Rubén Berríos sentenced in Puerto Rico

The will of the people of Puerto Rico and the call by the United Nations for the United States to cease military exercises in Vieques and to return all land occupied by the U.S. Navy to the Puerto Rican people continue to be disregarded.

Yesterday, in a grave development, a U.S. court in Puerto Rico handed down an unprecedented sentence of four months in prison against Rubén Berríos Martínez, leader of the Puerto Rican Independence Party and an Honorary President of the International, for peacefully protesting against the use of Vieques for military purposes.

The Socialist International deplores this turn of events and reaffirms its full solidarity with Rubén Berríos Martínez and with the other individuals who were also sentenced to prison because of their peaceful protests.