Interview with Lynne Stewart
By Patricia Vickers, Human Rights Coalition

The Political Prisoner, Lynne Stewart, was interviewed by mail by Patricia Vickers, a founding member of the Human Rights Coalition (HRC) of Pennsylvania. Ms. Vickers is the co-founder/editor of The Movement magazine of the HRC. A former 1960s student activist, Ms. Vickers is an eco-feminist whose youngest son, Kerry ‘Shakaboona’ Marshall, is a wrongly convicted juvenile serving Life Imprisonment as a Juvenile Lifer in Pennsylvania prisons and, though incarcerated for 25 years, is a political activist.

Human Rights Coalition: Hello. Welcome to THE MOVEMENT Sister Lynne. Thank you for granting me this interview with you. How are your health and spirits, and how are you being treated at FMC Carswell [Federal Prison]?

Lynne Stewart: My health is passable—the usual brushfires of aging, but good. My spirits are always high, especially with the mail I get to encourage me. I am being treated as well as can be expected. I receive heavy scrutiny—all mail, email and phone conversations.

Human Rights Coalition: There are people who aren’t aware of your unlawful confinement and the government’s repression of you for your legal representation of the Muslim blind Sheik. Can you enlighten the people about your situation?

Lynne Stewart: There are two aspects to my “situation,” as you so gallantly described it. First, I was prosecuted for doing what I believe is the duty and work of an attorney—to represent the client zealously and conscientiously. In the case of the original trial (1995) of the blind Sheik, Omar Abdel Rahman, of Egypt, we wanted to keep his name alive so that we could eventually try to negotiate a return for him even if it meant jail in Egypt. In that spirit I made a press release public, and to Reuters, expressing his point of view on a unilateral cease fire then in effect in Egypt. I believed that this was part of salvaging him from the torture of his solitary confinement and also that it was part of the work I had sworn to do. I was tried and found guilty for materially aiding “terrorism.”

Then, after I received a sentence of two-and-one-half-years, as opposed to the 30 years the government wanted, on appeal, the Second Circuit Court sent the case back for the Judge to give me more time. Without much ado, he sentenced me then to ten years, partially based upon on statements I made after the sentencing and before I surrendered in November 2009. That sentencing is currently on appeal and will be argued in the fall in New York City.

Human Rights Coalition: In the people’s eyes, mine included for sure, you are our [s]hero and represent a long line of principled and committed warriors of the struggle. How do you take being a Political Prisoner of the American government?

Lynne Stewart: I believe I am one of an historical progression that maintains the struggle to change the perverted political landscape that is the U.S. It seems that being a political prisoner must be used as a means of focusing people’s attention on the continuing atrocities around them. Nothing seems to be too shocking or corrupt to blast the complacency. Like my client Richard Williams used to say, I might think I hadn’t been doing my utmost if they didn’t believe I was dangerous enough to be locked up! Read the rest of this entry »

Lynne wanted folks to read this:

Tim’s official statement at his sentencing hearing

Tim DeChristopher addressed the court and the judge today. This is what he said:

Thank you for the opportunity to speak before the court.  When I first met Mr. Manross, the sentencing officer who prepared the pre-sentence report, he explained that it was essentially his job to “get to know me.”  He said he had to get to know who I really was and why I did what I did in order to decide what kind of sentence was appropriate.  I was struck by the fact that he was the first person in this courthouse to call me by my first name, or even really look me in the eye.  I appreciate this opportunity to speak openly to you for the first time.  I’m not here asking for your mercy, but I am here asking that you know me.

Mr. Huber has leveled a lot of character attacks at me, many of which are contrary to Mr. Manross’s report.  While reading Mr Huber’s critiques of my character and my integrity, as well as his assumptions about my motivations, I was reminded that Mr Huber and I have never had a conversation. Over the two and half years of this prosecution, he has never asked my any of the questions that he makes assumptions about in the government’s report.  Apparently, Mr. Huber has never considered it his job to get to know me, and yet he is quite willing to disregard the opinions of the one person who does see that as his job. Read the rest of this entry »

On July 29, 2011 the Reply Brief in Lynne’s appeal to the Second Circuit was filed.

Download the PDF by clicking here.

It will be argued in the Second Circuit (New York City) this fall, date forthcoming.

7/25/11;  9:40 am

The Imperial Excess
Certainly the remembrance of August 6 of Hiroshima is of dual bitterness this year.  Bitter for the same reasons as years past ==the arrogance of the United States in the taking of human life, wholesale–a massacre.  (no accident that the Japanese were the WW II enemy of color.) And the aftermath of destroyed genetics–babies deformed, the elderly wasting away for years and years.

And people did fight back then and some are still imprisoned for that resistance.  I send greetings and respect to my brother, and yours–Hoshino Fumiaki.

This year it was all exacerbated by the Natural Causes that revealed that Japan is modelling itself on the post-war ideal of rapacious U.S. capitalism and has exhibited the same disregard for human life by unleashing the same inhumane nuclear nightmare in Fukushima, the disaster cousin of Hiroshima.

People world wide have a right to have their governments protect them from ultra venal individual self interest, whether in Chernobyl, Bhopal, West Virginia or Japan.  We must fight back for the sake of Mother Nature and the generations yet unborn–the innocents. Onward!!

Love Struggle
Lynne Stewart, Prisoner

I got a letter from the Yuri Kochiyama Fund for Political Prisoners (PO Box 80145, Goleta Ca 93118) to receive a modest gift ($25) along with nine others.  They are Gerardo Hernandez, Oscar Lopez-Rivera, Romaine  “Chip Fitzgerald, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, Sundiata Acoli, Jalil Muntaquin, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Russell, “Maroon” Shoats and myself.  The award is to honor  Elder Yuri’s 90 years of life and activism and mentioned that she “marveled at your staunch support  for the underrepresented and wondered why we don’t have more attorneys like you.  Your strong example is so important for us and our children, especially in the face of the travesty of your incarceration”

The letter was written by Matef and Diane, who I met through my political prisoner client Richard Williams (dec) and who visited him in Lompoc and attended his Memorial in Vermont.  Needless to say, I am most honored by this–by the Source and also by the company I’m in.  Forward Ever.

Lynne