War Against All Puerto Ricans "
Jos� L�pez Rivera , Director Ejecutivo Centro Cultural Puertorrique�o, Chicago
Orlando Hernandez, Profesor Hostos Community College

Scenes from the East Coast March to Free Oscar L�pez Rivera

By Marina Ortiz, 33MujeresXOscar

On Sunday, May 30, 2015, thousands of humanitarians united as "One Voice for Oscar" to demand the immediate release of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar L�pez Rivera. From Harlem to El Barrio, the call was heard loud and clear as politicians, activists, and artists joined Oscar's brother, daughter and niece in marching from 125th Street to 106th Street and calling for President Obama to free the 72-year-old. Hundreds traveled from Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, and other states to join the historic mass mobilization in New York City.

Supporters demand pardon for Oscar L�pez Rivera
By STACEY DELIKAT, Fox 5 News Reporter
NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) -

There was a big turnout in Harlem Saturday at a march in support of Oscar L�pez Rivera...

He is a Puerto Rican nationalist serving 70 years for conspiracy and a subsequent attempt to escape from prison.

He's served 34 years and now the demonstrators want President Obama to pardon him.

Marcos Luna, a long time Lopez supporter feels he has been unjustly imprisoned for his beliefs and that it's time for him to come home.

Lopez, now 72, was a leader of the radical group "the Armed Forces of National Liberation" known FALN which advocated for Puerto Rico's independence from the US.

He was convicted in 1981 on several charges including conspiring against the United States government, robbery and weapons trafficking.

His group FALN was involved in more than 100 bombings in New York and Chicago in the 1970s and early 80s that killed 6 people and injured dozens of others.

Many have called Lopez a terrorist, but others including New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, feel that he is political prisoner.

"He is in jail 34 years. solely for his political beliefs" she said. "Not because he was accused of any particular crime or having caused harm to anyone, solely for his political beliefs."

34 Mujeres NYC x Oscar Rally and Unite With Mexican and Muslim Activists in Union Square Park

By Marina Ortiz, VirtualBoricua.org

Fresh from the historic May 30th "One Voice for Oscar" march in Harlem and the Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade, the 34 Mujeres NYC x Oscar group concluded their weekend of mass mobilizations with a Sunday afternoon rally in Union Square Park. In addition to local supporters, the women were joined by Oscar L�pez Rivera's daughter Clarisa L�pez, former political prisoner Ricardo Jimenez, and other compa�er@s from Chicago and Philadelphia. Union Square Park has historically served as the locale for thousands of social justice demonstrations and May Day gatherings. Indeed, the landmark site provided a wonderful opportunity to create awareness among thousands of passersby and further the movement for Oscar's release. Before and after the rally, las Mujeres and their allies also engaged in solidarity activities with Muslim educators working to combat Islamophobia and Mexican activists protesting the 2014 disappearance of dozens of students (the Ayotzinapa 43).

Oscar L�pez Rivera and Pedro Albizu Campos...two great Puerto Rican heroes
By Nelson Denis

A hero sacrifices a great deal - sometimes their life - for a cause much bigger than themselves. For this reason Oscar L�pez Rivera and Don Pedro Albizu Campos are great heroes. 

They were both jailed for "seditious conspiracy against the United States." In other words...they believed in the independence of Puerto Rico, and they were jailed for that belief.

Jailed by the US, the "leader of the free world."

Yesterday in New York City, nearly 10,000 people marched to say FREE OSCAR L�PEZ RIVERA NOW.

We marched through the streets of El Barrio, and let the world hear about Oscar.

Oscar's head could be seen from every building, every corner.

NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito was in the front ranks of the march.
The crowd stopped at 106th street, near the Julia de Burgos Cultural Center. 

SF Bay Area turns out for Oscar!

By Judith Mirkinson, Bay Area Committee to Free Oscar L�pez Rivera

34 years is much too long!  It's time for Oscar to come home! So shouted the voices over two days of demonstrations, leafletting and letter gathering in San Francisco and Oakland.

 

On Friday, May 29th, the 34th anniversary of Oscar Lopez Rivera's incarceration, people met at one of the main gathering points in San Francisco. Carrying banners and signs demanding the freedom of Oscar, we passed out hundreds of postcards and leaflets and collected signatures for letters to Obama.  Representatives from labor, women's and progressive organizations talked about the continuing history of colonialism in Puerto Rico and the fact that all sectors of Puerto Rican society have demanded that Oscar be set free.

 

On Saturday in conjunction with demonstrations happening around the world we met on the other side of the bay in Oakland.  34 people carried 34 signs which spelled out Free Oscar Lopez Rivera in prison for 34 yrs! They were accompanied by people carrying banners proclaiming:  Libertad  para Oscar!  Still others carried life size portraits of Oscar and we again distributed hundreds of postcards and letters.  As we marched the chants rang out:  Free Oscar Lopez Rivera:  Bring him home NOW!

Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas: ��scar L�pez Rivera, Presente!

Por Elliot Monteverde-Torres, J.D., M.Ed., Ph.D. student

Las cosas no cambian por s� mismas, requieren de una acci�n, de una gesti�n o procesos que con frecuencia suelen ser producto del trabajo de grupos o actos muy peque�os. En conformidad con los principios de esta noci�n y en sinton�a con las jornadas de lucha programadas en NY y PR, el pasado 29 de mayo el Comit� Puertorrique�o Pro Derechos Humanos - Dallas/Ft. Worth tambi�nllev� acabo un acto pol�tico y de justicia social para exigir la excarcelaci�n del prisionero pol�tico puertorrique�o �scar L�pez Rivera, ilegal y abusivamente privado de su libertad desde hace 34 a�os. La manifestaci�n aconteci� frente al Tribunal Federal de la ciudad de Dallas.

 

No obstante la convocatoria, asistimos al acto s�lo 5 personas (cuatro adultos y una ni�a de 4 a�itos) pero comprometidos todos a aportar con nuestro granito de arena por medio de la acci�n, para transformar un sue�o en una meta concreta - la libertad inmediata de nuestro �scar. Estamos conscientes que la cantidad no importa, lo importante es que unimos nuestras voces al reclamo mundial y lo seguiremos haciendo para generar una opini�n, para hacer conciencia, y sobretodo, entre la comunidad anglo parlante, viabilizar justicia para nuestro h�roe nacional, �scar L�pez Rivera. Una de las simpatizantes que ha residido en esta zona desde los 70s, nos cuenta que en m�s de 37 a�os Dallas nunca hab�a sido testigo de un acto como la protesta del 29 de mayo, un acto de justicia social y de reivindicaci�n de la naci�n puertorrique�a en la di�spora. O sea, nada semejante hab�a ocurrido en el �rea de Dallas/Ft. Worth, donde residen cerca de 35,000 puertorrique�os. As� las cosas, ha sido un honor para el Comit� Puertorrique�o Pro Derechos Humanos - Dallas/Ft. Worth haberse sumado - aunque de forma limitada - al llamado de lucha y resistencia comunitaria en pro de la excarcelaci�n del boricua ind�mito �scar L�pez Rivera.

 

�Libertad, libertad, desde Dallas, para �scar! �Que viva Puerto Rico libre!

 

The Puerto Rican Committee for Human Rights - Dallas/Ft. Worth/Facebook page

From/Desde Puerto Rico
Segunda Caminata Nacional por Oscar llega a su fin
Por Noticias 24/7

La Segunda Caminata Nacional por Oscar, que recorre 40 pueblos de las costas del pa�s en 34 d�as llevando el mensaje por la excarcelaci�n del prisionero pol�tico Oscar L�pez Rivera, llega a su fin esta semana.

"Invitamos a todo el pueblo de Puerto Rico a que nos acompa�e en abrazo solidario por Oscar el viernes 29 de mayo. La presencia de todos ese d�a es fundamental para dar m�s fuerza moral y pol�tica al reclamo de justicia y buena voluntad que le hace el pueblo de Puerto Rico al presidente de Estados Unidos para que el patriota Oscar L�pez Rivera sea devuelto a su patria. A 34 a�os de prisi�n, todos debemos exigir su excarcelaci�n ya", dijo en un comunicado, Eduardo Villanueva, portavoz del Comit� Pro Derechos Humanos de Puerto Rico.
Indic� que el viernes 29 de mayo, precisamente el d�a en que se cumplen los 34 a�os del encierro de L�pez Rivera, est�n convocando para concentrarse en el estadio Hiram Bithorn a las 3:00 de la tarde desde donde caminar�n el �ltimo tramo hasta el Tribunal Federal en la avenida Chard�n. De igual forma, aquellos que no puedan caminar podr�n esperar a los caminantes frente al Tribunal, donde estar�n desde esa hora con m�sica y un acto de recibimiento con mensajes especiales y la participaci�n de Aleyda Santos, la Banda Ac�stica Rodante y un gran cierre de plena con el grupo Patria y Cultura.

Cientos caminan por Oscar L�pez, en el aniversario de su encarcelaci�n
Por Noticel

Cientos de personas culminaron el viernes la segunda caminata nacional por la excarcelaci�n del prisionero pol�tico Oscar L�pez Rivera, que recorri� 40 pueblos de las costas del pa�s en 34 d�as: la misma cantidad de a�os que lleva preso en las c�rceles del gobierno norteamericano.

El reclamo por la liberaci�n de L�pez Rivera logr� aunar muchas expresiones de solidaridad y apoyo durante el recorrido, que culmin� en el Tribunal Federal de Hato Rey.

En cada pueblo visitado, se realizaron actividades variadas, muchas de ellas  con la participaci�n del respectivo alcalde, mensajes especiales y presentaciones musicales. Adem�s, se recibieron 32 resoluciones y proclamas en apoyo a la causa por Oscar L�pez Rivera.

Los gestores de este evento, Carlos L�pez y F�lix Adorno, caminaron con un n�cleo fijo de alrededor de 15 compa�eros que con entusiasmo y compromiso se unieron a la gesta desde el comienzo.

Los caminantes distribuyeron m�s de 40,000 op�sculos educativos sobre el caso de L�pez Rivera, unido a las charlas que, previo a la Caminata, ofrecieron en escuelas, universidades y comunidades de la ruta. 

Juan Dalmau: Lucha por independencia de Puerto Rico mantiene cercan�a con el sentir latinoamericano
Por: Agencia Venezolana de Noticias (AVN)
30 de mayo de 2015.- El secretario general del Partido Independentista de Puerto Rico, Juan Dalmau Ram�rez, destac� el sentir que une a Puerto Rico con Latinoam�rica en la lucha por su independencia como estado libre asociado de Estados Unidos.

"El independentismo (de Puerto Rico) siempre ha tenido una cercan�a a ese sentido latinoamericano y caribe�o, (...) por eso hay unos niveles de solidaridad, ha habido un crecimiento en la consciencia de Am�rica Latina, que ha reconocido que nosotros somos latinoamericanos y caribe�os", expres� Dalmau este viernes, durante una entrevista en el programar Dossier, transmitido por VTV.

Al respecto, el activista puertorrique�o destac� la declaraci�n aprobada en la Tercera Cumbre de La Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribe�os, en enero de 2015, en la que se considera como asunto de inter�s el caso pol�tico de Puerto Rico, luego de la participaci�n del presidente del PIP, Rub�n Berrios, en la reuni�n regional, lo cual sirvi� de pre�mbulo al encuentro que sostuvo con el presidente de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, durante la cumbre de las Am�ricas efectuada en Panam�, el pasado mes de abril.
Marchan por la liberaci�n de Oscar L�pez
por Mariana Cobi�n, El Nuevo Dia

Al cumplirse 34 a�os del confinamiento de Oscar L�pez Rivera, el reclamo para su excarcelaci�n lleg� hoy, viernes, hasta los predios del Tribunal Federal, en Hato Rey, donde culmin� la Segunda Caminata Nacional por Oscar.


El acto de hoy, que parti� del estadio Hiram Bithorn, es la culminaci�n de una caminata que se llev� a cabo en 40 pueblos costeros y dur� 34 d�as, seg�n indic� Maril� Carrasquillo, del comit� organizador.

La marcha se llev� a cabo tambi�n en el marco del D�a Nacional de Llamar al Gobierno de Estados Unidos por la Excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez, que buscaba que las personas llamaran a la Casa Blanca y al Departamento de Justicia federal para pedir la liberaci�n del prisionero pol�tico utilizando frases como "Free Oscar L�pez now" (Liberen a Oscar L�pez ahora).

Entre los cientos de participantes de la marcha estaba la hija del prisionero pol�tico, Clarisa L�pez; el congresista boricua, Luis Guti�rrez; y la alcaldesa de San Juan, Carmen Yul�n Cruz, entre muchos otros.

Con m�s fuerzas las voces por Oscar L�pez
Se desarrollar�n manifestaciones en San Juan, Nueva York, Orlando y Texas
Por ELNUEVODIA.COM

WASHINGTON - Justo cuando se cumple el 34 aniversario de su encarcelamiento, una coalici�n de grupos pol�ticos, c�vicos, religiosos y gubernamentales desarrollar� ma�ana y el s�bado manifestaciones en Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos a favor de la liberaci�n incondicional del prisionero pol�tico puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera.

Las marchas principales tendr�n lugar ma�ana en San Juan - desde el Hiram Bithorn hasta el tribunal federal de San Juan en Hato Rey - y el s�bado en Nueva York, con otra manifestaci�n que caminar� desde la calle 125 y el bulevar Adam Clayton Powell hasta la esquina de la 106 con la avenida Lexington.

Pero, tambi�n hay eventos en Orlando (Florida) y en Dallas (Texas).

En San Juan, la Segunda Caminata Nacional por Oscar, que se ha desarrollado desde el 25 de abril por 40 pueblos de Puerto Rico, concluye ma�ana, viernes, con la marcha desde el Hiram Bithorn hasta el edificio federal de la avenida Chard�n, a partir de las 3:00 p.m. All� estar�n, entre otros, el congresista dem�crata Luis Guti�rrez (Illinois) y la alcaldesa de San Juan, Carmen Yul�n Cruz.

La manifestaci�n de Nueva York, mientras, ha sido apoyada por decenas de grupos, incluida la oficina del gobierno de Puerto Rico en esa ciudad, dirigida por Brenda Torres, y los congresistas boricuas Jos� Serrano y Nydia Vel�zquez, dem�cratas por Nueva York.

Ahora son 34 las mujeres en el puente Dos Hermanos que exigen la excarcelaci�n de Oscar L�pez Rivera
Por Lyanne Mel�ndez Garc�a / Inter News Service 

 

Foto: Esta vez se uni� al reclamo el Movimiento de Trabajadores Sin Tierra de Brasil, con la representaci�n de Dayacira Araujo, quien es coordinadora de la Escuela Floresta Fern�ndez de Brasil. / Foto por Inter News Service. Fuente: Claridad
San Juan, 31 mayo (INS).- Treinta y cuatro mujeres exigieron hoy la excarcelaci�n del preso pol�tico m�s antiguo del hemisferio, Oscar L�pez Rivera, durante una manifestaci�n en el puente Dos Hermanos en San Juan.

 

El grupo cambi� su nombre a "Mujeres, 34 por Oscar. Hasta su regreso!" luego de que el pasado viernes se conmemoraran 34 a�os de L�pez Rivera encarcelado tras ser condenado por conspiraci�n sediciosa, delito de car�cter pol�tico.


Algunas ataviadas con camisetas de a�os anteriores, pero muchas con camisetas nuevas con el dise�o de un n�mero 34, una estrella y el rostro de L�pez Rivera en el centro, las mujeres entonaron consignas nuevas como "Oscar aqu� estamos, ahora somos 34" y "todo el pueblo con Oscar y las mujeres aqu� est�n".

Durante la manifestaci�n, la abogada Josefina Pantoja, quien junto a la periodista Alida Mill�n coordinan el grupo, manifest� que no es momento para estar negativos ya que L�pez Rivera, quien en solidaridad ayuna cada vez que las mujeres se re�nen, est� positivo desde la c�rcel.

SIGA LEYENDO.

Puertorrique�as mantienen reclamo por indulto de Oscar L�pez Rivera
Por El Post Antillano

San Juan- Las mujeres reiteraron ayer su reclamo al presidente Barack Obama para que indulte al prisionero pol�tico puertorrique�o Oscar L�pez Rivera, quien cumpli� 34 a�os encarcelado en Estados Unidos.

Como cada �ltimo domingo de mes, 34 mujeres se congregaron en el puente Dos Hermanos, en la entrada a la isleta de San Juan, para denunciar el injusto encarcelamiento de L�pez Rivera, condenado por conspiraci�n sediciosa debido a su lucha por la independencia de Puerto Rico.

Esta vez la manifestaci�n, convocada por el grupo rebautizado "Mujeres, 34 por Oscar. Hasta su regreso", estuvo encabezada por historiadoras y cont� con el respaldo del Movimiento de los Sin Tierra (MST) de Brasil.

Dayacira Araujo, coordinadora de la Escuela Nacional Florestan Fernandes, dedicada a la formaci�n de cuadros pol�ticos en Sao Paulo, protest� junto a sus compa�eras boricuas desplegando una pancarta con un mensaje del MST.

Entonando consignas como "Oscar aqu� estamos, ahora somos 34" y "todo el pueblo con Oscar y las mujeres aqu� est�n", algunas de las manifestantes exhib�an nuevas camisetas con el n�mero 34, una estrella y el rostro de L�pez Rivera en el centro.

La periodista Alida Mill�n, directora del suplemento cultural EnRojo del peri�dico Claridad, explic� a Prensa Latina que proseguir�n con su reclamo cada mes hasta que el prisionero pol�tico obtenga el indulto, cuando posiblemente cierren la campa�a con su presencia frente al oc�ano Atl�ntico.

L�pez Rivera, de 72 a�os de edad, cumpli� el pasado viernes 34 a�os en prisi�n, 12 de ellos en solitaria, por lo que es considerado el prisionero pol�tico m�s antiguo del hemisferio.

Las autoridades de Estados Unidos se han ensa�ado en su contra, seg�n analistas, porque lo consideran el jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas de Liberaci�n Nacional (FALN) de Puerto Rico, que operaron en la d�cada de los 70 y principios de los 80 del siglo pasado en Nueva York y Chicago.

Agentes del Bur� Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) han testimoniado para evitar la excarcelaci�n de L�pez Rivera, condenado por un delito de car�cter pol�tico que se estableci� durante la guerra civil de Estados Unidos y que se ha aplicado muy pocas veces desde entonces.

Al conmemorarse los 34 a�os del encierro del luchador independentista puertorrique�o se han producido diversas protesta en distintas partes de Am�rica Latina, al igual que en Estados Unidos y en Europa pidiendo a Obama que le otorgue el indulto.

Los signos de la crisis y la libertad de Oscar L�pez Rivera
Por F�lix C�rdova Iturregui / Claridad 

La democracia estadounidense en Puerto Rico ha logrado imponerse desde 1898 con una caracter�stica que ha mantenido una efectividad sorprendente: contiene una tolerancia amplia siempre que no se intente cuestionar el marco de la legalidad establecido por el ordenamiento colonial. Aunque suene extra�o decirlo, es una democracia cuya funci�n es garantizar la reproducci�n de la subordinaci�n colonial. Sin embargo, no debe ser subestimada. Es efectiva siempre que no se toquen sus fundamentos inherentemente extranjeros.

Desde el origen de su dominaci�n, el imperialismo estadounidense impuso unas condiciones pol�ticas y econ�micas que establecieron y aseguraron el proceso de reproducci�n de los intereses de sus grandes corporaciones. Todos los aderezos de las formas democr�ticas locales, ganados con grandes esfuerzos, se han acoplado al objetivo de asegurar la reproducci�n ampliada de esos intereses econ�micos. El mercado ha sido y es la estructura que se encarga de hacer viable y efectivo ese proceso.

Help Us Bring Oscar Home/Como puede ayudar

     Demanding Oscar's immediate release.

     Join the scholars, academics, and people of conscience around the world-including prominent figures such as Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, acclaimed novelist and activist Arundhati Roy, and philosopher and public intellectual Cornel West -who are demanding Oscar's release.

     Published online by the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia. 

     We are in many cities across the US.

    Oscar L�pez Rivera, #87651-024

   Born/Nacido: 6 de enero de 1943

   FCI Terre Haute, P.O. Box 33
   Terre Haute, IN 47808

Submission guidelines/Directrices de presentaci�n

* Send us a picture, a headline and 2 paragraphs about your event supporting Oscar's release. Include contact information.

 * Env�enos una imagen, un titulo y 2 p�rrafos sobre su evento a favor de la liberaci�n de Oscar. Incluya su informaci�n de contacto.

TWE@boricuahumanrights.org
 

The Water's Edge, the bi-weekly magazine of the National Boricua Human Rights Network, publishes the latest news about the Campaign to Free Oscar L�pez Rivera. Oscar, a 72 year old Puerto Rican political prisoner convicted for seditious conspiracy, has spent the last 34 years imprisoned for his political beliefs, and is the object of a campaign which has united Puerto Rican civil society, Nobel Laureates, as well as support throughout the US and internationally. 
 
Oscar L�pez Rivera has become known as the Nelson Mandela of Latin America.
 

La Orilla del Mar, la revista quincenal de la Red Nacional Boricua Pro Derechos Humanos, publica las �ltimas noticias acerca de la Campa�a a favor de la liberaci�n de Oscar L�pez Rivera. Oscar, un preso pol�tico puertorrique�o de 72 a�os condenado por conspiraci�n sediciosa, ha pasado los �ltimos 34 a�os encarcelado por sus creencias pol�ticas y es el objeto de una campa�a que ha ganado el apoyo de la sociedad civil puertorrique�a, de ganadores de Premios Nobel y de otros a lo largo de Estados Unidos y a nivel internacional.

  

Oscar L�pez Rivera se ha vuelto el Nelson Mandela de Am�rica Latina.