Charles Ofoedu is FREE,
but he is still in danger!

more as soon as possible...

- Charles Ofoedu is free!
- Press Release - Charles Ofoedu Soldarity Comittee, 11.11.2001
- solidarity action

- more reports about solidarity actions in german

- Verhaftung am 27. Mai 1999

- Urteil am 13. Oktober 2000

- Ein Interview mit Charles Ofoedu

- Material zur Operation Spring

- amnesty international report 2001: Nigeria

Saturday, November 17 2001, 3pm
Vienna, Stephansplatz/Stock im Eisen Platz

Demonstration for the Freedom of Charles and all deportation prisioners

All human beeings staying here shall have equal political and social rights, not depending on their origin, color of skin, religion, social status and sex. Discriminating instruments as detention centers and deportations, racist laws and practics can't be improved, only prevented and abolished. They cause that human beeings are seperated and others profit on this. Racism is reason for their existance. To make deportations impossible and support migrants actively is part of the struggle against institutionalized racism and practical solidarity with prosecuted human beeings.

Freedom for the prisoners
Make remand pending deportaion impossible
Fight against racism and seperation
Against the ruling order
We call to support refugees and migrants on their travel
FOR A WORLD WITHOUT RACISM

Charles is free, but many others are inprisioned in Detention Centres. Bring noisy instruments. The prisoners should hear us!
Deportation is racism!

Charles Ofoedu is free!

Charles Ofoedu was released from the detention Cenre on wednesday 14.11.2001 at 9pm. r like many others, who are inprisioned in dtention centres or be deported.

Gerhard Ruiss, Charles Ofoedu and his lawyer
at the Pressconference at 14 November 2001 in Café Landtmann

Press Release - Charles Ofoedu Soldarity Comittee

The Nigerian author Charles Ofoedu was arrested at 8a.m. today, Sunday November 11th, and taken to a deportation cell. He is now being held in the
police prison at Rossauer Lände. The arrest came as a complete surprise.

Neither had a notice of deportation been issued to him, nor does Ofoedu'sconviction on October 13th last year necessarily have to result in adeportation. Instead a judgement (Ermessensentscheid) by the "Aliens' Police" (Fremdenpolizei) excludes Ofoedu for a ten-year period (Aufenthaltsverbot). The aim of the threatened deportation is to prevent Ofoedu from taking any further legal measures.
The state persecution of Charles Ofoedu began with the mass arrests as part of the so-called "Operation Spring". Ofoedu was held on remand for three months as an alleged "drug boss". The accusations against him of drug dealing and organised crime had to be dropped. In the trial on October 13th 2000 the "anonymous witness" AZ1 appeared as a prosecution witness - as has done in approximately 40 other cases. On the basis of his evidence Charles Ofoedu was sentenced for money laundering to ten months in prison, remitted to three years on parole.

This punishment does not necessarily have to lead to a deportation. The current decision by the aliens' police (ten years exclusion from the entire Schengen area) is a massive over-reaction to the punishment handed down by the court. The aliens' police regard the author Charles Ofoedu in their words as a "danger to the order and safety of Austria". In fact it is Charles Ofoedu who is in danger: In Nigeria a new prosecution is threatened - for the same offence!

2. Action reports:

First Demostrations for the freedom of Charles took place in Vienna at Sunday 11 November

- from noon to 1pm 80 to 100 Participants met in front of the detention centre Rossauer Lände, where Charles in inprisioned

- at 6pm 150 participants met at Stephansplatz in the inner city of vienna; after one hour around 130 people started a demonstration to the Detention
Centre

Monday 12 November 2001, 8pm
In front of the Detention Centre
Rossauer Lände, Vienna
(Near U2/U4 Schottenring)

60 people came to protest noisy around the detention centre.