Press Release, 12 Free on Valentines Day
Hancock 17 Drone War Crimes Resisters Released from Jail February 14
In a week in which the National Security Administration’s role in the assassinations of drone victims was revealed, Pakistani anti-drone activist Kareem Khan was freed after being abducted from his home and President Obama is considering a drone strike on yet another U.S. citizen, the twelve sentenced members of the Hancock 17 Drone War Crime Resisters were released from the “Justice” Center Jail in Syracuse, NY on Friday, February 14.
On Friday, February 7, Town of DeWitt (NY) Court Judge David Gideon had found them guilty of Disorderly Conduct for their nonviolent civil resistance action at Hancock Air Base in 2012. They had brought to the base a Citizens War Crimes Indictment calling for an end to drone warfare and symbolically blocked the gates.
Saying, “At some point this has to stop,” the judge gave the resisters the maximum sentence – 15 days in jail (starting immediately) and a $250 fine with a $125 court surcharge. He also imposed a two-year Order of Protection, prohibiting the resisters from going to the home, school, business or place of employment of the Commander of Hancock’s mission support group. Considering that the resisters had never met or knew of him before their arrest, it is clear the intent is to keep people away from his place of employment – Hancock Base.
Yes, the resisters say, this has to stop – but it is drone warfare and the global war it feeds that must stop, not resistance to it.
The resisters are part of the Upstate NY Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars, which seeks to educate the public and Hancock Air Base personnel about the war crimes perpetrated in Afghanistan with the MQ-9 Reaper Drone piloted from Hancock Air National Guard Base. See upstatedroneaction.org for information.
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The Hancock 17 are:
- Elliott Adams, Sharon Springs, NY (518) 441-2697
- Judy Bello, Rochester, NY (585) 733-4058
- Daniel Burgevin, Trumansburg, NY (607) 387-7532
- Mark Colville, New Haven, CT (203) 415- 5896
- Paul Frazier, Syracuse & Rochester, NY (585) 775-9135
- Clare Grady, Ithaca, NY (607) 273-6257
- Mary Anne Grady Flores, Ithaca, NY (607) 280-8797
- Martha Hennessy, New York, NY (212) 777-9617
- Brian Hynes, Bronx, NY (718) 838-2636
- Ed Kinane, Syracuse, NY (315) 478-4571
- Rae Kramer, Syracuse, NY (315) 445-2840
- Andrea Levine, Trumansburg, NY (908) 461-8491
- Bonny Mahoney, Buffalo, NY
- Michael Perry, Trumansburg, NY (585) 402-0658
- James Ricks, Ithaca, NY (607) 280-7184
- Mark Scibilia-Carver, Trumansburg, NY (607) 387-3916
- Patricia Wieland, Northampton, MA (413) 695-1877
