From: Steinicke-Streifeneder@t-online.de
Hello to everybody,
it's now nearly four weeks that Chris has been arrested here in Freiburg. He is still in prison and we still don't know the reasons for his incarceration. We only know that his trial won't be before the end of october, maybe not even before february next year !!
Some of you have asked how to help him, so i invite you to send a protest letter / fax to the judge who is dealing with his case. It's very important to show the representants of the "system" - against which Chris has been continuously fighting for the last few years - that he is NOT forgotten and that there are people who care about him and are prepared to support him.
Following is an example how this protest letter could look like, yet feel free to use your own words or to amend the letter or add something.
To:
Mrs. Brugger
- President of the Amtsgericht Freiburg -
Holzmarkt 2
D- 79098 Freiburg
Fax: 0049 - (0) 761 - 205 - 1800
Ref.: Mr. Christopher Smith, 20 AK 38/99
Dear Mrs. Brugger,
i'd like to express my deep concerns about what has happened to Mr. Christopher Smith.
He was arrested on 12th of August 1999 without declaring him his rights and without explanation of the reasons for his arrest.
He was not allowed to make any phonecalls except to a German lawyer although he is not German.
He is not allowed to talk to his friends & family about his case, which means that we still don't know what he is charged for.
He's got only 1 hour of exercise per day and 1 hour visiting time per MONTH - although i've been informed this is usual in German prisons and according to minimum standards of human rights regulations i find it outrageous and absolutely inhuman.
Could YOU live under these conditions for weeks & months without being severely damaged - maybe not physically, but definitely psychologically?
You are representing the "law" and according to this your actions are "legal" - yet if you ask your heart would you not say that something is wrong? If the statement "EVERYONE CHARGED WITH A CRIMINAL OFFENCE SHALL BE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY ACCORDING TO LAW" (Article 6, Phrase 2 "Convention for thevcProtection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, declared 1950) is more than an empty saying then don't treat innocent people like criminals by taking away their FREEDOM!!
Yours sincerely
signature
"The World is y-our country and Freedom is y-our language."
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Please send a copy of your letter / fax to me
by email to steinicke-streifeneder@t-online.de or
by fax 0049-(0)761 - 202 16 71
Thanks a lot for your help
margret
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"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments
of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge
and controversy. "~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~
