Attorney Gen. pick defends FALN pardons

Attorney General nominee Eric Holder defended pardons granted in 1999 by former president Bill Clinton to sixteen convicted Puerto Rican nationalists.

During nomination hearings earlier today, Holder deemed the imprisoned nationalists as “bad people” but said that the decision to grant clemency "was reasonable." Holder added that the clemency was fair since the convicted men didn’t carry out the violent acts that they were accused of. (The F.B.I. would likely disagree with such a perspective).

Holder was “the No. 2 official at the Justice Department” at the time of the controversial pardons which included clemency to fugitive businessman Marc Rich.

The convicted men were members of the members of the FALN and Los Macheteros and were accused of violent acts like the fatal 1975 bombing of New York’s Fraunces Tavern.

Holder also spoke out on the possibility that the military prison at Guantanamo Bay could close:

While he said the Obama administration will move to shut down the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Holder said it could take a significant amount of time to do so. He also said that some terrorists in the future could be prosecuted under some form of military commissions if the commissions are revamped to provide better protections for the accused, and that others would be prosecuted in U.S. federal courts.

Many detainees could be transferred to other countries, Holder added, but the Obama administration is still struggling with what to do with the most dangerous terrorist suspects who cannot be tried in civilian courts.

Despite the controversy over Holder’s controversial role at the Justice Department, no Republican legislator has yet to publicly oppose his nomination.

Image- AP (“In this Dec. 1, 2008, file photo, Attorney General-designate Eric Holder speaks during a news conference with President-elect Barack Obama, right, in Chicago.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, AP, CNN, MSNBC, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor

Macheteros Identify FBI Agent Who Participated In Ojeda Rios Assasination and Issue Warning

Cross-Posted at VivirLatino

The Boricua Popular Army aka los Macheteros have identified John Roeper as an FBI agent who participated in the assassination of Puerto Rican independence fighter Filiberto Ojeda Rios in 2005. From their statement:

“We in the EPB–The Macheteros, in turn, have been able to identify several of the mercenaries who participated in the assassination of our commander. Our intelligence division has been able to do so. Today we publish the name of John Roeper. In the next communiqués, we will report to the nation about other agents.

The Macheteros also stated that:

We remind the people that the colonial government of Puerto Rico is an accomplice of the FBI in this assassination...the government led by Aníbal Acevedo Vilá handed over to the federal authorities information which led the FBI to the Commander’s home...We also remind those who use the media to defend the colonial governor of Puerto Rico that history will afford this governor the sad place reserved for traitors..the people will undertake responsibility for judging his defenders who continue this attitude.”

While the United States continues to justify its actions by stating that the Macheteros are a terrorist organization, it refuses to recognize that Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States since 1898 when the island was invaded in what is an act of war according to international law.

When is self-defense terrorism? When you are a Puerto Rican.

Today’s Video: The death of Filiberto Ojeda Rios

This Tuesday will be the third anniversary of the death of Puerto Rican nationalist leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios. Ojeda Rios was the head of the Boricua Popular Army (a.k.a. Los Macheteros) and he was killed during a controversial shootout with FBI agents in 2005.

Ojeda Rios’ death has served as a rallying point for those who favor Puerto Rican independence as well as those who are resentful being of U.S. rule. To his detractors, Ojeda Rios was a bandit who masterminded brazen bank robberies in order to fund Los Macheteros. Regardless of what you think of Ojeda Rios it’s undeniable that he continues to be remembered by supporters and opponents alike.

The following video shows Ojeda Rios being interview years before he died:


Sources- The Latin Americanist, Economist.com, Google Video, The Nation