Jaan K. Laaman
From Infoshop OpenWiki
Jaan Karl Laaman is an anti-imperialist political prisoner. Jaan is imprisoned for being a member of the United Freedom Front (which carried out armed actions against apartheid, imperialism and war in the 80's), involvement in fire fights with police forces and weapons charges.
In the 1960's Jaan worked in Students for a Democratic Society and fought against the war and racism and did labor and community organizing. This included organizing youth along with the Black Panther Party and Young Lords (a revolutionary Puerto Rican Organization). Jaan also worked with the underground revolutionary forces.
In 1972 he was charged with bombing Nixon's reelection headquarters and a New Hampshire police station. He was sentenced to 20 years. After winning an appeal and getting some of his sentence cut, he was released in 1978. In 1979, he and his comrade Kazi Toure helped to organize the Amandla Festival of Unity to support freedom in Southern Africa, which featured Bob Marley. This concert helped to fight racism in Boston, where it was held, and raised money to send to freedom fighters in South Africa.
This activity along with the anti-racist and community security work he was doing led to increased police and Klan harassment, so Jaan went underground and joined the armed clandestine movement. He was captured in 1984, along with other members of the Ohio 7, and charged with Seditious Conspiracy, involvement in firefights with government forces and weapons charges. His sentence totals 98 years.
[edit] Related
This page is part of the Prison Abolition Guide.
