Originally published in the Winter 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 74, printed February 21. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Winter 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

Staff Report

On Jan. 26, U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Porcelli in the federal district court of Tampa, Fla., filed an order recommending that District Judge William Jung reject a motion for dismissal of the charges against three leading members of the Uhuru Movement, an initiative of the African People’s Socialist Party. Those charged are APSP Chairman Omali Yeshitela, along with Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel, two white solidarity organizers.

“Uhuru” is the Swahili word for Freedom.

Last year, the federal government charged the Uhuru 3, outspoken opponents of U.S. support for Ukraine, with acting as unregistered agents of the Russian government. The three are all longtime anti-imperialist activists. Yeshitela, 82, has been organizing against U.S.wars and interventions for more than 60 years.

The indictments came after violent, military-style, multicity FBI raids on seven homes and offices of the Uhuru Movement on July 29, 2022.

The Uhuru 3 attorneys had asked that the charges be dismissed on the grounds that they violate the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

“The U.S. government has put us in the position of having to fight for the free speech that they claim is the cornerstone of U.S. democracy,” said Chairman Yeshitela.

The case is expected to go to trial later this year, either in the spring or late summer. The three activists each face a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

The charges against the Uhuru 3 come at a time when public support for sending more money to Ukraine has been slipping across the U.S., Europe and Canada, while political repression against critics of Western support for Ukraine has been increasing. Many observers have noted that the charges against the Uhuru 3 seem calculated to discourage U.S. antiwar activists from speaking out on the issue.

In response to the charges, the APSP has initiated the Hands Off Uhuru Fightback Coalition, of which the Defenders’ Odessa Solidarity Campaign is a member.

Donations to support the legal defense effort can be made to the Hands Off Uhuru Legal Defense Fund at: handsoffuhuru.org/donate.