Förre socialdemokratiske regeringsmedlemmen och talmannen i Sveriges riksdag – Thage G. Peterson – har tillsammans med 15 andra kända svenskar sänt ett brev till USA:s president Barack Obama. I brevet ber de USA:s president att utnyttja möjligheten att frige den sedan mer än 35 år i USA fängslade puertoricanske självständighetsaktivisten Oscar López Rivera.
Rivera dömdes för sitt deltagande i kampen för självbestämmanderätt för Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico var fram till 1898 en spansk koloni. Det året ockuperades ön av USA. Puerto Rico har fortfarande en kolonial status. Ön är till exempel inte en delstat i USA.
I Puerto Rico har kravet på frigivning vuxit sig allt starkare, och har idag ett brett stöd inom befolkningen och bland politiker från skilda läger.
Vi återger nedan brevet till USA:s president Obama.
Stockholm, December 1st, 2016
To the President of the United States of America:
Mr. Barack Obama
We the undersigned turn to you with a plea regarding Oscar López Rivera, who has been imprisoned in the U.S. for more than 35 years, many of those years in solitary confinement. He was convicted and imprisoned because he struggled for his homeland Puerto Rico’s right to self-determination.
Mr. President, throughout your presidential term, the people of Puerto Rico have united behind one common cause; the freedom of Oscar López Rivera. As your administration is winding down you and only you have the opportunity to allow Oscar López Rivera to live out the final part of his life in his homeland with his family.
We ask you, Mr. President, to do what is right, to make the decision to release Oscar López Rivera before your term ends.
Sincerely,
- Thage G. Peterson, former Speaker of the Swedish parliament; former member of the Swedish government (Minister for Justice, Minister for Defense) (Social Democratic Party)’
- Malin Björk, member of the European Parliament (Left Party)
- Marco Venegas, Member of Parliament (Green Party)
- Jamal Mouneimne, Member of Parliament (Green Party)
- Amineh Kakabaveh, Member of Parliament (Left Party)
- Jens Holm, Member of Parliament (Left Party)
- Jeannette Escanilla, substitute Member of Parliament (Left Party)
- Torbjörn Björlund, substitute Member of Parliament (Left Party)
- Ann-Margarethe Livh, Vice Mayor, Stockholm Municipality (Left Party)
- Kenneth Lewis, lawyer, former president of Lawyers without Borders (Sweden)
- Sven Wollter, actor
- Ann Kristin Hedmark, singer
- Gunilla Palmstierna-Weiss, set- and costume designer, sculptress
- Etienne Glaser, actor, director, screenwriter
- Inger Fredriksson, fil.dr., head of publishing house
- Kristina Hillgren, psychologist
