On the heels of the U.S. Parole Commission hearing examiner’s recommendation that Puerto Rican political prisoner Carlos Alberto Torres be released on parole on April 3, 2010, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reinstated false accusations already expunged in a transparent attempt to derail his release after 29 years in prison.
The disciplinary hearing officer found Carlos Alberto guilty of possessing knives which a cellmate had hidden in the light fixture of the 10 man cell, in spite of the sworn statement and testimony of the cellmate, accepting full responsibility. The routine in the BOP in such a situation is that when the person responsible admits guilt, the prison dismisses the case against the others who occupied the same cell.
Of the 10 occupants of the cell, Carlos Alberto is the only one whose case has been heard, another deviation from the norm.
The sentence imposed: 60 days loss of telephone; 60 days loss of visits; 60 days loss of commissary privileges; 41 days loss of good time credits; and 30 days in segregation (though he will not be placed in segregation if he goes 180 days with no disciplinary violations). Writing letters would thus be the only form of communication for the duration of the sentence.
Just as the sentence began, the prison official who had been routinely translating his mail told him that they had received orders from “higher up,” to gather all of his mail and send it out to a translator and censor, and that this would likely result in lengthy delays in his sending and receiving mail, in other words, leaving him completely incomuniccado.
At the same time, another prison official told him bluntly “they’re looking at everything you do,” inferring that “they” meant the regional or central offices of the BOP.
We must denounce these blatant attempts to sabotage Carlos Alberto’s parole efforts, and to isolate and further punish him.
Jan Susler
September 17, 2009
Jan Susler
People’s Law Office
1180 N. Milwaukee
Chicago, IL 60622
773/235-0070 x 118
jsusler@aol.com