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- Napisal Schwarze Raupe Graz
- Kategorija: Teksti
- Objavljeno 14 December 2022
[SLO] Na današnji dan pred natanko enim letom, v zgodnjih jutranjih urah 15. decembra 2021, je Zissi s prijateljem v tako imenovani Sloveniji ponudila prevoz trem osebam, ki so stale ob cesti. Le malo zatem so slovenski policisti avtomobil ustavili, nato pa so vseh pet prijeli.
Slovenska policija je tri štoparje po nekaj rasističnih žaljivkah odpeljala neposredno v pridržanje. Popolnoma izčrpano, gehidrirano in lačno trojico so nato več ur zasliševali najprej na policiji in nato na sodišču, nato pa so jih odpeljali v begunsko taborišče v Sloveniji.
Zissi je bila, potem ko jih je ustavila slovenska policija, več kot tri ure zaprta zunaj pri temperaturah pod ničlo. Nazadnje so jo odpeljali v pridržanje na policijsko postajo, kjer so jo zaprli v samico. Obtožba: tihotapljenje. Po dveh dneh so Zissi privedli pred pripornega sodnika. Sodnik je Zissi za čas izpustil, dokler senat mesec dni kasneje ni končno odločil, da pripor ni potreben, saj ni nevarnosti, da bi zbežala. Dva meseca kasneje so bile vse obtožbe proti Zissi umaknjene. Celotno sojenje s tem še ni bilo zaključeno, vse obtožbe so bile umaknjene šele 10 mesecev kasneje, potem ko je morala Zissi pričati na sodišču.
Države v in na poti do “mirovnega projekta” EU sistematično onemogočajo in kriminalizirajo vzajemno pomoč. V primeru Zissi se je zadeva končala gladko. Na tisoče drugih ljudi sedi v zaporu več let, nekateri do konca življenja, zaradi istih obtožb v različnih državah.
II.
Intervju z Zissi o priporu, aretaciji, času v zaporu, strategijah države in ponujenih dogovorih
Kaj se je zgodilo, ko te je policija ustavila?
"Policaji so najprej 'poskrbeli' za mojega prijatelja. Moral je iz avta, nato so ga vklenili v lisice. Ves čas so kričali nanj. Po tem sem bila na vrsti jaz. Medtem ko so kričali name in me zasuvali s seksističnimi žaljivkami, so drugi policaji tri štoparje naložili in odpeljali v zaporniškem kombiju. Takrat sem spoznala, kako velik kontingent državne oblasti je bil tam za nas. Zelo jasno so mi rekli, da bom zdaj v zaporu 3 leta. Sredi noči sva v temperaturah pod ničlo več ur čakala, da so policisti dvakrat preiskali avto. Mislim, da so iskali denar, orožje in pametne telefone. Res je bilo hudo mrzlo. Vsakič, ko mi premrazi podplate, me spomin vrne nazaj na to avtocestno počivališče. Potem, ko je končno tja prišla ženska policistka, in me pretipala za orožje, so tudi naju naložili v zaporniški transportni kombi in naju odpeljali v pridržanje."
Kakšni so bili pogoji v priporu?
"Bila sem v celici za eno osebo - majhna soba z vzmetnico, mizo, straniščem in umivalnikom. Dobila sem 100 kosov toaletnega papirja in plastično skodelico. Na steni je bilo zelo majhno, zamreženo okno. Če sem stopila na stol, sem lahko malo videla ven. Vrata so bila masivna, jeklena, z loputo, ki je bila večino časa zaprta. Hrane je bilo veliko, še posebej svinjine. Kadila sem lahko samo v ločenem prostoru, za kar sem morala vsakič zvoniti na vrata. Več kot 3 cigarete na dan niso bile možne. Razen tega ni bilo ničesar. Nobene knjige, nobene glasbe, ničesar, s čimer bi se lahko zamotila. Spati je bilo težko, ker je bila luč v celici ves čas prižgana. Pogosto so me tudi zbujali, mi nekaj povedali v slovenščini in odšli.«
Kakšne so bile strategije, ki jih je uporabljala policija?
"Ena strategija je zagotovo, da ti ne pustijo spati. Ko si popolnoma neprespana in izmučena, tvoje misli niso jasne in hitro lahko poveš stvari, ki jih potem obžaluješ. Res so poskusili veliko 0815 trikov. Velika prednost je, če pred takšno situacijo prebreš novo knjigo Project-Evasion 'How the police interrogates and how we can defend ourselves against it'(kako policija zaslišuje in kako se lahko branimo). En policaj je pred zasliševanjem rekel nekaj podobnega, “samo tako, med nama, lahko mi poveš. Samo radoveden sem - to ne gre v uradno izjavo". Ko je spoznal, da ne bom nič rekla, je znorel in kričal name. Potem je bil drugi policaj spet zelo prijazen. Ampak vsi so me vedno znova poniževali in razvrednotili. Še en policaj mi je povedal, da so trije štoparji že vse priznali in da sem zdaj na vrsti jaz. Drugi mi je rekel, da bi morala izdati prijatelja, potem bi me izpustili. Načeloma mi ni bilo dovoljeno telefonirati. Na srečno mi je uspelo s solzami pritisniti na enega od policajev, ki pa je seveda pozorno opazoval in poslušal, ko sem telefonirala. Eden od njih mi je tudi rekel, da ne bi smela biti tako neumna in bi morala samo podpisati papirje. To bi jih rešilo dela s predsodnimi postopki in prepričevanja sodnika. Poleg tega bi se z mano ravnalo prijazneje. Kar so konstantno ponavljali, je bila ponudba za dogovor.”
So ti ponudili dogovor?
"Ja, isti dogovor, ki ga ponudijo vsem obtoženim tihotapljenja: "Priznajte in kazen vam bo bistveno zmanjšana". Kasneje smo izvedeli, da skoraj vsi obtoženi sprejmejo dogovor, ker tako hitreje pridejo v pravi zapor, ni jim treba čakati na sodne postopke, namesto zagroženih največ 10 let, pa dobijo 1-3 leta prestajanja kazni. Dogovor so mi ponujali res pogosto in bili jezni ali žalostni ali sočutni ali karkoli, ko sem zavrnila "ponudbo".
Bi rada še kaj dodala?
"Res sem vesela, da sem se že prej veliko ukvarjala z vprašanji zapora in policije. Nasvet 'ne reči ničesar, ne podpiši ničesar in nič se ti ne bo zgodilo' ni tako lahek, kot se sliši. Veliko moraš prenesti, ker tišina res besni policaje. Prav tako me je zelo presenetilo, kaj je z mano naredila samota in misel, da grem za 3 leta v zapor. Veliko sem razmišljala o tem, ali naj kaj rečem. Ali naj sprejmem dogovor. V zelo kratkem času tam notri sem zelo nihala med stabilnostjo in nestabilnostjo. Ena stvar, ki mi je vsekakor olajšala čas tam, je šport. Vsi to govorijo in res mi gre na živce, ampak je delovalo. Pomirilo me je. Malo ogrevanja, raztegovanja in vaj za moč je preusmerilo mojo pozornost in res pomagalo."
III.
Odkar je bila Zissi aretirana zaradi obtožb tihotapljenja (tretji odstavek 308. člena v povezavi z drugim odstavkom 20. člena Slovenskega kazenskega zakonika), je njena solidarnostna skupina opravila veliko raziskav in zbrala informacije iz drugih skupin.
V zadnjih letih so se zakoni v tako imenovani Sloveniji množično zaostrili, zlasti okoli 308. člena (podpora ilegealiziranim ljudem), ki zdaj kriminalizira skoraj vsako podporo ljudi na poti. Te zaostritve je v glavnem zagnal fašistični nekdanji obrambni minister in trikratni premier Janez Janša. Janša je znan tudi po tesnem sodelovanju z madžarskim fašistom Viktorjem Orbánom.
Kazen za "tihotapljenje" je bila leta 2020 zvišana z do 5 let zapora na najmanj 3 do 10 let. Še več, s 308. členom je od 2020 naprej kriminalizirana vsaka podpora nezakonitega bivanja celo eni sami osebi - do leta 2017 je ta člen veljal le za "tihotapljenje" 2 ali več ljudi.
Ne le ta zaostritev, temveč tudi vzpostavitev lastne avtocestne policije leta 2021 in splošna krepitev represivnih organov so pripeljale do dejstva, da je v tako imenovani Sloveniji zaradi obtožbe "tihotapljenja" v zaporu neverjetno število ljudi.
Poleg tega je v tako imenovani Sloveniji najvišja stopnja priznanj obtožbe "tihotapljenja". Po mnenju odvetnika gre celo za več kot 90 % vseh obtoženih. Razlog za to je predvsem dejstvo, da je kazen tako visoka, vsem obtožencem pa se v primeru priznanja pred začetkom dolgotrajnega sodnega postopka ponuja ublažitev kazni. S tem se kazen zmanjša na 1-3 leta zapora. "Sladica" poleg (menda) krajše zaporne kazni: obtoženec se, če sprejme dogovor in prizna, znebi strahu pred neskončno dolgim priporom med čakanjem na sojenje, plačevanja ogromnih sodnih stroškov in grožnje 10 let zapora.
V tako imenovani Sloveniji je zaradi obtožb tihotapljenja v zaporu ogromno število ljudi. Večina jih nima slovenskega državljanstva in so pogosto brez podpore zunaj zapora, saj so njihovi prijatelji in družine oddaljeni več sto kilometrov. V Kopru je bilo na primer leta 2019 86 % vseh zapornikov, ki nimajo slovenskega državljanstva, v zaporu zaradi obtožb tihotapljenja.
Očitno je, da bodo pod kapitalizmom ljudje, prisiljeni v prekarnost, naredili veliko, da bi dobili denar. Glavna težava niso ljudje, ki želijo profitirati iz omogočanja vstopa v 'blokirano' EU. Glavna težava je trdnjava EU, ki ne ustvarja varnih poti za pobeg. Problem je rasistični in patriarhalni kapitalizem. EU financira vojne, izkorišča ljudi na globalnem jugu in dela vse, da težave, ki jih povzroča in poslabša, ostanejo čim dlje stran. Vsak človek, ki se odloči za smrtonosno pot v trdnjavo Evropa, je za EU preveč.
Ustvariti varne poti za beg je absolutna nujnost! EU ima dovolj prostora. EU mora odpreti ta prostor za vse ljudi, ki so zaradi njenega (EU) delovanja prisiljeni za seboj pustiti vse, kar imajo. To predstavlja absolutni minimum!
IV.
Intervju s soli skupino soli o pomenu soli skupin, kako deluje represija, kako se lahko pripravimo nanjo in kaj storiti po zaporu.
Kaj pomeni imeti solidarnostno skupino in kakšne koristi vidite v tej skupini?
Imeti podporno skupino je nor privilegij. Skoraj nihče nima v času zapora podporne mreže, ki je lahko aktivna na toliko različnih nivojih. Ni pomembna le finančna podpora osebe v zaporu. Pogosto je čustvena podpora veliko pomembnejša. Ta je lahko izražena z rednimi obiski in telefonskimi klici, korespondenco ali tudi z izrazi solidarnosti prijateljev. Oseba v zaporu bi morala biti čim bolj vključena v pogovore in odločitve, kakšno podporo potrebuje. V najboljšem primeru že vemo drug od drugega, kaj bi si kdo želel, že pred primerom represije.
Pomembna naloga solidarnostne skupine je delo z javnostjo, ki presega posamezen primer represije in poskuša prikazati mehanizme zatiranja in neuspehe sistema.
Pomembno je tudi, da vidimo, da obstaja veliko različnih načinov, na katere so ljudje prizadeti. Ko je prijatelj ali tovariš iztrgan iz našega kroga, to pušča svoj pečat tudi na nas. Če začnemo tehtati različne vplive drug proti drugemu in se izigravati, je represija dosegla svoj cilj. Solidarnostna skupina bi morala biti zato v zgodnji fazi (v idealnem primeru pred udarcem represije) jasna glede različnih nalog, ki obstajajo in bi jih morala tudi opredeliti in razdeliti.
Ali je vloga solidarnostne skupine pomembna tudi po zaporu?
Absolutno. Ljudje potrebujejo veliko čustvene podpore ne le v času zapora, ampak tudi kasneje (na različne načine). Za mnoge je življenje zunaj sprva precej intenzivno. Zato je še bolj pomembno, da se kot podporna skupina pripravimo na ta trenutek in da se solidarnost ne konča le z materialno podporo v času zapora. Represija ni omejena samo na čas, preživet v zaporu. Začne se veliko prej in z različnimi mehanizmi vpliva na različnih nivojih ter nas spremlja celo življenje.
V kakšni meri represija še dolgo spremlja osebo? Kaj lahko storimo proti temu?
Vsi se moramo pripraviti na dejstvo, da bi prej ali slej lahko mi ali naši prijatelji končali v zaporu - ne glede na to, ali je kdo kriv ali nedolžen. To pomeni tudi, da se moramo s soočiti s tem, kaj pomeni biti kaznovan, biti aretiran ali biti v zaporu. Take izkušnje se ponavadi zažrejo globoko v osebo. FLINTA* osebe pogosteje doživijo spolno nasilje že med aretacijo. Zasliševanje države ni "smešen posel".
Moramo pa se ukvarjati tudi s tem, kako lahko izgleda solidarnostno delo. Skupaj moramo govoriti o tem, kaj so naši strahovi, kaj bi morda potrebovali in kako se lahko najbolje podpremo. Država namreč dela vse, kar je v njeni moči, da bi preprečila in kriminalizirala progresivne boje. Zato je še toliko bolj pomembno, da smo kolektivno tam drug za drugega in da nikogar, znotraj ali izven zapora, ne pustimo samega z represijo. Solidarnost je naše najmočnejše orožje!
V.
Obstaja nešteto primerov, kako so ljudje na poti podvrženi represiji različnih držav. Nekaj jih je srečalo prave ljudi ali skupine, ki so lahko delile njihove zgodbe. Na kratko jih želimo povzeti.
#Paros3: 439 let
Po nesreči čovna, ki se je zgodila 24. decembra 2021 blizu grškega otoka Paros, v kateri je umrlo 18 ljudi, je grška policija aretirala 39 letnega Kheiraldina A., 32 letnega Abdallaha J. in Mohamada B. Obtožila jih je poganjanja prevrnjenega čovna in odgovornosti za nelegalen vstop v državo 59 in smrt 18 ljudi.
V dolgotrajnem sodnem procesu so bile zaslišane številne priče, katerih izjave so jasno kazale na nedolžnost obtoženih.Kljub temu je bila trojica skupno obtožena na 439 let zaporne kasni. Razlog za to, po besedah sodnika, je bila pomoč pri nelegalnem vstopu v državo in ogrožanje življenj vseh 59 potnikov. Kheiraldin je bil obsojen na 187 let zapora, Abdallah in Mohamad pa vsak na 126 let.
H. Sabetara: 18 let
Sabetara je bil septembra 2021 aretiran v severovzhodni Grčiji in kasneje obsojen na 18 let zapora za tihotapstvo, ker se je vozil v avtu s 7 ljudmi na poti. Želel je slediti svoji družini v Nemčijo in ni videl druge možnosti, kot da s pomočjo tihotapca prečka turško-grško mejo. Ker pa prehoda ni mogel plačati, se je odločil, da bo vozil .
#Moria6: 50 let
Po tem, ko je leta 2020 zgorel velik del begunskega taborišča na grškem otoku Moria, so grške oblasti aretirale in zaprle 6 oseb na poti - vključno z mladoletniki. V absurdnem, sojenju, ki je potekalo ob izključitvi javnosti, so bili 4 od 6 obtožencev obsojeni na 10 let zapora, druga dva pa na 5 let. Vse to kljub dejstvu, da nobena od 15 zaslišenih prič ni mogla identificirati niti ene od obtoženih oseb in da ni bilo nobenih dokazov, ki bi jih povezovale s požarom.
To sojenje je še ena demonstracija moči "mirovnega projekta EU". Šesterica iz Morie (the #Moria6) pa simbolno predstavlja grešne kozle rasistične in smrtonosne izključevalne politike Evrope.
#Samos2: 1.5 let pogojno
V noči 7. novembra 2020, so Hasan, N. in 22 drugih oseb, vključno z družinami, poskušalo iz Turčije priti v Grčijo na majhnem gumijastem čolnu. Na poti se je sredi odprtega morja čoln prevrnil. Grška obalna straža je bila zgodaj obveščena o urgentnih razmerah, a tja ni poslala reševalne ekipe. 6-letni sin N. je bil ob nesreči ubit.
Ko sta Hasan in N. dosegla grško celino, sta bila takoj aretirana. N. je bil obtožen odgovornosti za sinovo smrt. Hasanu so očitali, da je tihotapec in s tem v Grčijo pripeljal vseh 24 pribežnikov. Med sojenjem je tožilstvo zahtevalo skupno zaporno kazen 230 let.
18. maja 2022 je bil N. oproščen, Hasan pa obtožen na 1 leto in 5 mesecev pogojne kazni.
#ElHiblu3: obtožbe terorizma
Trije mladi afričani so bili na Malti obtoženi terorizma. Bili so del skupine ljudi na poti, ki je 26. marca 2019 zbežala iz Libije z gumijastim čolnom. 108 ljudi se je znašlo v stiski na morju, rešila jih je tovorna ladja El Hiblu 1. Po navodilih vojaške operacije EU "Eunavfor Med" je posadka poskušala rešene osebe vrniti v Libijo, kjer bi se te lahko znova soočile z leti zapora in mučenja.
Osebe s čolna so protestirale proti svoji deportaciji in prepričale posadko El Hiblu 1, da jih odpelje na Malto. Kljub temu so bile tri osebe takoj po prihodu na Malto aretirane in so od takrat naprej v pridržanju v čakanju na sojenje. Še naprej jim sodijo zaradi absurdnih obtožb in bi lahko končali v zaporu za nešteto let, če bi bili obsojeni.
#Iuventa-Crew: kriminalizacija reševanja iz morja
Potem ko so ladjo posadke Iuvente 2. avgusta 2017 zajeli v italijanskem pristanišču Trapani, se je začelo največje kazensko sojenje reševanju na morju. V še trajajočem sojenju je obtoženih skupaj 21 zdravnikov in morskih reševalcev, ki so med misijami v Iuventi v letu 2016 in 2017 v stiski rešili skupno 14.000 oseb na poti in jih pripeljali na italijansko obalo.
Obtoženi so, da so del tihotapske mreže. Do danes ni bilo oprostilne sodbe ali razsodbe v tem norem sojenju. Vendar pa je jasno nekaj: EU želi s tem kriminalizirati solidarnostno podporo osebam na poti in primer uporabiti kot opozorilo.
Schwarze Raupe Graz
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I.
[EN] Exactly one year ago today, in the early morning hours of December 15, 2021, Zissi and a friend gave a ride to three people in a car in the so-called Slovenia, who stopped on the side of the road. Only a short time later, Slovenian police stopped the car, whereupon all five were arrested.
The Slovenian police took the three car-stoppers directly to a prisoner transporter after some racist insults. The three were subsequently interrogated for hours, completely overtired, dehydrated and hungry, first by the police and then by the court, before being taken to a refugee camp in Slovenia.
Zissi was held outside in sub-zero temperatures for more than three hours after being stopped by Slovenian police . Finally, she was taken to the police detention center, where they locked her in a solitary cell. The charge: Smuggling. After two days, Zissi was brought before a custody-judge. The judge released Zissi for the time being, until the Senate finally decided a month later that she did not need to be held in custody, as there was not a flight risk. Two more months later, all charges against Zissi were dropped. The entire trial was not completed and all charges dropped until 10 months later, after Zissi was required to testify in court.
Mutual assistance is systematically fought and prevented by the states in and on the way to the "peace project" EU. In the case of Zissi, the case ended smoothly. Thousands of other people are sitting in jail for several years, some for the rest of their lives, on the same charges in a wide variety of countries.
II.
An interview with Zissi about the detention, the arrest, the time in prison, the strategies of the state and the deals that are offered
What happened when police stopped you?
"The cops took care of my friend first. He had to get out of the car and was handcuffed. He was yelled at throughout. After that, it was my turn. While they were yelling and sexist insults at me, other cops were putting the three car stoppers in a prisoner van. That's when I realized what a large contingent of state power was there for us. They also made it very clear that I would now be in jail for 3 years. We had to wait outside in sub-zero temperatures in the middle of the night for the cops to search the car twice. I think they were looking for money, weapons and smartphones. It was so cold. Every time I freeze my toes now, my mind is back at the highway rest stop. When a female cop finally got there and patted me down for weapons, we too were put into a prisoner transport van, taken away and locked up."
What were the conditions like in custody?
"I was in a single cell. It was a small room with a mattress, table, toilet and sink. I was given 100 pieces of toilet paper sheets and a plastic cup. There was a very small, barred window. If I stood on the armchair, I could see out a little. The door was a massive steel door with a hatch that was usually closed. There was a lot of food, especially pork. I was only allowed to smoke in another room and I had to ring the doorbell every time. More than 3 cigarettes per day were not possible. Otherwise there was nothing. No book, no music, no distraction. Sleeping was difficult because the light was on in the cell all the time. They also often woke me up, said something to me in Slovenian and left."
What were the cops' strategies?
"One strategy is certainly not letting you sleep. When you are completely overtired, your thoughts are not clear and it can quickly happen that you say things that you then regret. They have really tried a lot of 0815 tricks. It is a great advantage if before such a situation you have read the new book of the Project-Evasion 'How the police interrogates and how we can defend ourselves against it' :) One cop, just before the interrogation, said something like 'hey, between you and me. you can tell me. i'm just curious - this won't go into the official statement'. After he realized that I wasn't going to say anything, he freaked out and yelled at me. Then the other cop was again very nice. But they all humiliated and devalued me again and again. Another cop told me that the three hitchhikers had already confessed everything and that it was my turn now. Another told me that I should betray my friend, then I would get out of here. In principle, I was not allowed to make any phone calls. Finally, however, I was able to successfully press the tear gland on a cop. He watched me closely and of course listened to me while I was on the phone. One of them also told me that I shouldn't be so stupid and just sign the things. It would save them work and they would not have to justify themselves to the pre-trial judge. Besides, I would be treated nicer. But what they said all and every time was an offer for a deal."
They offered you a deal?
"Yes, they offer the same deal to all the people there who are charged with smuggling: 'Make a confession and your sentence will be significantly reduced'. We found out later that almost all of them take this deal because then they get into the real jail faster, don't have to wait for court proceedings, and instead of getting a maximum of 10 years, they just get 1-3 years. They offered it to me really often and also got mad or sad or sympathetic or whatever when I turned down this 'offer'."
Anything else you'd like to add?
"I'm really glad that I've dealt with the issues of jail and cops a lot before. A lot of people learn 'don't say anything, don't sign anything. then nothing will happen to you'. But it's not quite as easy as it sounds. You really have to endure a lot for it, because it really pisses off the cops. I was also really surprised by what it did to me to be alone for so long and to think I was going to jail for 3 years. I thought a lot about whether I should say something. Whether I should take the deal. I was in the situations really often for that short time in there that I was either fully stable or I just wasn't. One thing that definitely made my time there easier was sports. Everyone says it and I hate it, but it's true for me. It calmed me down. A little warm up, strength training, stretching and thus thinking about something else really helps a lot!"
III.
Since Zissi was arrested on charges of smuggling (Article 308(3) in conjunction with Article 20(2) Slovenian Criminal Code), her solidarity-group has done a lot of research and gathered information from other groups.
In recent years, the laws in the so-called Slovenia have massively tightened, especially around Article 308 (support for illegealized people), which has now criminalized almost all support for PoM (People on the Move). These tightenings were mainly driven by fascist and former defense minister and three-time prime minister Janez Janša. Janša is also known for his close collaboration with Hungarian fascist Viktor Orbán.
The sentence for "smuggling" was raised from up to 5 years in prison to a minimum of 3 to 10 years in 2020. Even more, it was decided that any support of illegal stay for even one person will be punished with this sentence - until 2017, this sentence only applied to "smuggling" of 2 or more people.
Not only these tightenings, but also the convening of an own highway police in 2021 and the expansion of all repressive organs led to the fact that in the so-called Slovenia an incredible number of people are in jail because of the accusation of "smuggling".
In addition, there is also the highest rate of confessions on the charge of "smuggling". According to a lawyer, it is even over 90% of all defendants. This is mainly due to the fact that the sentence is so high and all defendants are offered a mitigation in case of confession before the start of the lengthy court process. This reduces the sentence to 1-3 years imprisonment. The "sweetener" besides the (supposedly) shorter prison sentence: For defendants, the fear of having to wait for months in custody for the trial, to pay the enormous court costs, and then almost certainly to be put in jail for up to 10 years is eliminated.
In so-called Slovenia, a large number of people are in jail on charges of smuggling. Most people have no Slovenian citizenship and often no support outside of prison, as their friends and families are hundreds of kilometers away. For example, in Koper in 2019, 86% of all prisoners who do not have Slovenian citizenship were in jail on charges of smuggling.
Under capitalism, it is obvious that people who are forced into precarity will do anything to get money. To somehow also get a piece of the pie. But the problem is not primarily the people who want to profit from the escape routes "blocked" by the EU. The problem is the EU and that it does not create safe escape routes. The problem is racist and patriarchal capitalism. The EU finances and wages wars, exploits people in the global south, and does everything it can to keep the problems it causes and exacerbates as far away as possible. Every person who takes the deadly path to Fortress Europe is one too many for the EU.
It is absolutely necessary to create safe escape routes! The EU has space. The EU must make space for all the people who have to leave everything behind because of it. That is the absolute minimum!
IV.
An interview with the soli-group about the meaning of soli-groups, how repression works, how we can prepare for repression and what to do after imprisonment.
What does it mean for you to have a solidartiy group and what benefits do you see in it?
Having a support group is an insane privilege. Hardly anyone has a network of supporters during their time in prison that can be active on so many differents layers.
It's not just the financial support for the person in jail that matters. Often, emotional support is much more important. This can be through regular visits and phone calls, correspondence or also through expressions of solidarity from friends. The person in prison should be involved in decisions as much as possible. In the best case, we already know from each other what is desired and where the limits are before a case of repression.
A central task of a solidarity group is to do public relations work that can go beyond the individual case in order to show the mechanisms of oppression and the failure of the system. Often only a few people are affected - but all are meant!
It is also important to see that there are many different ways in which people are affected. When a friend or comrade is torn from our circle, this also leaves its mark on us. If we start to weigh up our different affects against each other and play each other off against each other, repression has achieved exactly what it is supposed to do. A solidarity group should therefore be clear at an early stage (ideally before a repressive strike) about the different tasks there are and should also define and divide them up.
Does the solidarity group still play a role after the imprisonment?
Absolutely. People need a lot of emotional support not only during their time in prison, but also afterwards (in different ways). Many are very overwhelmed by life on the outside. It is therefore even more important to prepare for this moment as a solidarity group and not to see solidarity work solely as material support for the time in prison. Repression is not limited to this period and this level. It begins much earlier, takes effect with different mechanisms on different layers and usually accompanies us throughout our lives.
To what extent does repression accompany a person for so long? What can be done against it?
We all have to prepare ourselves for the fact that sooner or later we or our friends could end up in jail - regardless of whether one is guilty or innocent. This also means that we have to come to terms with what it means to be punished, to be arrested or to be in jail. The experiences usually burn themselves in deeply. FLINTA* persons often have to deal with sexualized violence already during an arrest. An interrogation by the state is not a "funny business".
But we also have to deal with what soli work can look like. Together we need to talk about what our fears are, what we might need and how we can best support each other.
Because the state is doing everything it can to prevent and criminalize progressive struggles. Therefore it is even more important to be there for each other collectively and not to leave our friends inside and outside of prison alone with the repression!
Solidarity is our strongest weapon!
V.
There are countless examples of how People on the Move (PoM) are also still being overwhelmed with repression by various states. A few have met the right people or groups to publish the cases together. We want to summarize them briefly.
#Paros3: 439 years
After a boat accident on Dec. 24, 2021, near the Greek island of Paros in which 18 people died, 39-year-old Kheiraldin A. and 32-year-old Abdallah J. and Mohamad B. were arrested by Greek police. They were accused of steering the capsized boat and thus being responsible for the illegal entry of 59 people and the death of 18 people.
In a prolonged trial, many witnesses were heard, whose testimonies strongly exonerated the three defendants. But at the end of the trial, the Paros3 were sentenced to a total of 439 years in prison. The reason for this, according to the judges, was the assistance for illegal immigration and also the endangerment of all 59 inmates.
Kheiraldin was sentenced to 187 years in prison, Abdallah and Mohamad to 126 years each.
H. Sabetara: 18 years
Sabetara was arrested in September 2021 in northeastern Greece and later sentenced to 18 years in prison for " smuggling " for driving a car with 7 other PoM.
He wanted to follow his family to Germany and saw no other option than to cross the Turkish-Greek border with the help of a smuggler. However, since he could not pay for the crossing himself, he decided to drive himself after crossing the border in order not to have to pay thousands of euros.
#Moria6: 50 years
After a large part of the refugee camp on the Greek island of Moria burned down in 2020, 6 PoM - including minors - were arrested and put in pre-trial detention. In the following absurd, amateurish trial, which took place under exclusion of the public, 4 of the 6 defendants were sentenced to 10 years in prison each, and the other two defendants to 5 years each. All this despite the fact that none of the 15 witnesses interviewed could identify even one of the defendants and there was no evidence whatsoever.
This trial was another arbitrary demonstration of power of the "EU peace project". The #Moria6 stand as symbolic scapegoats of Europe's racist, deadly policy of exclusion.
#Samos2: 1.5 years probation
On the night of November 7, 2020, Hasan, N. and 22 other people, including their families, tried to reach Greece from Turkey in a small rubber boat. On the way, the boat capsized in the open sea. The Greek Coast Guard was informed of the emergency early on, but did not send out a rescue team. N.'s 6-year-old son was killed.
When Hasan and N. reached the Greek mainland, they were arrested immediately. N. was accused of being responsible for his son's death. Hasan was accused of being a smuggler and thus bringing all 24 inmates to Greece. During the trial, the prosecution demanded a total prison sentence of 230 years.
On May 18, 2022, N. was acquitted. Hasan was sentenced to 1 year and 5 months probation.
#ElHiblu3: Terrorism accusation
Three African youths have been accused of terrorism in Malta. They were part of a group of PoM who fled Libya on a rubber boat on March 26, 2019. The 108 people got into distress at sea and were rescued by the cargo ship El Hiblu 1. On the instructions of the EU military operation "Eunavfor Med", the crew attempted to return the rescued to Libya, where the PoM would have again faced years of imprisonment and torture.
The PoM protested against their deportation and convinced the crew of the El Hiblu 1 to go to Malta. Nevertheless, three PoM were arrested immediately after their arrival and have been in pre-trial detention ever since. They continue to stand trial on absurd charges and could end up in jail for countless years if convicted.
#Iuventa-Crew: Criminalization of sea rescue
After the ship of the Iuventa crew was seized in the Italian port of Trapani on August 2, 2017, the largest criminalization trial of sea rescue started.
In the still ongoing trial, a total of 21 doctors and sea rescuers are on trial, who rescued a total of 14,000 PoM in distress during missions of the Iuventa in 2016 and 2017 and brought them to the Italian coast.
They are accused of being part of a smuggling network. To date, there has been no acquittal or verdict in this insane trial. But one thing is clear: With this, the EU wants to criminalize solidarity support of PoM and make a deterrent example.
Schwarze Raupe Graz
