FOR Condemns FBI’s Use of Violence in Puerto Rico September 30, 2005 FOR advocates for fair and compassionate methods of dealing with offenders against society and opposes the use of violence. It is because of these values that today we condemn the killing by the FBI of Filiberto Ojeda Rios on September 23, at his home in the town of Homigueros, Puerto Rico. The shooting occurred after FBI agents surrounded the house in which he was staying. According to an autopsy, Rios bled to death after being hit with a single bullet. Officials did not enter the home until the following day, many hours after he was shot. For the past four decades, Filiberto Ojeda Rios has been a leading figure in the fight for Puerto Rican independence and against U.S. colonial rule. The FBI claimed the 72-year-old Ojeda Rios fired a weapon, but his wife, who was present, states that FBI agents fired first. Activists for Puerto Rican independence accused the FBI of assassinating him. The killing occurred on the day of "Grito de Lares," commemorating September 23, 1868, when Puerto Ricans gathered in Lares, Puerto Rico and rebelled for independence from Spain. The choice of this day for the FBI’s violent operation gives further offense. The FOR is committed to support self-determination and sovereignty for all people, consistent with principles of nonviolence and justice. We vigorously denounce the excessive force used by the FBI that contravene all civility and social justice. Such force should not be the standard operating procedures of law enforcement. FOR urges U.S. officials to heed calls from across Puerto Rico’s political spectrum to investigate the FBI’s use of violence against Ojeda Rios. The FOR re-commits itself to work with communities in Puerto Rico and the United States to ensure that the people of Puerto Rico may be free from the chains of oppression that colonialism hangs over the island.
Contact: John Lindsay-Poland (415) 495-6334 johnlp@igc.org
©2004 Fellowship of Reconciliation |