ACLU: Human rights violations in Puerto Rico (over education "reform" & attack on public workers)

[Hannah Bell]

While the world celebrates the democratic revolution in Egypt, major violations of basic human rights are occurring in our own backyard. Since Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuño came into power two years ago, free speech has been under all out assault. The following events have taken place recently:

◦Thousands of public workers have been laid off and had their union contracts terminated, leading to tens of thousands of people peacefully protesting over the past year. One event turned out over 100,000 peaceful protestors and while in NYC hundreds marched on May Day, in Puerto Rico May Day turned out an estimated 30,000 citizens.

◦At a protest at the steps of the Capital Building over the closing of access to legislative sessions, access that is constitutionally mandated, protesters were beaten mercilessly, pepper sprayed and shot at by Puerto Rico Police. The same has occurred at other locations.

◦At the University of Puerto Rico all forms of expression have been prohibited, through a Resolution issued by UPR Chancellor Ana Guadalupe; a resolution which Governor Luis Fortuño ordered armed police officers to enforce. On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, a group of students participated in civil disobedience on campus, consisting of a paint-in. During the paint-in, students peacefully and without interrupting the educational process painted messages of protest in a limited area of the street at the front of the main library, in defiance of the Chancellor’s absolute prohibition on any form of protest. Students immediately came under extreme physical and violent attack by members of the police force’s elite and heavily armed SWAT and Riot Squad teams.

http://newstaco.com/2011/02/25/puerto-rican-student-protestors-beaten-assaulted/







The following is adapted from a speech by Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, delivered this morning to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.:


Two weeks ago I spoke about a serious problem in Puerto Rico. The problem is a systemic effort by the ruling party to deny the right of the people to speak freely, to criticize their government openly, and to make their voices heard.

I talked about student protests that had been met with violent resistance by Puerto Rican police. I talked about closed meetings of the legislature, and about efforts to silence the local Bar Association.

I was not the first to speak about it. And I could have said much more.

I could have gone into greater detail about how a federal judge -- whose picture I displayed on the floor -- jailed the head of the Puerto Rico Bar Association rather than let him disseminate information to the members of his organization.

A judge with a history of close ties to the ruling party and with a clear history opposing the Bar Association and who was described by my good friend Charlie Rangel — after the judge handed out harsh sentencing to protesters of the bombing of Vieques — as "reminiscent of the judges we had in the U.S. in the South in the civil-rights movement who wanted to punish a community to stifle freedom of speech."

I could have detailed the complaints of students, legislators, the press, and the general public who were beaten and pepper sprayed by police who clearly went too far in suppressing the people's legitimate right to demonstrate. Female students who were treated with gross disrespect by the police and whose stories were captured in the searing report by the ACLU of Puerto Rico, "Human Rights Crisis in Puerto Rico: First Amendment Under Siege."

This was the government overreaction to demonstrations at the university over budget cuts and the layoffs of at least 17,000 and maybe as many as 34,000 public employees. And demonstrations at the Capitol over budget cuts and layoffs were also met by riot police, clubs, and more pepper spray...

http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=2071§ion=Article