July 25th, 2018 marks the fourth annual International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners. Rose City Antifa will be doing the Postcards To Prisoners campaign the week of July 18th - July 25th as we’ve done in years past.
With the global rise of the fascist right it is crucial that antifascists support our POWs. The International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners is an important time for us to remember our comrades around the world behind bars, take the time to raise their spirits, and also to raise awareness of their struggle. Postcards to Prisoners is a simple way to boost morale and signal boost antifascist solidarity.
Here’s how it works:
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In a group or on your own, get postcards and stamps.
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Write to some prisoners to show support and solidarity, below you will find addresses and information about some of our imprisoned comrades.
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Take a photo of the postcard.
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Send us the photo. If you wish to remain anonymous simply email us the pic at [email protected]. Otherwise tweet your pictures using the hashtags #PostcardsToPrisoners and #J25antifa. We will compile photos and post them up on our twitter @Rose City Antifa.
Last years dozens of postcards were sent to antifascist prisoners, this year let’s make it hundreds! Solidarity is our greatest weapon!
Here is a list of international antifascist prisoners from NYC Antifa:
Vadim Boyko
Vadim Boyko was arrested on March 22, 2016, on suspicion of participating in a fight that took place on June 29, 2014 between anti-fascist supporters of FC Partyzan and right-wing soccer hooligans from FC Torpedo. The arrests in 2014 were not followed up until 2016, when a special political department decided to start the case with a series of police raids on the antifascists who were alleged to have been involved. On March 10, 2017 Vadim Boyko was sentenced to 4 years of jail, and was re-arrested in July for transfer to a penal colony.
He can read Russian and simple English phrases.
Address:
Boyko Vadim Sergeyevich
IK-17
ul. Pervaya Zavodskaya, 8
213004, Shklov, Mogilevskaya obl.
BELARUS
https://abc-belarus.org/?p=6874&lang=en
Tomas Kovinkski
Tomas Kovinski is an antifascist from Minsk who was detained on September 27, 2016 after a fight with a right-wing football hooligan. On January 25, 2017 was convicted of malicious hooliganism and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
He can read Russian and simple English phrases.
Address:
Kovinski Tomas Sergeyevich
IUOT-55
ul. Sotsialisticheskaya, 7
220021 Minsk
Belarus
https://abc-belarus.org/?p=8745&lang=en
Vlad Lenko
Vlad Lenko is an antifascist from Ivatsevichi (Brest region). He was arrested on December 27, 2014, and accused of taking part in a fight against local neo-Nazis earlier in December. Vlad was charged with group hooliganism and aggravated bodily harm, and in September 2015 was sentenced to 6 years in a penal colony.
He can read Russian and simple English phrases.
Address:
Lenko Vlad Igorevich
211300 Vitebskaya obl.
Vitebskiy rajon, Vitba, IK-3
BELARUS
http://abc-belarus.org/?p=6240&lang=en
Roman Bogdan
Roman Bogdan was arrested on April 15, 2015, as part of the long-going state repression of anti-fascists in Brest, stemming from a fight between anti-fascists and fascists on May 8, 2013. In October, Roman was sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony and must pay 3500 Euro in damages. On December 15, 2015 a regional appellate court commuted his sentence by 2 years.
He can read Russian and simple English phrases.
Address:
Roman Bogdan
ul. Pervaya Zavodskaya, 8,
IK-17, otryad 12
213010 Shklov
Mogilevskaya obl.
BELARUS
http://abc-belarus.org/?p=6153&lang=en
Jock Palfreeman
Jock Palfreeman is an Australian anti-fascist political prisoner serving a twenty-year prison sentence in Bulgaria for the rather mysterious death of a neo-Nazi football hooligan who was part of a group attacking two Romani men in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2007. Jock came to the aid of the Romani, and quickly found himself the focus of the attack. Bulgarian authorities did everything they could to ensure that Jock did not receive a fair trial, and after his sentencing have refused–in contravention of their own treaties–to transfer him to Australia to serve the rest of his time closer to his family. Jock wants donations for him sent to the Bulgarian Prisoners’ Association, which he is part of.
He can read English and Bulgarian.
Address:
Jock Palfreeman
Kazichene Prison
Kazichene 1532
Region Pancherevo
Sofia, BULGARIA
http://www.brightonabc.org.uk/jock.html
Patryk Cichoń
Patryk is a Polish antifascist recently deported from the UK to Poland to serve a 3-year sentence handed down to him 13 years ago. He was charged with allegedly beating up and robbing a few local fascists. Patryk is only allowed 2 visits per month and one 5-minute telephone conversation a week, and really enjoys receiving letters. There is no limit to the number of letters he can receive.
He can read Polish and English.
Address:
Patryk Cichoń
“Syn Józefa”
Zaklad Karny
Chmielow 662
Chmielow 39-442
Poland
https://www.brightonabc.org.uk/prisoners.html
Aleksandr Kolchenko
Aleksandr Kolchenko was arrested in Crimea on May 17, 2014, along with several others, and accused by Russian authorities of participation in a “terrorist group” which planned explosions near the Eternal Fire memorial and the Lenin monument in Simferopol, as well as having sabotaged railway tracks and electricity lines. Aleksandr was also alleged to have carried out two arson attacks in April: against the headquarters of the Russian Unity-Party, and the Russian Community of Crimea. He was transferred to Moscow and kept in draconian conditions. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Russian authorities claimed that Aleksandr was a member of Right Sektor, a Ukrainian ultra-right nationalist organization, but he has no connection to the group—a fact confirmed by relatives and friends. Moreover, Aleksandr is an antifascist and anarchist who consistently opposed nationalistic movements in Crimea and faced constant fascist attacks for his activism. For example, after a film screening about murdered anti-fascist journalist Anastasiya Baburova, he was attacked by thirty Nazis with knives.
Address:
Kolchenko Aleksandru Aleksandrovichu, 1989
456612
Chelyabinskaya obl, Kopeisk,
ul.Kemerovskaya, 20,
IK-6, otryad 4
RUSSIA
Please note: Moscow ABC advises that letters in English are seldom accepted in Russian prisons, so please write only in Russian (try using a translation program) or just send photos and postcards.
http://avtonom.org/en/news/repressions-against-crimean-activists-political-context
http://wiki.avtonom.org/en/index.php/Aleksandr_Kolchenko
Russian Torture Cases
There has been heavy repression of anarchists and antifascists by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). In October 2017, FSB officers arrested six antifascists who played airsoft in the woods. The FSB planted weapons and explosives in some of their vehicles, and tortured them in pre-trial detention–beating them, hanging them upside down, electrocuting them, and threatening them with even worse. This torture was used to force the arrestees to validate forged testimony professing that they are part of an alleged terrorist “network.” At the end of January 2018, two more antifascists were arrested in St. Petersburg. They were also beaten, tortured by means of electrical shock, and forced to agree that they too were members of this invented “network.”
As of now, seven anti-fascists are behind bars and another is under house arrest. All are facing up to a decade in prison. We encourage you to read more about the case in the links below. We have included addresses for those who have them listed.
Yuliy Boyarshinov
Boyarshinov Yuliy Nikolayevich , 1991
SIZO-6 Gorelovo
188508 Russia
Leningradskaya obl.
Lomonosovskiy rayon
MO Villozskoe selskoe poselenie
ulitsa Zarechnaya tupik 22
RUSSIA
Victor Filinkov
Filinkov Victor Sergeevich, 1994
SIZO-6 Gorelovo
188508 Russia
Leningradskaya obl.
Lomonosovskiy rayon
MO Villozskoe selskoe poselenie
ulitsa Zarechnaya tupik 22
RUSSIA
Vasiliy Kuksov
Kuksov Vasiliy Alekseevich, 1988
SIZO-1
440039 Russia
Penzenskaya obl.
Penza, ulitsa Karakozova 30
RUSSIA
Arman Sagynbaev
Sagynbaev Arman Dauletovich 1992
SIZO-1
440039 Russia
Penzenskaya obl.
Penza
ulitsa Karakozova 30
RUSSIA
Igor Shishkin
Shishkin Igor Dmitrievich, 1991
SIZO-3 FSIN
191123 Russia
Saint-Petersburg
Shpalernaya str. h.25
RUSSIA
Andrey Chernov
No address currently
Ilya Shakurskiy
No address currently
Dmitriy Pchelintsev
No address currently
Please note: Moscow ABC advises that letters in English are seldom accepted in Russian prisons, so please write only in Russian (try using a translation program), or just send photos and postcards.
https://itsgoingdown.org/why-the-torture-cases-of-anarchists-in-russia-matters/
https://rupression.com/en/person/