Program

Prospects of international Solidarity for the Freedom of the political Prisoners worldwide!

International Working Conference

„Pacification or Liberation? - Prospects of international Solidarity“

1st- 5th of April 1999 in Berlin, Germany

Page 2

The conference is being organised by the International Conference Committee. The organising concept and the concept with regard to the conference’s contents originated in a joint discussion with the following organisations, which are also the members of the International Conference Committee: Addameer, Gestoras Pro Amnistia, the Kurdish Lawyers Association, Coordinamente Mumia Abu Jamal, Libertad! and the German Organising Committee.

Germany has been chosen as the first country in which the conference will take place, because Libertad! took the initiative to realize this international meeting. The main work of the local preparations for the conference is organised by the German Organising Committee. Its members are: basis, Solidaritätskomitee Berlin, Informationsstelle Kurdistan, Rote Hilfe Bonn, Kein Friede (No Peace), PAULA, Libertad!, Rote Hilfe e.V. Bundesvorstand, Angehörigengruppe (Relatives Group) and others.

The Conference is located at Alte Feuerwache

Tagungshaus

Axel-Springer-Str. 40/41

10969 Berlin - Kreuzberg

Formalities: The conference is public but a written registration on time is necessary. We ask you to send in your registration as early as possible - by mail or by fax, at the latest until March 15th, 1999 (see page16: printed announcement form)

Fee: We have chosen a sliding scale for the participation fee, which should be transferred together with the registration (see page 16 financial questions): 90,- DM for low-income and social welfare/unemployment recipients; 120,- DM solidarity fee ; 250,- DM for people/organisations with funds.

Following is as list of groups/organisations which have already confirmed their participation:Comision Argentina por la Libertad de los Presos Politicos, ODEP Chile, Autonomi Kollektivet Dänemark, ARDIGUA Guatemala, Casa Andina de Solidaridad Chile, Korean Institute for Labor Studies and Policies Südkorea, Human Rights Mouvement Südkorea, International Concerned Family &Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal USA, IHD Menschenrechtsvereine Türkei

Publisher: International committee

Address: Konferenzbüro, Yorckstraße 59, D-10965 Berlin, FAX: 0049-(0)30 - 78899902, Email: konferenz@libertad.de, Internet: http://www.libertad.de

Banking account: Libertad, No. 10215811, Ökobank (BLZ 50090100)

Donations: clue word: „Konferenzspende“,

Conference fee for registration: clue word: „Anmeldung“.

Page 3: Forword of the program

What does the situation of political prisoners look like - in this or that particular country, in a military or a democratic regime? As a tortured union activist, disappeared“ grassroots activist or a member of an armed resistance group? What are the struggles that they are fighting and how can they be supported? What are the demands that derive from those particular situations, how can we work together? What kind of experiences with solidarity have been made and what kind of prospects can be developed?

Talking about the destiny of persecuted people, „disappeared“ ones and political prisoners leads us to a discussion about the motives of their struggle, about the causes of social oppression and the possibilities of resistance and liberation.

Thereby we have to take into account the varying situations of prisoners. The existing conditions of power are expressed more and more by offers of dialogue, negotiations and peace agreements such as in Palestine, Northern Ireland, Euskadi... Meanwhile we are confronted with open or covert warfare in Turkey and Kurdistan, Columbia and Mexico.

The situation of political prisoners during the „democratic transitions“ of the former military dictatorships of South America, South Korea and the Philippines is a specific one. The same can be stated for the industrial metropolises USA, Italy and Germany following the preliminary end of an armed fundamental opposition.

The struggle for social emancipation is often disconnected from a discussion about the also contradictory policy and history of the Left. Various actions of protest and resistance, armed struggles and rebellion are part of it. To recognize that does not necessarily include the acceptance of all kind of actions and activities, but it asks for one thing: To respect historical uprisings as what they were and still are: Reasonable attempts of liberation from the brutality and senselessness of the worldwide capitalist conditions. And because these are still the dominant conditions, everywhere in the world people who are opposed to them are imprisoned in the prisons of the ruling forces.

Quick answers and easy solutions are not to be expected, the social realities of political movements and their issues seem to be too different. But the discussion about a possible international cooperation and coordination is essential. This is the main goal of the conference.

Page 4: Timetable of the Conference

Thursday, the 1st of April 1999, from 6 p.m. on

Opening event with all participants: Introduction, greetings, presentation and music.

Friday, the 2nd of April 1999

9-10,30 a.m. Brief Platform:

Experiences and prospects of international solidarity - Presentation of all working groups and representatives of the working groups concerning the main issues and goals of discussion.

11 a.m.–- 12,30 Working Groups

2 - 6 p.m. Working Groups

8 p.m. Public event at the Humbold University Berlin, Kinosaal, Unter den Linden 6

»No Peace Without Justice –-Human Rights and Political Prisoners in Democratic and Peace Processes« (see page 13)

Saturday, the 3rd of April 1999

9 - 10 a.m. Brief Platform

10.30 a.m. - 12.30 Working Groups

2 - 6 p.m. Working Groups

During the evening: Plenary sessions, Talks, Whatever.

Sunday, the 4th of April 1999

9 a.m. - 12.30 Internal Meeting:

»Experiences of the International Cooperation Concerning the Question of Political Prisoners:« Groups of Relatives and Solidarity Committees of Different Countries Refer About Their International Work. (see page 14)

2 - 6 p.m. Working Groups

During the evening: Plenary sessions, Talks, Whatever.

Monday, the 5th of April 1999

9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Summary: Full assembly of the conference

Reports and proposals of the working groups, discussion and summary of the conference, press conference

7 p.m. Public Event at the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz: »Prospects of International Solidarity« - Experiences, Results and Possibilities of An International Cooperation (see page 15)

Page 5: The Character of Discussion

The conference is international and public - but includes a registration in advance

Invited are solidarity committees, human rights organisations, unionists, students, former political prisoners, organisations of relatives of pp.s, grassroots activists and activists from worldwide liberation movements.

Experiences and prospects of a possible cooperation shall be discussed. The issues of discussion of the different working groups will try to define the different aspects of oppression by states and the conditions of the movements and struggles themselves.

Each out of four days of the conference will focus on a specific thematic item. Each working group will have a German spoken and international chairperson. At the beginning of each day the thematic issues will be introduced and the discussion will be opened by pre-formulated questions and thesis. But there won´t be lecturers in order to avoid a structure of speech-and-questioning and develop a process of thesis-discussion-results instead. We will reject a teacher-pupil-situation and strive for an equal working process of all participants.

We listen and talk to each other, we learn new things and intensify well known discussions. We talk about issues and work out proposals for activities. There will be information meetings accompanying the conference as a part of it. But the main issue will be the joint discussion and work.

There is no conference, which is independent from its location. Generally, but also based on the experience of former international meetings in Germany, it has been shown, that if one puts questions on others, he/she will be asked him/herself. Those who want to get answers have to try and give answers on his/her own. According to this experience, the meeting in Berlin shall also offer time and space to the participants from the South to enter into a direct dialogue with each other. There can´t be an auditorium if there is no platform. There´s only the demand for intervention and to share one’s own opinions and positions in the discourse.

Page 6: Themes, Working Groups, Events

Each day of the conference will focus discussion on one thematic issue. This »Theme of the day« shall be discussed by the working groups, plenary sessions and podiums referring to different aspects and questions. This is in order to create a joint discussion in spite of a necessary division (into working groups)

The Objects of Discussion

Friday:

Starting conditions and situation of the own work.

Saturday:

Pacification or liberation? Feedback on the political prisoners and the struggle for the realization of human rights.

Sunday:

Experiences with and expectations to international solidarity.

Monday:

Possibilities of international co-operation: Discussion of the results and proposals for joint initiatives at the final general assembly.

The Work Groups

No.1: Political justice and defence

No.2: Arrested, deported and „disappeared“

No.3: Woman and prison

No.4: Human dignity, resistance and the organisation within prison

No.5: Repression by state and grassroots resistance

No.6: The struggle for solidarity

The Events:

Friday, 8 p.m.:

»No Peace Without Justice - Peace Processes and Democratic Transition.«

Sunday, 9 a.m.:

»Experiences and prospects of the International Work For Solidarity«

Monday, 6 p.m.:

»Prospects of International Solidarity«