Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 75, printed November 6. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

By Phil Wilayto

In a free speech case that has attracted national media attention, the longtime activists known as the Uhuru 3 were acquitted Sept. 12 in Tampa, Fla., of acting as agents of a foreign government, but found guilty of conspiring to act as unregistered foreign agents.

The split verdict is being seen as an important victory for the defendants. The first charge could have meant a sentence of up to 10 years. However, the conviction on the second, less serious charge could still send the three to prison for up to five years.

The defense has said the guilty verdict will be appealed.

The jury of eight men and four women had no Black members.

The three activists are Omali Yeshitela, the longtime chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party, and white supporters Penny Hess, chair of the African People’s Solidarity Committee, and Jesse Nevel, chair of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement. A fourth defendant is a former member of the Uhuru Movement.

Sentencing has been set for Dec. 16 in Tampa, and supporters are being urged to attend.

The weeklong Uhuru 3 trial opened Sept. 4 at U.S. District Court in downtown Tampa, Judge William Jung presiding.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, “The Uhurus are formally known as the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement. The word Uhuru means freedom in Swahili. They operate as the activist arm of their umbrella organization, the African People’s Socialist Party, which has long been a political and social force in [nearby] St. Petersburg.”

The APSP also has a strong presence in St. Louis, Mo. As noted in a post by the Hands Off Uhuru! Coalition, 82-year-old Yeshitela “has protested every U.S. war that has taken place during his lifetime.”

That includes the current U.S./NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, which is what attracted the attention of the FBI and is the real reason for the trial.

About 80 Uhuru 3 supporters turned out for a press conference the day before the trial across the street from the courthouse.

Among those demanding that all charges be dropped were Pam Africa, leader of International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Jill Stein, presidential candidate of the Green Party; Efia Nwangaza, executive director of the Malcolm X Center for Self Determination in Greenville, S.C.; former New York City councilman and former Black Panther Charles Barron; and Benjamín Prado, under-secretary of Unión del Barrio of California.

Mwezi Odom read a support statement from Jenipher Jones, an attorney with the Leonard Peltier Ad Hoc Committee, and Jacqueline Luqman of Washington, D.C., brought a statement from Black Alliance for Peace Chair Ajamu Baraka, who arrived the next day for the trial.

The well-organized Uhuru movement had built a national support campaign, raised nearly a half-million dollars for defense expenses, held regular webinars about the case and posted daily summaries of the trial.

The Virginia Defenders were among the first to reach out to support the Uhuru 3. The day we heard about the raids on their homes and offices, we called the St. Louis headquarters and left a message offering to help. We knew the phone would be tapped, and we wanted the government to know there was outside support.

Later we joined the national support effort, issued a solidarity statement condemning the raids, wrote letters of support, sent a financial contribution, traveled to Tampa to attend the first day of the trial and were invited to speak at the 15th and 16th annual Black People’s March on the White House.

On Oct. 22 we received this message from Chairman Yeshitela:

“The jury saw that I have never been under the “direction and control” of the Russian government. The African People’s Socialist Party has always worked for Black people. This was a political trial. The colonial State’s goal was bigger than simply convicting me and putting me in prison; their failed efforts to convince a jury that we are “foreign agents” was part of a larger political goal to forever discredit speech by Black people and other colonized peoples against our oppression at the hands of the U.S. government. I am a revolutionary. I am not for sale.

“We salute the Virginia Defender for your good work and steadfast support and it was great to see you at the trial! We appreciate the significance of The Virginia Defender in helping to break out of the information blockade imposed on our movement and struggles for liberation around the world.”

The background of the case of the Uhuru 3 along with updates can be found at: handsoffuhuru.org