#prisoner support

"Group walks 15 km to mark prisoners' day," Edmonton Journal. August 13, 1984. Page 13. --- By KRISTIN GOFF Journal Staff Writer Carrying signs that read "I Love You Daddy" or "Prisoners are People," a small group Sunday marked International Prisoners' Justice Day with a 15-km march from the Law Courts Building to Edmonton Institution.

Prisoners' rights activists plan to present two petitions to Solicitor General Robert Kaplan.

One calls for the return of Philip Bearshirt to either Edmonton or Drumheller institution, where he would be closer to his common-law wife, Lynne Marie Big Plume, who lives in Calgary.

Bearshirt was abruptly transferred to a prison at Prince Albert, Sask. earlier this month after he went on a hunger strike to protest an alleged beating by guards at Edmonton Institution July 21.

Big Plume, who participated in Sunday's march, said she talked with prison officials in Saskatchewan early last week but still has not talked directly with Bearshirt.

She said she doesn't know whether he's in a special handling unit for dangerous prisoners or exactly why he was transferred without any notification to his family. She hopes to visit him within a couple of weeks but said she is worried that she may be refused permission to see him.

Corrections officials have previously said it is up to the prisoner to advise his family of his whereabouts.

Ishbel Munro-Butler, Edmonton Prisoners Support Group spokesperson, said a petition seeking Bearshirt's transfer back to Alberta was begun Thursday.

Although she had no signature count Sunday, Butler said she expected the first petition would be sent to Kaplan in the next week or two. More signatures would be forwarded as collected, she said.

Butler said the prisoners' support group intends to collect signatures for up to six months on a second petition which seeks abolition of special handling units within Canadian prisons.

The protesters say the units create violent behavior and harm inmates by depriving them of toilets, running water, bedding, clothing and by using "sensory deprivation" techniques such as leaving lights on for 24 hours.

The Sunday demonstration began with about 25 adults and children in downtown Edmonton. Butler said some participants dropped out along the route to Edmonton Institution but others joined up. She said as many as 40 people participated at one time.

In October 2019, the people of Chile took to the streets to protest decades of rising inequality, poverty, and the continued imposition of the Pincohet constitution. The government of Sebastian Pinera responded harshly, deploying the military onto the streets and declaring "we are at war against a powerful enemy." Over the course of the protests thousands of Chileans have been detained. Today over 2,500 people now languish in Chilean jails as political prisoners.  Through the Chile Solidarity Network, we, a group of students and academics at the University of Sheffield, have been trying to offer support to those imprisoned over the course of the uprising. One of those detained over the course of the demonstrations was Carlos Peyrin Matamala. Carlos is 32 years old and the sole provider for his family. He was arrested on 3 December 2019 by the PDI (civilian police) and transferred to a detention centre. Carlos was kept naked, without food and sleep for various days in a dark room, only having the light on when he was interrogated. The police forcibly took photos of him dressed with a balaclava and these were sent to the TV channels in order to intimidate those on the front line of the demonstrations. Based on the false evidence (believed to be a set up by the police) he was charged for throwing an incendiary device at a police van. The lawyer assigned by the state urged Carlos to plead guilty promising that we would go free. Instead, he received a prison sentence for 3 years and 1 day. This sentence can be extended indefinitely. We are currently in the process of appealing Carlos' sentence. Presently Carlos is categorised as a dangerous criminal and is housed in the 'El Manzano' maximum security prison. We are aiming to support him through the process of being reclassified so he can take Sunday leave from prison as well as take up work and education while he is detained. This requires the payment of expensive professional fees for an assessment by a psychologist and a social worker. The assessment is very soon, so we need the donations as soon as possible.  We also need funds to help Carlos pay for clothes and food. As this is a "concessioned" prison, these costs must be paid by the prisoners themselves. For more information about Carlos' situation, please consult these articles about his arrest and our campaign in support of his cause.

Hello comrades! We have just learned that everyone locked up in a US prison is eligible for the $1200 stimulus check. Remember that check? The one we are all supposed to be living on months later? Anyway, it’s a lot of money for our friends, family and comrades inside… But they only have until October 15 to send in a form (1040) to the IRS.

We have to spread the news, spread the form, and help people get it out ASAP. If you know anyone inside, you can send them this PDF. We are mailing it to everyone in our network, so we’re sharing it with you all here.