On September 12, 2024, three leaders of the African Peoples’ Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru Movement were convicted on the charge of conspiring to act “as agents of the Russian government within the United States without prior notification.” The charge carries up to five years in prison. The jury found them not guilty of the charge of already acting as unregistered foreign agents.
The three Uhuru leaders convicted are Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel. Augustus Romain Jr, a former leader of APSP, was also charged and convicted. We, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, condemn this verdict wholeheartedly and view it as a grave injustice and an attack on our social movements.
During the course of the Tampa, Florida trial, the prosecution has offered up, as examples of so-called conspiracy, their organization’s statements condemning the U.S.-Russia war in Ukraine, a United Nations petition denouncing genocide on Africans, international trips, and protests. It is clear to us that the African Peoples’ Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement were targeted for their political views.
The entire proceedings – from the FBI raids to the convictions – are an attack on our First Amendment rights to criticize the projects of U.S. imperialism, the U.S. wars, coups, interventions, and the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide taking place right now in Gaza. The case aims to set a legal precedent for criminalizing free speech, and any acts of international solidarity or communication with activists in other countries could henceforth bring anti-war organizations under fire.
The APSP and the Uhuru Movement are organizations led by Black socialists, and they were convicted by a jury that had no Black people on it. At one point, the judge had to choose an alternate due to one juror’s absence; the defense argued for a Black replacement juror, and the judge denied their request.
This attack on the African Peoples’ Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement is an attack on us all. The Freedom Road Socialist Organization will join in any efforts to get justice. It should not be a crime to show solidarity with oppressed peoples around the world, nor to criticize the U.S. government’s drumbeat of war. This trial was not the first witch hunt directed against the anti-war movement, nor will it be the last. We will fight for the defense of our social movements.
Justice for Uhuru 3!
Overturn the Conviction!
Solidarity Is Not a Crime!
