Argentina, Las Heras - November 16th, 2017
December, 12th - International Day of the Prosecuted Worker
Four years have passed since the condemn to life imprisonment and jail for the oil workers of Las Heras... Governments change, repression continues! Yesterday we were jailed and condemned for struggling against the outsource labour and tax on wages...
Today they repress us, they disappear us, and they kill us in order to impose the labour reform
Trial and punishment for the murderers of Santiago Maldonado, for all the political responsible the murder of Rafael Nahuel, Darío Santillán, Maximiliano Kosteki, Daniel Solano, Mariano Ferreyra and all the martyrs of the working class.
FREEDOM AND NON-EXTRADICTION FOR FACUNDO JONES HUALA
Freedom to Milagro Sala and all the political prisoners!
Absolution to the oil workers of Las Heras and the workers of Tierra del Fuego! Drop all charges against over 7,000 prosecuted workers and popular fighters!
Freedom to all the political prisoners of the world!
On December 12th in Buenos Aires we all must go to the House of the Province of Chubut (Argentina)
Letter from the Commission of Condemned Workers, Family and Friends of Las Heras
We write these lines from the south of the Patagonia (Argentina) with deep sorrow and chewing anger seeing that three months have passed since the disappearance of comrade Santiago Maldonado, a young fighter who we consider an adopted son of all workers. Although we did not meet him in person, we were in suspense for him, counting the days and hours to hear from him. We fight for his appearance alive, we marched on the streets in the world to achieve it.
Unfortunately, the State and its repressive forces, like the murderous gendarmerie, dropped the lifeless body of comrade Santiago two days before the legislative elections. The struggle for trial and punishment of all those responsible for the death of Santiago must be taken as the banner of struggle of all the workers of the world. Because we are all Santiago Maldonado! It seems incredible to us that after 3 months, the CTA (Autonomus Workers Trade Union) and the CGT (General Confederation or Workers) refused and still refuse to call for a strike, neither for their appearance alive before, nor now for justice to be done. From the Commission of Convicted Workers, Relatives and Friends of Las Heras, we also suffered the oblivion and silence of the trade union leaders for years.
They turned their backs on us after we lived in our own flesh in 2006 the actions of the State and its repressive forces, with the militarization of our town, the raids on our homes, the torture against us and against our loved ones; we suffered jail and they convicted us in 2013 to life imprisonment for the "crime" of fighting for our rights and defending the bread of our families. The role of the CTA and CGT was to silence and turn their back on us, in like they do with comrade Santiago’s death. That is why in these years of resisting and fighting with the workers of the world for the freedom of all the political prisoners of the world and justice for our martyrs from the International Network, we have understood that the only answer to our sufferings comes from the solidarity of Workers.
We want everybody to know that we can be with our families today, thanks to thousands of workers around the world who raised our fight and showed solidarity for our acquittal. That is why, although we have a sentence on our backs and feel that each day may be the last one as free men, they have not been able to make it effective because of the international class solidarity. We know that with the struggle of the working class and international solidarity is that we can defeat the brutal condemnation that falls on us.
We will not forget that Cristina Kirchner was the one who gave the order so that on December 12th, 2013 the videlista (fascist) court at the service of the oil companies dictated the sentence. We saw how, in response to this attack, thousands of workers worldwide stood up, the Palestinian prisoners in the jails of the Israeli occupier and the Basque political prisoners went on a hunger strike, the workers and young Zengakuren from Japan surrounded the Argentinean Embassy, the workers and young people who rose up in the Middle East and the Maghreb fought with us. Huge forces of the workers allowed us to be with our families fighting for acquittal. This is why we lived with deep thrill by the actions that were carried out in Europe, in the Spanish State, of which we were part from the International Network for the Freedom of Political Prisoners and Justice for Our Martyrs, as well as days of struggle in Chile, Colombia, Bolivia and throughout the continent. We were thrilled to see the delegates and fighters who met at the Congress of Conlutas (trade union) in Brazil raising the banner of comrade Santiago Maldonado. We are convinced that this is the way.
Those are the forces to get justice for our comrade Santiago and for all our martyrs! Those are the forces to free all political prisoners! Long live the unity of the workers of the world! Our motion would be that we strike as one fist beyond the borders, the miseries, sufferings and injustices is what makes us siblings with workers from different parts of the country and the world. The solution and justice do not come from exploiters’ parliament and judges, but from the enormous class solidarity. That is why we call to continue deepening this way, the one of the unity of the workers, against the same enemies. The Gendarmerie that attacked the Mapuche comrades in the Pu Lof of Cushamen and disappeared Santiago is the same one that occupied our oil town in 2006 when we rose up against the tax on wages and against outsourced labour.
Those forces that today militarized the mountain range and return to occupy the oil fields are the same ones that carried out the blackouts in our town and bursted into our houses, hitting our families and arresting our comrades. Those who have been harassing and attacking the workers of the mountain range for years and today are holding hostage Facundo Jones Huala; they are the ones who detained and treated us like garbage for more than three years. In 2006, when we went out to fight, it was the government of the death Néstor Kirchner who commanded the occupation of our town and subjected us to a witch hunt, to prison and to Videlista (fascist) terror.
In 2013, it was Cristina Kirchner who gave the order to the judges to dictate the brutal conviction. Today it is the government of Macri that leads the attack against us. They all come together when it comes to attacking the workers and their conquests.
Workers must unite around the world to defend our conquests, free our imprisoned comrades and get justice for our martyrs!
An injury to one is an injury to all! One class, one fight! We must deepen the example of the comrades of CONLUTAS!
Let's join our forces above the borders! Trial and punishment to all those responsible for the murder of Santiago Maldonado!
There were no mistakes, there were no excesses, everyone who participated in this process is responsible! Freedom to Facundo Jones Huala and all political prisoners!
For our acquittal and that of the comrades of Tierra del Fuego! Freedom to all political prisoners and justice for our martyrs!
For the Commission of Condemned Workers, Relatives and Friends of Las Heras:
José Rosales, convicted to life imprisonment • Hugo González, condemned to life imprisonment • Omar Mansilla, condemned to 5 years in jail • Daniel Aguilar, condemned to 5 years in jail • Rubén Bach, condemned to 5 years in jail • Claudia Bazán, Jose Rosales’ wife • Raquel Valencia, Hugo González’s wife