[Ppnews] George Wright will not be Extradited Portugal's Supreme Court Confirms

[Political Prisoner News]

George Wright will not be Extradited


Portugal's Supreme Court Confirms Decision of 
Lisbon Court's Refusal of US Extradition Demand

By Jürgen Heiser

Junge Welt:  29.12.2011

<http://www.jungewelt.de/2011/12-29/015.php>http://www.jungewelt.de/2011/12-29/015.php

In the case of former US citizen, George Wright, 
Portugal's Supreme Court ruled to deny an appeal 
made by the US Justice Department, shortly before 
Christmas. With its appeal, registered four weeks 
ago, the USA was seeking the extradition of the 
former Black Panther Party militant. A court in 
Lisbon had already refused extradition, November 
17, 2011. The court's refusal was based on 
Wright's valid Portuguese citizenship. Wright has 
been living with his Portuguese wife for more 
than 20 years near Lisbon, under the name Jorge 
Dos Santos and has two adult children. The 
refusal was also based on the fact that, in the 
meantime, the USA's penal claims have surpassed the statute of limitations.

The Supreme Court found no legal error in this 
reasoning and confirmed the extradition refusal. 
"The Supreme Court has informed me today of its 
decision," declared Wright's defense counsel, 
Manuel Luis Ferreira, last Friday to Associated 
Press. There were no further details from the 
court, because, in Portugal, extradition cases 
are conducted in secret. The USA has recourse to 
appealing to Portugal's Constitutional Court. The 
US Attorney General has not yet made his next step known.

Jorge Dos Santos, today 68 years old, was born 
George Wright in Detroit, Michigan. In 1970, he 
and three other inmates escaped from Bayside 
State Prison in Leesburg, New Jersey, and joined 
an underground political wing of the 
Afro-American liberation movement. At the time of 
his outbreak, he had served seven of a 15 – 30 
year sentence for a robbery of $70 in 1962. The 
gas station owner, Walter Patterson, was shot and 
killed by an accomplice, who was subsequently 
sentenced to "life." He has long since been freed.

The Wright case, the FBI's high-profile manhunt 
target, made international headlines, when he was 
tracked down in Portugal, at the end of 
September, following his 41 year-long odyssey 
through the USA, Africa, and Europe.

Since his arrest, the Justice Department has not 
been the only one to exert pressure on Portuguese 
authorities, to have Wright extradited to serve 
the remainder of his sentence. Politicians, such 
as Senator Frank Lautenberg (Dem. NJ) have 
directly intervened to the government. "George 
Wright is guilty of the murder of Walter 
Patterson," writes Lautenberg in his dispatch to 
the Portuguese Prime Minister, Passos Coelho, 
"and has yet to serve out his full sentence for 
that heinous crime in the United States."

In his letter, Lautenberg omits that the 
19-year-old Wright, at the time, was only an 
accomplice and had accepted the prosecutor's 
plea-bargain. With his acceptance not to defend 
himself against the charge, he sought to avoid 
being sentenced to death. Had he not been under 
the threat of the death penalty and had had an 
appropriate defense counsel, he would not have 
had to escape from prison in 1970. He would have 
received a short sentence and been freed on parole already within a few years.



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