The National Lawyer Guild congratulates the Uhuru 3 for successfully fighting back against false FARA-related charges & strongly condemns convictions on fabricated and politically motivated charges of Conspiracy
The trial of Uhuru 3 is one of the most important First Amendment cases in the 21st century.
On September 12, 2024 a federal jury in Tampa, Florida found Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), Penny Hess, Chairperson of the African People’s Solidarity Committee and Jesse Nevel, National Chair of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement guilty of “conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States”, but not guilty of the more serious underlying charge of being agents of the Russian government.
The federal indictment had alleged that the Uhuru Movement worked on behalf of the Russian government to spread pro-Russian propaganda and influence local elections, without registering as a foreign agent under Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)-related statute, 18 USC 951
From the start, this was clearly a political prosecution and a political trial. The State’s goal in charging the Uhuru 3 with being “foreign agents” was larger then convicting these 3 defendants. It was part of a larger political goal to discredit speech that the US government does not agree with, in particular, speech by Black people and people of color, and against U.S. foreign policy.
The not guilty verdict on the “Russian agents” charge means that the jurors were able to see through the government’s case, which was based on lies and distortions of the law, and found that the defendants advocacy for the liberation of Africa and African people and in opposition to NATO’s expansionism in Ukraine were legitimate First Amendment activities. In doing so, the jury rejected the absurd implication that Black people require leadership from Russia to define and lead the struggle to end domestic colonialism and US imperialism abroad.
The inconsistent jury verdict finding Uhuru 3 guilty of conspiracy, i.e., of “planning to sow discord and inflame American political tensions at the behest of Russia,” yet not guilty of being Russian agents will surely be appealed. It is a serious charge carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The guilty verdict sets a dangerous precedent which threatens all US anti-imperialist and internationalist individuals and movements.
Conspiracy is a vague term and can be used when the state cannot get a conviction on anything else. The verdict threatens to undermine the free speech and association rights of anyone who speaks out against the racist and imperialist policies of the US government. Similar charges are also being falsely levied to try and intimidate the rising political dissent in the Palestinian solidarity and anti-cop city movements.
We must not be intimidated.
We must continue to speak out, to organize and to make alliances internationally as we resist those racist and imperialist policies.
Join us in uplifting these important actions in solidarity from Uhuru 3
- Submit letters to the judge as we approach the sentencing date scheduled for November 25, after which they intend to file a motion to appeal the conspiracy conviction.
- Travel to Tampa, Florida on November 25 to pack the courthouse for the sentencing hearing.
- Support massive anti-colonial free speech mobilization in Washington, DC on November 2, 2024, the annual Black People’s March on the White House sponsored by the Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations. This will be an anti-colonial march, led by Africans, Mexicans, Palestinians, Indigenous, Filipino and other colonized peoples.
- Donate – Continue to donate to the Hands Off Uhuru Legal Fund at handsoffuhuru.org/donate Continue to stand with the Uhuru Movement and the African liberation struggle.
