Spanish Anarchist Dies in Isolation Unit
Submitted by Desdedentro:Prison authorities say that Jos(r) Antonio Cano was found after hanging himself with a bed sheet in an isolation unit at the "Modelo de Barcelona" prison in Barcelona, Spain, on June 17th of 2004. His anarchist comrades say it was murder.
This was the result of more than 12 years in jail for "common crimes" and of reprisals of every kind on the part of the guards. Especially in the last four years, Jos(r) suffered torture that escalated in the last year: isolation and psychological manipulation. Jos(r) fought until the last moment with all means - included a hunger strike from February 14th to April 6th of 2004. He passed through three hospitals and then back to the Modelo jail, and in none of these places did he receive adequate treatment.
Jos(r), like many Spanish anarchist prisoners, was subjected to the "FIES" (Ficheros de Internos de Especial Seguimiento – Inmates Files for Special Monitoring), extreme isolation units which subject prisoners to total control all day. Their mail and phone calls are monitored, they have few opportunities to stay with other prisoners, their belongings are constantly inspected, and torture is customary. The prisoners who are included in these "Files" are the rebellious ones, those who don’t submit to the prison authority. In fact, the FIES were instituted after a series of revolts inside Spanish prisons. In February of 2004, Spanish anarchist Gabriel Pompo Da Silva managed to escape from a FIES unit and prison, and released a statement to his family and comrades.
In the wake of Jos(r)'s death, his anarchist comrades called for ongoing struggle: "against the prison society, the society of the spectacle, State-Capital, and every authority! For anarchy!"
On June 19th, 2004, there was a demonstration held for Jos(r) at the Modelo jail, involving 30 to 40 people and two banners reading "the jails are centers of extermination" and "while there is a single person imprisoned, there will not be freedom." The demonstration lasted about three hours, during which leaflets about Jos(r)'s torture were handed out to relatives of prisoners who were coming out of the jail after visits. Prison guards and undercover police heavily surveilled the demonstrators.
History (in Spanish) at the Desdedentro website:
http://www.nodo50.org/desdedentro/modules.php? op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=638
