For immediate release: February 17th, 2007
Contact person: Arif Smith, 413-597-4888
Former Black Panthers Arrested and Indicted in 1971 Homicide Charges Based on Evidence Obtained through Torture

Press release from the Williams College Multicultural Center.  Panel discussion to follow screening of the film Legacy of Torture: The War Against the Black Liberation Movement.

February 17th, 2007, Williamstown, MA - On Saturday February 17th, in honor of Black History Month, the Multicultural Center's Lecture Series in conjunction with the Black Student Union and the Africana Studies Department is bringing the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) to Williams College. There will be a screening of the recently released film, Legacy of Torture: The War Against the Black Liberation Movement, which will be followed by a panel discussion. The event will take place at Images Cinema, 50 Spring Street, Williamstown, MA at 5:00pm.

Two weeks ago, authorities in San Francisco announced the arrests of former Black Panthers in the 1971 killing of police officer Sgt. John V. Young despite the use of torture to obtain confessions.

Soffiyah Elijah, deputy director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School, said, "The case against these men was built on torture, just like the history of this country and it's commonplace for law enforcement to claim that they don't torture people, but in the end we always find out that they're lying." 

Former political prisoner Kazi Toure said, "This government have used these same tactics under different names, they used to call it COINTELPRO, today they call it the Patriot Act.  These atrocities are just another attempt to silence people, to intimidate activists and to distract the public from the atrocities the US government also commits abroad."

In 1973, New Orleans police employed torture over the course of several days to obtain information from members of the Black Panthers who were stripped naked, beaten, covered in blankets soaked with boiling water, and had electric probes placed on their genitals, among other methods. A court ruled in 1974 that both San Francisco and New Orleans police had engaged in torture to extract a confession, and a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against three men in 1975 based on that ruling. Two years ago, a grand jury convened in San Francisco to reopen the case.  All the men appeared every time they were requested, but refused to testify.  The failure of the numerous grand juries that have been convened to issue an indictment indicates that the government has a very weak case against these men.

Legacy of Torture: The War Against the Black Liberation Movement  was directed, produced, and edited by Andres Alegría, Claude Marks and The Freedom Archives. Running time: 28 minutes.

The mission of the Committee for Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) is to draw attention to human rights abuses perpetrated by the government of the United States and law enforcement authorities, which were carried out in an effort to destroy progressive organizations and individuals. By building coalitions with organizations and groups that advocate for human and civil rights, CDHR hopes to bring an end to these abuses. CDHR's basic principles are set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention against Torture. For more information visit: www.cdhrsupport.org