It’s been 40 years to the day — since April 17, 1972, or 14,600 days ago
— that Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox have been held in solitary
confinement in Louisiana. The state says they were guilty of murdering a
guard at Angola Prison, but Wallace, Woodfox and their network of
supporters say they were framed for their political activism as members
of the Black Panthers. Woodfox and Wallace founded the Angola chapter of
the Black Panther Party in 1971. A third prisoner, Robert King, joined
them a year later. The three campaigned for better working conditions
and racial solidarity between inmates, as well as an end to rape and
sexual slavery. Today, to mark the 40th anniversary of their placement
in solitary confinement, Amnesty USA says it
will deliver a petition to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal that bears the
signatures of tens of thousands of people from 125 countries. We speak
to Robert King, who was released in 2001 when his conviction was
overturned and he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense. "We want the state
of Louisiana and we want the world to know that we are still focusing
on this case. This is a total violation of human rights and civil
rights," King says. "And it is ongoing."Video
Source: Democracy Now!
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