UPIII 9 months Sentence at Peak of Climate Crisis

‘9 months without parole for UPIII arrested in the Hambach Forest 4 months ago, 9 months sentence for another climate activist resisting fossil fuels as the fire storms break out across the world displacing hundreds of thousands and killing hundreds, 9 months of injustice as now a global heatwave kills thousands more, breaking one all-time temperature record after another. As the largest global emergency ever seen by humanity worsens the local courts in the coal mining region of North Rhine Westphalia, with a long list of politicians openly paid by Coal, are being empolyed to not only normalize and protect the destructive and toxic RWE lignite but are also shamelesly and openly admiting to being tools of political and enviromental repression. Escalating climate crisis repression despite their official agreements during the Climate Summits, the most recent one right here in Bonn, of the necessity of action, offering, now retracted, pledges to decarbonize while instead attacking and imprisoning climate activists such as UPIII for almost a year. Imprisoning those who resist not based on clear evidence but as admitted openly at trial by judge to dissuade and intimidate others not to be active, not to protest and not to blockade and not to engage in direct action against the root of the present Climate Crisis: the ongoing Coal CO2 emissions, with RWE’s being the largest single source in Europe. By taking this course of action the prosecutor Dr. Jost Schützeberg and Judge Königsfeld have joined a growing list of politicians in the region who can be pointed to the future generation as being responsible for climate chaos reality of drought and injustice, of fires and rising water levels and rising waves of repression and normalization of state violence. By engaging in this level of cynism and injustice described below this sentence functions as another call to action to citizens, activists and radicals to resist and block the fossil fuels tyrany of break down, break down of the most elemental thing all us have known and depend on, together with all other species on Earth: the life supporting capacity of the Planet itself. It is up to all to resist, resist like UPIII on this or the other side of the walls and support each other and especially all comrades less privileged than ourselves who are not only in prisons but also fighting this struggle in the streets, barricades and forest of the Global South.

No Judges and Prisons on a Dead Planet!

System Change Not Climate Change!

 

 

Report from todays court proceedings:

After hearing a police witness (the hearing of two other officers who were prevented today was ), today, on the second day of the trial, the statements of public prosecutor Dr. Jost Schützeberg and defender Frank Hatlé followed. A report from the first day of the process can be found here: https://www.r-mediabase.eu/index.php?view=category&catid=1196&option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=519

In its ruling (9 months imprisonment without parole), the court followed the applications of the public prosecutor’s office. In describing the crime, Judge Königsfeld referred in particular to the first police witness who had made a very detailed statement about the incident, saying that although it was only partly possible to support her statements through the evidence videos, the witness had clarified her basic credibility with the accuracy of the statements with regard to things that can be proven by video. Therefore, almost all of their statements were accepted as facts.

The controversial accusation of a serious breach of the peace was thus presented as proven by videos (8-14 people were counted). In the reasoning of the verdict, there was talk of firecracker thrown by an unknown activist, which would have also partially hit. However, the witness had only talked about a branch being thrown. firecrackers would always have missed the mark.

At the time of the 4 Böller throws, which UPIII is said to have carried out, the officers already had their helmets on. After the second throw at the latest, the defendant should have realized that she would not hit. Nevertheless, she continued throwing and “wasted” material. This would lead to the conclusion that there may have been no intention of infringement after all. In so far as an acquittal in relation to “attempted grievous bodily harm.” However, through her presence she supported the first throwing activist physically and psychologically. Therefore, aid.

In the Pladoyer, defender Hatlé discussed in detail the (ignored last week) actual danger of the throws. Certified firecrackers are not capable to cause injuries or blast traumas. The mood of the officers during the mission (laughter) did not indicate any danger.

Why not a suspended sentence?

By violating §111 of the Administrative Offences Act (failure to provide personal details), the defendant had shown that she did not respect the German Code of Criminal Procedure (Attorney Hatlé stated in advance: “Nobody has to contribute to his own conviction.”). Therefore, a new offence of the person is to be expected in the future as well, which is why the person cannot be released on probation. Possible favourable facts (completed vocational training, years of social commitment, no previous convictions) were not evaluated. It was even more punitive that the accused was doing well due to frequent visits and numerous letters and further support in prison, which is why so far there could not be any talk of a real punishment suffered together with remorse. Before she started, she had been questioned about her conditions of detention. She had not mentioned the big problems (poor nutrition for her as a vegan, harassment by a female prison guards).

What is also interesting is the part that seemed more important than the actual criminal charge: the failure to provide personal details. Already on Sunday evening, public prosecutor Schützeberg had written an e-mail to Judge Königsfeld saying that the exact personal details of the accused were known. Defender Hatlé had not been informed what should have happened according to the Code of Criminal Procedure (in case of new facts relevant to the trial). This was sharply reprimanded by the defender. The defendant now confirmed her already known personal details and took a closer look at her person. The defender denied, however, that the previous non-statement may be penalized more severely. Another interesting possibility is that the investigating authorities may have been aware of the personal data since March 24. At that time there was a search request to the consulate of the country from which UPIII comes. It stated that the missing person was in a “forest near Aachen, in a group belonging to the left-wing extremist spectrum”, with precise personal details. If this information did not already lead to an identification at that time, the authorities may have worked more sloppily than they did with the NSU right wing terror cell trial recently after 7 years.

The public prosecutor hinted that “support for the Hambach forest occupation” could already be considered a criminal offence. After all, this would also cover the numerous crimes committed there. The defense attorney, however, estimated the seriousness of the crimes to be in the lower range; there could be no question of a seriousness in the medium to heavy range. Compared to the fireworks thrown on New Year’s Eve and the events that took place weekend after weekend in and around Bundesliga football stadiums, the long pre-trial detention was already absolutely inappropriate. The accusations are totally exaggerated and not proven, the accused is to be acquitted.

In the end, the judge considered his verdict as a cautionary example. He wished for a preventive effect, especially with regard to the coming cutting season. The defence has one week to appeal. The defendant remains in custody until the judgement becomes legally effective. (GF)

 

 

 

 

Please consult the reading request list as well as letters of UPIII on ABC Rhineland Blog and do write and send reading material.  Pamphlets, zines, magazines and xerox copies can be send, with books you can either print them out on individual sheets of paper if possible or cut the pages from the spine and send them in “installments”. Document and index everything that you send and include dates when you send it both for your records and in the correspondence,

Continue ReadingUPIII 9 months Sentence at Peak of Climate Crisis

UPIII first trial report from Tuesday 24.7

#FreeUPIII

Before the trial unfolded those lining up in front of the court noticed that right next to the court was a traveling circus with its large tents and animals walking around in small enclosures. Apropriate in that UPIII was arrested during “Do or Die” Animal Rights Convergence at Hambi and doubly apropriate in some of the circus like proceedings that followed in the courtroom.

UPIII makes no statement in the process. It was admirable that she* presented herself in very good condition, smiled almost constantly and encouraged all supporters.

The arrest warrant is maintained after lengthy consultations with the prosecutor and defense attorney. Judge of 25 years at the court and also at the youth court in Kerpen describes defendants as stubborn.
A suspended sentence would be out of the question due to a lack of control over conditions. At the beginning of the trial, the judge positively pointed out that UPIII is committed to environmental protection, but in his opinion in the wrong way. So lack of “control conditions” seems to indicate continuing commitment to activism?
Judge also tries to appeal to UPIII emotionally by saying that he is sure that people would be happy to take her* in their arms.

Then there were corresponding testimonies that the alleged perpetrator threw firecrackers several times from a distance of approx. 20-25 metres in the direction of a group of police whose task it was to secure a hole in the ground.

All police forces had put their helmets on after they noticed the first firecracker which definitely hadn’t come from UPIII. The alleged perpetrator is said to have used a classic throwing technique with a sweeping movement over the shoulder.

According to the first witness, the trajectory was always too short due to a lack of throwing power for a threat to have occurred (witness: I cannot throw myself either).

According to another witness, who did not criticize the perpetrator’s throwing technique, the perpetrator missed the next policeman in one of her attempts only at a distance of about three meters (witness: Since I play handball myself, I know how to throw effectively).

All witnesses have also seen the alleged perpetrator after her arrest and removal of her face cover and are certain that the person arrested is identical to the accused in the courtroom.

A policewoman is convinced that she has not let the alleged firecracker thrower from one of her firecracker thrower out of sight, despite the fact that she described the situation in the forest and the arest happened at the train station over 2km away and some time later..

Why the other policemen* inside can assume that the arrested must have been also the thrower, is unfortunately not concretely questioned.

(Own note: It cannot be excluded at all that two similarly dressed persons of similar stature might have been in the undergrowth or that jackets and scarves were exchanged among themselves. Besides, it wasn’t really bright yet, the operation started in the darkness.

The firecracker thrower is only described as a person of stronger stature with olive-green trousers, black jacket and light scarf to cover up, which is described by the first witness without consultation as conspicuous clothing.
However, another witness also believes it could have been a dark blue jacket. Also the colour of the scarf cannot be clearly indicated as white or light grey.

Things of undetectable relevance are being discussed without a limit.
This would not be tragic if, on the other hand, after a total of more than four hours of witness hearings, police forces, without exception, had not completely ignored elementary things:

– Did the alleged perpetrator take a run-up with her projectile?
– How large was their radius of action?
– Did she move fluently with a group, did she sometimes set the direction herself?
– Were firecrackers deflected from trees?
– What were the visibility conditions?
– How did the alleged perpetrator behave after throwing? (e.g. recoiling, approaching, cheering, visible disappointment, targeted search for a better throwing position, increased or reduced aggressiveness, etc.)
– How bright was it early in the morning anyway?

None of this has been discussed.

And it could not even be determined whether UPIII made additional protest / drum noises, e.g. by means of pot lids, as several activists did this morning.

Witnesses essentially admit that they are unable to give any further details on the times and durations of the firecracker
throwing.
While one officer believed that the arrest of UPIII was possible by forming a task force by his unit to make arrests when the opportunity arose, another officer later felt that it was crucial that his support imot could approach the perpetrator unnoticed from behind.

A special section deserves the interrogation of the witness of the evidence team (who made video recordings that day).

Components of his statement were that only phased photographs were taken (witness: you have to imagine it like this: I can press play and pause on the camera) and that the situation was difficult for him (witness: In a forest, you cannot get an overview when filming, e.g. in a clearing or in open terrain).
Therefore, he could not make any statements about the number of persons who were in the forest.
Before he was to film the situation in the forest regarding the firecracker litters, he was busy with filming the hole that was being filled, which was used by the underground fire brigade at the burrow, in order to inspect it again before backfilling.
Here the witness checked whether it would not have been more important to put this filming back in the sense of the threatened colleagues*. The witness referred to the instructions of the operations command, the defender asked about the personal experiences of the witness.

A dispute arose here, as the defence felt that the witness gave little informative answers. The judge tried to mediate by asking the witness whether he was entrusted with the task rather five times or rather fifty times. Then more like 50 times was the answer.
The judge wanted to know when it would have been the last time that he had operated the camera to preserve evidence. Witness’ answer: I can’t tell you that exactly. The frequency of camera teams being used being presently very low.

The defender wanted to know if there were any real-time data in the recordings. The witness replied that the commonly used VLC playback software would display time information that he believed was based on the time stamps that are also visible in the file folders.
(Own note: These time stamps are so easy to manipulate that they could not be considered conclusive in case of doubt.)

The witness also looked at the file folder on the notebook on the judge’s desk. Witness after a few seconds: At first glance, I can see that the file folder is not complete. The first file name usually has a “1” at the end.

It is also worth mentioning that the witness was contacted by phone by a judge before the trial. Thus, in his interrogation of some questions, the witness improperly referred to the statements he had made on this occasion.

There were no questions about the name of the judge and if and where there is a protocol. Also why the witness immediately afterwards felt induced to call his colleague (first witness) to discuss the events on March 19 was not questioned.

(Own note: Both reasons for the motivation and whether the calling judge would have recommended this procedure to the witness remain hidden from the public forever.)

Furthermore, the witness stated that, after receiving the summons to the trial, he had a conversation in a duty room with colleagues of the operation to clarify which person could be UPIII.
Witness: “We had agreed” that it must be the lady present here.
The defender repeated this statement with a raised forefinger and added that it is a prime example of a statement in criminal proceedings that completely shakes the credibility of a witness.
The defender pointed out to the witness that he was not an assistant student, but a police officer. This statement by the defender prompted neither the judge nor the public prosecutor to object.
Comparing a police officer with an assistant student therefore seems to be opportune for judges and prosecutors.
Since the witness was unable to provide any further information on the defender’s satisfaction in response to further questions from the defender, the judge felt compelled to make a statement and said that the witness does not or cannot make any better statements.

The witness was dismissed, although his recordings were still to be viewed (and thus would no longer have been available for possible inquiries.)

During the later viewing of the videos on the notebook on the judge’s desk (very difficult for the audience inside to see, since the view was covered) the judge stopped several times selected recordings to count the number of persons.
(Judge: Yesterday I came up to 14 people at this recording. But not all of them can be seen at once. Drumming noises could be heard using pots, for example.)

Conclusion: It is always best to form your own opinion.

Next opportunity: Tue., 31.07., 8.30 am Local Court Kerpen

#FreeUPIII

Continue ReadingUPIII first trial report from Tuesday 24.7

UPIII Trial Tomorrow at 8:30 in Kerpen

The situation of Hambi Political Prisoners this year speaks volumes: As megatons of carbons continue to go into the atmosphere and coal lobbyists and CDU and SPD machine calls for massive “restructuring” subsidies to keep this failing and toxic industry going, the climate activists calling for change are experiencing unprecedented injustice and criminalization with Hambis having spend collecively a year and 2 months in prison in 2018.  Such twisting and perversion of already fucked profit oriented idea of capitalist justice showing it clear agenda is to intimidate and terrorize activists into passivity and inaction. The fact that not seasoned, young activists such as UPIII continue not to be deterred and are exposed to this level of state repression show even more that is up to the activists to affect change and how repression has the opposite from what is intended effect.

It also shows how the state of North Rhine Westphalia with its officially paid by RWE and other energy companies politicians, interior ministers and private security like police forces is responsible for not only continuing to damage and destroy the planet, climate, ecosystems and communities for countless generations to come but how it is escalating and taking advantage of this situation to instill even more repressive reality in which previous legal checks continue to be removed and those who stand up protest, block and resist continue to be criminalized, repressed and abused.

UPIII has now spent over 406 day in prison with no trial, mail and visits being severly interfered with for most of her stay. Isolated by a language barrier and exposed like many other young refugees and UPIII to sexually abusive and pseudo-scientific “age tests”, experiencing abuse and intimidation by prison guards directed at most of those who surround her in prison.  Regardless of all this bull-shit she has painted, drawn and written letters that have inspired many on the outside and received hundreds of letters from the outside. Letter and messages that the state tried so hard to isolate her from. Showing again but what the focus of supression is how crucial and important those seemingly simple and symbolic actions are.

And as the Coal Regimes continue to destroy the future and attack and try to deter the opposition let that in itself be the ultimate wake up and call for action for forming affinity groups, engaging in more actions remembering and knowing how unprecedented and complete the present state of global climate emergency is and how it is up to us activists and not up to fat-cats(no offense to the actuall cats – as we know All Cats Are Beautiful) in industry/power structure that are wrecking this world  as we have known it, to affect change and transformation.

Support UPIII tomorrow by showing in front of the Court Building in Kerpen bringing not just signs and transpies but also vegan food and snacks to share with each other and especially with UPIII if she is released and prepare to continue the struggle of standing against this year cuttings season in Hambacher Forest, continuing “business as usual” carbon emission.

Skillshares Camp 20-29 Sept

EndeGaleande Acions 25-29 Oct

Free UPIII!

Fuck RWE and its subsidary power structures!

Continue ReadingUPIII Trial Tomorrow at 8:30 in Kerpen

Weekly Noise Demo for UPIII This Sunday 1900

The next solidarity noise demo in front of Ossendorf jail for UPIII will be at 19:000 instead of the previous 22:00. Come and support Hambi comrade by bringing megaphones, instruments or even cooking pots.  This can be doubly appreciated as weekend in prison suck as you get no mail and often there is less prison guards working so sometimes you do not even get out you cell for walk outside.  Such conditions for someone defending the forest or anybody in general bring attention how much the repression is being used to demoralize those inside and intimidate those active on the outside not to engage in direct action or activism.  Don’t let this happen! Resist repression, prison and Coal!

FREE UPIII!

Here is an excerpt from one of the last letters from UPIII, the full leter can be seen at: https://abcrhineland.blackblogs.org

I admire all of you for your courage, tenacity, energy, kindness, generosity and a million other things. The memory of it gives me strength, as do the many letters you have sent. Telling me I am not forgotten (and I do not forget you, either).

I remember your faces, your voices, the way many of you walk, the sound of your footsteps, heavy or light, fast or slow (I like to always be aware of who to expect so this is something I notice quickly).

The little things make you more “real” here, for want of a better phrase. That you still exist beyond these walls. I only got to know you for a short time (an unfairly short amount of time really) but that doesn’t matter, I look forward to picking up where I left off. I wonder how many of you there will be familiar faces? I’ll be here for four months, and I’ve already heard of people coming and going. This doesn’t dull my excitement tough, new friends to make!
Continue ReadingWeekly Noise Demo for UPIII This Sunday 1900