As hopefully many have already heard, the Puerto Rican people have scored a recent victory with the release of Carlos Alberto Torres (see recent article, “Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Wins Release on Parole”) after serving 30 years in U.S. prisons for his commitment to the independence of Puerto Rico. As you can imagine, he is starting off with very little facing a huge— and wonderful— adjustment. At 57 years old, he will relocate to Puerto Rico immediately, where he hopes to establish a ceramics studio, to continue the craft he developed in prison, and to live selling his pottery and teaching ceramics. He faces almost immediate basic expenses, such as dental care, the need for a used truck to transport ceramics and ceramic supplies and of course, housing.
In 1999, 11 Puerto Rican Political Prisoners were released due to the pressure exerted by an international campaign. The National Boricua Human Rights Network helped lead that campaign, and the United Church of Christ played a leading role in mobilizing interfaith support. The Netowrk has worked tirelessly since that historic occasion worked for the freedom of the remaining Puerto Rican Political Prisoners, and Carlos’ release is a victory for us all. We hope to raise $15,000 in pledges by July 19.
We are asking supporters to pledge their support to Carlos Alberto Torres with a donation:
1) Donate directly through PayPal. Click on the “donate” button on the right column.
2) If you cannot donate electronically, click on the “Carlos Alberto Re-entry Fund” page and fill out the form. A member of National Boricua Human Rights Network will follow up with you about submitting your donation to us. Here is the submission information, also available on the Re-entry Fund page:
Please make checks out to NBHRN and write “CAT reentry fund in the memo.” Mail to National Boricua Human Rights Network, 2739 W. Division St, Chicago, IL 60622, c/o Michelle Morales