Carlos Alberto Torres (Puerto Rican Nationalist)
Encyclopedia
Carlos Alberto Torres is a member of Puerto Rico's independence movement and the longest-serving Puerto Rican
political prisoner
. He was convicted and sentenced to 78 years in a U.S. federal prison for seditious
conspiracy - conspiring to use force against the lawful authority of the United States
over Puerto Rico. He served 30 years, being released on July 26, 2010.
(FALN), which claimed responsibility for numerous bombings (which had led to six deaths), although Torres himself was not accused of participating in the bombings, or himself causing any deaths. He was released on 26 July 2010, after 30 years in prison. In the 1970s Torres was listed for three years as one of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1970s
.
, who has spent 29 years behind bars. Several human rights organizations including the American Association of Jurists called for the release of Alberto Torres. Torres was not included in the President Bill Clinton's 1999 clemency offer
to others FALN members.
President Clinton said he refused to commute Torres' sentence because he "was identified as the leader of the group, and had made statements that he was involved in a revolution against the United States and that his actions had been legitimate."
Torres spent 30 years as a political prisoner and, had he not been paroled in May, 2010, he would had been jailed until 2024.
hearing, after serving 29 years behind bars. On the eve of his hearing, prison authorities accused him and eight of his cellmates of possessing knives which the tenth cellmate had hidden in the light fixture of the cell. On July 28, the Parole board
notified Carlos Alberto that they would postpone their decision for at least 90 days, pending resolution of the charges. Two days later, the prison disciplinary hearing officer held hearings on the weapons charges. Alberto’s defense consisted not merely of his statement denying possession. The tenth cellmate appeared as a witness, admitting that the knives were his, and his alone, and that Carlos Alberto and none of the other cellmates knew he had hidden the knives in the light fixture. The guilty party also provided a sworn statement to this effect. The disciplinary hearing officer nevertheless found them guilty of possessing the hidden weapons.
, located across the street from the Tenerías sector of Barrio Machuelo Abajo
, Ponce, where Torres was born on September 1, 1952. This is the same place in Ponce where Pedro Albizu Campos
, another independence advocate, was born.
The other Puerto Rican political prisoner still jailed is Avelino González-Claudio
. He was the leader of the Federation of University Students pro Independence
(FUPI) and the Pro Independence Movement
(MPI) during the years he spent in New York. In 1985, González Claudio was accused in abstencia of having planned a $6 million robbery to Wells Fargo
in Hartford, Connecticut, as a member of the Macheteros. He was apprehended in 2008, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Since 2006, the United Nations
has called for the release of all Puerto Rican political prisoners in United States prisons.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
. He was convicted and sentenced to 78 years in a U.S. federal prison for seditious
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
conspiracy - conspiring to use force against the lawful authority of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
over Puerto Rico. He served 30 years, being released on July 26, 2010.
Circumstances
Torres was linked to the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación NacionalFuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Puerto Rico)
The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional was a Puerto Rican clandestine paramilitary organization that, through direct action, advocated complete independence for Puerto Rico. At the time of its dissolution, the FALN was responsible for more than 120 bomb attacks on United States targets between...
(FALN), which claimed responsibility for numerous bombings (which had led to six deaths), although Torres himself was not accused of participating in the bombings, or himself causing any deaths. He was released on 26 July 2010, after 30 years in prison. In the 1970s Torres was listed for three years as one of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1970s
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1970s
The FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1970s is a list, maintained for a third decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI headlines in the 1970s:...
.
Education
According to the Committee Pro Human Rights of Puerto Rico, while in jail, Torres obtained a university degree, worked in the Department of Education, and became a painter and artesan.Severity of his sentence
No other Puerto Rican political prisoner has served as many years in prison as Torres. The other Puerto Rican political prisoner with a long sentence was Oscar López RiveraOscar López Rivera
Oscar López Rivera is a Puerto Rican Nationalist who was convicted and sentenced to 70 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and various other offenses. He was among the 16 Puerto Rican nationalists offered conditional clemency by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1999, but he rejected the offer...
, who has spent 29 years behind bars. Several human rights organizations including the American Association of Jurists called for the release of Alberto Torres. Torres was not included in the President Bill Clinton's 1999 clemency offer
Bill Clinton pardons controversy
President Bill Clinton was criticized for some of his pardons and acts of executive clemency. While most presidents grant pardons on several days throughout their terms, Clinton chose to make most of them on January 20, 2001. Collectively, the controversy surrounding these actions has sometimes...
to others FALN members.
President Clinton said he refused to commute Torres' sentence because he "was identified as the leader of the group, and had made statements that he was involved in a revolution against the United States and that his actions had been legitimate."
Torres spent 30 years as a political prisoner and, had he not been paroled in May, 2010, he would had been jailed until 2024.
Release proceedings
In January, 2009, Carlos Alberto Torres was scheduled for a paroleParole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
hearing, after serving 29 years behind bars. On the eve of his hearing, prison authorities accused him and eight of his cellmates of possessing knives which the tenth cellmate had hidden in the light fixture of the cell. On July 28, the Parole board
Parole Board
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...
notified Carlos Alberto that they would postpone their decision for at least 90 days, pending resolution of the charges. Two days later, the prison disciplinary hearing officer held hearings on the weapons charges. Alberto’s defense consisted not merely of his statement denying possession. The tenth cellmate appeared as a witness, admitting that the knives were his, and his alone, and that Carlos Alberto and none of the other cellmates knew he had hidden the knives in the light fixture. The guilty party also provided a sworn statement to this effect. The disciplinary hearing officer nevertheless found them guilty of possessing the hidden weapons.
Parole and release
Torres was granted parole in May 2010, and released on July 26, 2010. Torres flew to his homeland island of Puerto Rico on 29 July to a hero's welcome. An activity was organized at the Don Pedro Albizu Campos ParkPedro Albizu Campos Park
The Parque Pedro Albizu Campos is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on September 12, 1991, to the memory of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos by the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was...
, located across the street from the Tenerías sector of Barrio Machuelo Abajo
Machuelo Abajo
Machuelo Abajo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Machuelo Abajo is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of...
, Ponce, where Torres was born on September 1, 1952. This is the same place in Ponce where Pedro Albizu Campos
Pedro Albizu Campos
Don Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
, another independence advocate, was born.
Other prisoners
Oscar Lopez Rivera who, like Torres, also went underground in 1976, was arrested in 1981. He was accused of treason and belonging to FALN. He served 12 years of a 70-year sentence in isolation. Nevertheless, he rejected Clinton’s offer of an early release and remains in prison. His projected release date is scheduled for June 26, 2023.The other Puerto Rican political prisoner still jailed is Avelino González-Claudio
Avelino González-Claudio
Avelino González-Claudio is a Puerto Rican independence activist serving time in a U.S. federal prison for his participation in an armored truck robbery planned by Los Macheteros. Although the robbery took place in 1983, González-Claudio was not apprehended until 2008...
. He was the leader of the Federation of University Students pro Independence
University Pro-Independence Federation of Puerto Rico
The University Pro-Independence Federation of Puerto Rico is an organization of students primarily studying at the University of Puerto Rico founded in October 1956, by Puerto Rican poet and nationalist Hugo Margenat...
(FUPI) and the Pro Independence Movement
Puerto Rican independence movement
The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
(MPI) during the years he spent in New York. In 1985, González Claudio was accused in abstencia of having planned a $6 million robbery to Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
in Hartford, Connecticut, as a member of the Macheteros. He was apprehended in 2008, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Since 2006, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
has called for the release of all Puerto Rican political prisoners in United States prisons.
See also
- Carlos Alberto Torres
- Juan Enrique Segarra-PalmerJuan Enrique Segarra-PalmerJuan Enrique Segarra-Palmer is a Puerto Rican Nationalist who became eligible for release from prison five years after accepting President Bill Clinton's clemency offer on September 7, 1999. He had received a sentence of 55 years for seditious conspiracy, and weapons and conspiracy charges, along...
- Edwin CortesEdwin CortesEdwin Cortes is a Puerto Rican nationalist who received a sentence of 35 years for seditious conspiracy and other charges. He was sentenced on February 18, 1981, and incarcerated in a U.S. federal prison...
- Pedro Albizu CamposPedro Albizu CamposDon Pedro Albizu Campos was a Puerto Rican politician and one of the leading figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement. He was the leader and president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1930 until his death...
- Oscar CollazoOscar CollazoOscar Collazo , was one of two Puerto Ricans who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Harry S. Truman.-Early life:...
- Lolita LebronLolita LebrónDolores "Lolita" Lebrón Sotomayor was a Puerto Rican nationalist who wasconvicted of attempted murder and other crimes after leading an assault on the United States House of Representatives in 1954,...
- Puerto Rican independence movementPuerto Rican independence movementThe Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...