February
19, 2001
On January 30, Pascal Marchand, a member of the
Collective against Expulsions, was imprisoned at Vorst prison in Brussels,
Belgium. He was sentenced to one year
imprisonment for “assault and grievous bodily harm,” “attempt to rob,” and
“destruction of property.” In fact,
Marchand was arrested for demonstrating against the collective expulsion of
Roma gypsies on October 3, 1999. The
police had even marked their skin before deporting them. He is appealing the court decision.
The authorities have kept Marchand in
solitary confinement and beaten him on a number of occasions. The Collective against Expulsions has been
subjected to numerous acts of intimidation by judicial and police authorities
and many of its members remain charged. The Collective has called for civil
disobedience given the Belgian government’s criminalisation of the social
movement for the undocumented. IFIR
supports its call for the liberation of Marchand, that all charges are dropped,
and that the political character of his sentence be recognised. For more
information and to support Marchand, contact ccle@altern.org.