Solidarity with Sean Garland

Statement signed by over 50 Communist & Workers Parties at Athens Greece in solidarity with Sean Garland


We, the undersigned Communist and Workers parties attending the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of Greece, Athens on 18th/22nd February 2009, condemn the arrest of Comrade Sean Garland, former President of the Workers’ Party of Ireland and current member of the Central Executive committee. He was arrested outside the Party offices in Dublin on Friday 30th January 2009, at the request of the U.S. authorities who are seeking his extradition to the U.S. The request for the extradition was signed by Condoleezza Rice in the final days of the Bush Administration.
Comrade Garland was first arrested in October 2005 while attending the Party congress in Belfast. This was a blatant attempt by the U.S. authorities to take advantage of the unjust and controversial extradition treaty between the U.S. and British governments which would have afforded him little or no legal protection. After having been granted permission to return to Dublin for urgent medical attention, after much consideration Sean Garland decided not to return to Northern Ireland.
Sean Garland has lived openly and has conducted his political activities and engagements in public for the last 3 years. He made his address known to the Irish authorities. He is 75 years old and is in serious ill health, suffering from a number of medical conditions.
Sean Garland has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has received strong support from a wide spectrum of political, trade union and public figures concerned at the manner in which he was treated. Sean Garland is being subjected to a relentless and vindictive campaign of persecution by the U.S government.
We condemn this blatant attack on a leading member of The Workers’ Party of Ireland who has pursued a struggle against imperialism for almost 60 years. We express our solidarity with the Workers’ Party of Ireland and with Comrade Sean Garland in the fight against extradition to the U.S.
We demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of these extradition proceedings on political, legal and humanitarian grounds and call on all communist, workers parties and progressive organisation to send messages of support to the Workers’ Party at wpi@indigo.ie
and the Campaign to Defend Sean Garland at: defendseangarland@gmail.com

Communist Party of Albania
Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PADS)
Communist Party of Armenia
Workers Party of Belgium
Brazilian Communist Party
New Communist Party of Britain
Communist Party of Canada
Colombian Communist Party
Communist Party of Cuba
Socialist Workers Party of Croatia
Progressive Party of the Working People – AKEL Cyprus
Communist Party of Denmark
Communist Party in Denmark
Communist Party of Estonia
French Communist Party
Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India
Tudeh Party of Iran
Communist Refoundation Party, Italy
Party of the Italian Communists
Workers Party of Korea
Socialist Party of Latvia
Communist Party of Malta
Party of the Communists Mexico
New Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of Pakistan
Palestinian Communist Party
Party of the People, Panama
Peruvian Communist Party
Communist Party of Poland
Communist Refoundation, Puerto Rico
Romanian Communist Party
New Communist Party of Serbia
Party of the Communists of Serbia
Communist Party of Spain
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain
Party of the Communists, Catalonia
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Workers Party of Russia (RKRP)
Party of the Communists of Russia (RPC)
Syrian Communist Party
Communist Party of Sweden
Communist Party of South Africa
Communist Party of Turkey
Union of Communists of Ukraine
Communist Party of Venezuela
World Peace Council
World Federation of Trade Unions
Communist Party of Portugal

To confirm:-

Communist Party of Ireland

Communist Party of Britain

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine