Freedom for Jaime Yovanovic Prieto!

[jonathan flanders <jon_flanders@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My wife knew Jaime during her years in Ecuador. She asked me to seek
support 
from members of this list.

Jon Flanders

Freedom for Jaime Yovanovic Prieto!
by AIK 3:47am Wed Aug 28 '02
aik@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Send protest letters to the South African authorities!

On the 6th of August Jaime Yovanovic Prieto was expelled from Italy and 
deported to South Africa. On the 9th of August he was arrested by the South

African authorities. Now the South African authorities are about to
negotiate 
his extradition to Chile where he is threatened with the death penalty for 
his anti-fascist resistance against the dictatorship of Pinochet.
It is our political and moral duty to stand up for anti-fascist fighters
and 
prevent their being punished for their legitimate resistance against 
exploitation and oppression!

Please forward this letter of protest to the South African ministers in
charge:

Dr. M.G. Buthelezi, Minister of Home Affairs:
dha@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ms N Mapisa-Nqakula, Deputy Ministry of Home Affairs:
peternk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mr Leslie Mashokwe, Head Communication:
leslie_mashokwe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*****************************************
Dr MG Buthelezi, Minister of Home Affairs
 Fax: (012) 321 6491 or (021) 461 2359

Ms N Mapisa-Nqakula
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
PRETORIA Tel: (012) 314 8099
Fax: (012) 323 3716 Cape Town Private Bag X9102

CAPE TOWN Tel: (021) 465 3456/7
Fax: (021) 461 4191 Private Secretary
Mr Peter Nkabinde Tel: (012) 314 8944
Cel: 082 802 9138
E-mail: peternk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Head: Communication
Mr Leslie Mashokwe
Tel: (012) 314 8015
Fax: (012) 316 7032
Cellphone: 082 809 6547
E-mail: leslie_mashokwe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

*******************************

as well as a copy of every protest letter to: camp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


more information about the case of Jaime Yovanovic Prieto:
http://www.antiimperialista.com/view.shtml?category=all&id=1029959701&keywo
rd=+


Dear Sir,

I was informed that your government has arrested Jaime Yovanovic Prieto and

wants to extradite him to Chile, where Prieto is wanted because of the
brave 
and anti-fascist resistance he offered during the dictatorship of Pinochet.

With this in mind, I can hardly believe, that the country of Nelson Mandela
is 
about to commit a terrible betrayal of the anti-fascist movement by 
extraditing Jaime Yovanovic Prieto to Chile, where he is threatened with
the 
death penalty.

So my urgent appeal to you is
1. not to extradite Jaime Yovanovic Prieto to Chile
2. to immediately release Jaime Yovanovic Prieto
3. to grant political asylum to Jaime Yovanovic Prieto

Yours respectfully,

www.antiimperialista.com

***********************

Statement by Jaime Yovanovic Prieto  10/01/02


Draft statement by Jaime Yovanovic Prieto compiled from notes made at a 
consultation for the purpose of informing the minister of justice, Dr.
Penuel 
Maduna, and the director of public prosecutions (wld) and not to be used as

evidence in court proceedings.


1. I am a Chilean citizen by birth. I was born on 5 January 1948.

2. In September 1970 Mr Salvador Allende was democratically elected as the 
president of Chile.

3. I was a student at the time at the Catholic University in Valparaiso, 
Chile.

4. I campaigned for and supported the election of Mr Allende to the
presidency 
and immediately volunteered my services to non-governmental organisations 
that got together to thwart any attempts by the military to overthrow our 
democratically elected president Allende.

5. I carried out this voluntary work with the non-governmental
organisations 
for about 2 months as I was still a full time student at the university.

6. Three years later on 11 September 1973 president Allende was killed in a

coup carried out by the military under the leadership of General Pinochet.

7. After the overthrow of our president, I joined the movement, which was 
established to restore the government elected by the will of the people. I 
became a member of MIR, the Movement of the Revolutionary Left resistance, 
which was opposed to the military dictatorship of General Pinochet.

8. Some two months after the coup I was detained by the military on 13 
November 1973 and kept in prison until my release on 13 November 1974.

9. During my period of incarceration I was subjected to torture, which 
resulted in all my fingers being broken, as well as my toes and my
shoulder. 
To this day I suffer from severe pain from the fractures sustained during
my 
torture at the hands of the military.

10. I was tortured because I refused to divulge the names of other
activists 
opposed to the military dictatorship.

11. I paid a heavy price for my silence but I could not give the names of
the 
activists to the military because I knew that they would be rounded up and 
subjected to torture and possibly death.

12. During my incarceration I personally witnessed the torture and killing
of 
a number of activists. It was not uncommon for activists to disappear after

their arrest by the military. To this day no explanation has been given by 
the military for the disappearance of more than 1000 activists during the 
rule of the military dictatorship.

13. Upon my release I was told by the military authorities that I was 
'ideologically dangerous' and could not be allowed to remain in Chile.

14. My father who was working in Columbia at the time made a request to the

Naval Court in Valparaiso to release me into his care in Columbia. My
father 
offered to furnish me with an air ticket for my travel to Columbia.

15. The Naval Court then authorised my expulsion to Columbia. I left 
Valparaiso with my ex-wife Maria Eugenia Catepillan Clares and daughter
Tania 
Yovanovic Catepillan.

16. I returned to Chile in 1978 when the military granted me amnesty. I
recall 
that 100 activists were granted amnesty. Our names were printed in the 
Chilean newspaper, Mercurio. My name was 99th on the list.

17. I returned to Chile without any difficulty. However I soon realised
that 
my every movement was being monitored by the authorities. I was under
strict 
surveillance.

18. All my attempts to find any sort of work were unsuccessful because I
was 
blacklisted by the military authority.

19. After 3 weeks in Chile, I decided that I could not live under such 
intolerable conditions and went to Ecuador. I felt persecuted in my
homeland.

20. I stayed in Ecuador until sometime in 1979. There was an economic boom
in 
Ecuador from the sale of oil. I sold dictionaries for a living.

21. In 1979 I entered Chile clandestinely by using a passport with a false 
name.

22. Upon my return to Santiago, I joined the popular movement against the 
military.

23. As I was illegally in the country, I did not stay for long at any one 
address and kept on the move to avoid arrest.

24. When I was expelled to Columbia in 1973 I had only completed 4 years of

study. I was therefore still unqualified as I had to finish one more year
of 
study. I was studying law.

25. The movement in Santiago offered me a minimal stipend to live off. Part
of 
my political activities included economic sabotage. It was however a 
principle of the movement not to engage in any activity that would result
in 
the death of anyone. It was our moral high ground against the ruthless 
repression of the military that resulted in detention, torture, killings
and 
disappearance of a number of Chilean civilians.

26. I used many false names to avoid arrest but I can say with certainly
that 
I never used the name, Hugo.

27. The general who was killed on 30 August 1983 was part of the group of 
generals that planned the coup and carried out the assassination of
President 
Allende.

28. The general, Carol Urzúa (deceased) held a very high position in the 
military junta. The deceased was number 5 in the military hierarchy. He was

the military head of the Santiago region and not a civilian mayor of the 
city.

29. During 1983 the movement organised marches and protested every month 
against the illegitimate government of General Pinochet.

30. During one such march in Santiago about 3 days before his death, the 
general unleashed the full might of the army on the protesters. As a result

of his orders about 20 civilians were killed and many more were seriously 
injured.

31. I heard the news of the killing of the general on the radio.

32. I can recall with certainty that the general, his chauffeur and another

military aide were shot to death. They were not bombed. I saw the picture
of 
the general's car in the Chilean newspaper. It was intact except for the 
windows.

33. The Movement of the Revolutionary Left resistance (MIR) took 
responsibility for the killing of the general and his aides. The secretary 
general of MIR, Andrés Pascal Allende took responsibility on behalf of the 
organisation.

34. The news of the killing of the general was met with jubilation in the 
streets of Chile. It was a political act against a general who felt no 
remorse whatsoever in ordering the army to execute civilians in the streets

of Santiago.

35. Mr Jorge Palma and 3 others were arrested and charged with the murder
of 
the general and his aides. They were sentenced to death by the military 
court.

36. They appealed against the death sentence to the Supreme Court. The
judges 
of the Supreme Court did not reach unanimity on the imposition of the death

sentence and the death sentence was commuted to imprisonment.

37. Palma was eventually released and given asylum in Europe.

38. After the assassination of the general, the army sought retribution by 
arresting members of MIR. Many people who were suspected of being activists

were summarily executed in the streets of Santiago.

39. Although not accused at the time of involvement in the general's death,
I 
felt my life was in danger and took refuge in the Vatican Embassy with
three 
other individuals. We were given asylum for 83 days by the Vatican Embassy.


40. In 1984 Palma was quoted in the Chilean newspaper as saying that Hugo
was 
involved in the political assassination of the general and that Hugo was
the 
name used by me. I deny that I ever used the name Hugo and that I was 
involved in the assassination of the general. Jorge Palma later withdrew
the 
statement which implicated me because it had been given under duress.

full  
http://www.antiimperialista.com/view.shtml?category=all&id=1033508446&keywo
rd=+

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