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from SOA Watch:
“I crossed the line at WHINSEC and prayed on the grounds to bring attention to the teaching of torture and assassination. When enough people learn the truth about this school and act to end these practices, the healing can begin.”
– Diane Lopez-Hughes, one of the SOAW 11
The Eleven courageous souls that willingly put their freedom and bodies at risk to stand in witness against the SOA/WHINSEC during the November 2007 Vigil were sentenced on January 28 to federal prison on charges of “trespassing on a military base”.
The trial took place in a courthouse located just a few miles from Fort Benning, the current site of the SOA/WHINSEC. An institute known around the world for its ties to brutal dictatorships and human rights abuses, which continues to operate, unchallenged by our government but not by the people.
The SOAW 11, ranging in ages from 25 to 78 and from very diverse walks of life, testified today before magistrate G. Malon Faircloth. Ed Lewinson, a 78-year old History professor who in November crossed the line for the fourth time, was sentenced to 90 days in federal prison and a $500 fine. This is his first conviction since in previous years the government refused to prosecute due to his blindness. Tiel Rainelli, a 25 year old activist from Canton, OH who was arrested this past November after climbing over the barbed wire fence blocking the main gate of Fort Benning, announced that in spite of the courts decision to sentence her to 90 days in prison, she would return to protest at the gates of Fort Benning in November.
Filed under: activism, social & economic justice, To Study Up On Nonviolence
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