>---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:51:25 +0200 >From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: <nettime> Criminalization of critical academic research and political > engagement > > >On July 31 my home was raided by German federal police and my partner >Andrej Holm was arrested. Our children had to endure a dozen armed >cops waking them, and us. Andrej is in prison in Berlin-Moabit since. >There are a number of initiatives protesting against this, including >two open letters to the federal prosecutor by critical researchers. >I'm still not able to write a lot, but there is information available, >most of it on the website of a group trying to support all who are >concerned: http://einstellung.so36.net/en > >A summary: Three people were arrested while alledgedly trying to >set fire to four army vehicles. Four other people are assumed to be >members of a terrorist organisation called 'militant group' and were >observed since last September at least - Andrej being one of them >(this included tapping of phones also of family members and friends, >email observation of everybody close etc etc). Since he met one of the >other three twice this year in so-called conspiratory cirsumstances >all seven are now suspected to be 'terrorists' - even though it is >unclear why they met and what was talked about. Current state is that >the three who are said to have set fire to the army vehicles and >Andrej are imprisoned. The reasons given by the federal prosecutor >why Andrej and the three others are suspected to be 'terrorists' are >extremely incredible: researching gentrification, access to libraries >and intellectual ability are explicitely mentioned as reasons in the >arrest warrant. Their treatment in prison is considered similar to >treatment of members of RAF in the dark ages of the 70s, according to >the lawyers. > >The open letters have already been signed by many international and >German academics and activists. I'll paste the text below. Please >consider signing and/or raising public awareness in any possible way. >A new lawyer's decision about the continuation of imprisonment is >expected for August 24th, so anything that raises attention before >that date may be helpful. > >Anna > >I'm at the moment away from computers most of the time. You can contact >einstellung[at]so36.net for more information. > >============== > >http://einstellung.so36.net/en/openletter > > >Open letter to the Generalbundesanwaltschaft against the criminalization of >critical academic research and political engagement > >On 31st July 2007 the flats and workplaces of Dr. Andrej Holm and >Dr. Matthias B., as well as of two other persons, were searched by >the police. Dr. Andrej Holm was arrested, flown by helicopter to the >German Federal Court in Karlsruhe and brought before the custodial >judge. Since then he has been held in pretrial confinement in a >Berlin jail. All four people have been charged with membership in a >terrorist association according to 129a StGB (German Penal Code, >section 7 on Crimes against Public Order). They are alleged to be >members of a so-called militante gruppe (mg). The text of the search >warrant revealed that preliminary proceedings against these four >people have been going on since September 2006 and that the four had >since been under constant surveillance. > >A few hours before the house searches, Florian L., Oliver R. und Axel >H. were arrested in the Brandenburg region and accused of attempted >arson on four vehicles of the German Federal Army. Andrej Holm is >alleged to have met one of these three persons on two occasions in the >first half of 2007 in supposedly conspiratorial circumstances. > >The Federal Prosecutor (Bundesanwaltschaft) therefore assumes that >the four above mentioned persons as well as the three individuals >arrested in Brandenburg are members of a militant group, and is >thus investigating all seven on account of suspected membership in >a terrorist association according to 129a StGB. According to the >arrest warrant against Andrej Holm, the charge made against the above >mentioned four individuals is presently justified on the following >grounds, in the order that the federal prosecutor has listed them: > >- Dr. Matthias B. is alleged to have used, in his academic publications, >phrases and key words which are also used by the militante gruppe; >- As political scientist holding a PhD, Matthias B. is seen to be >intellectually >capable to author the sophisticated texts of the militante gruppe (mg). >Additionally, as employee in a research institute he has access to libraries >which he can use inconspicuously in order to do the research necessary to the >drafting of texts of the militante gruppe?; >- Another accused individual is said to have met with suspects in a >conspiratorial manner: meetings were regularly arranged without, however, >mentioning place, time and content of the meetings; furthermore, he is said to >have been active in the extreme left-wing scene; >- In the case of a third accused individual, an address book was found which >included the names and addresses of the other three accused; >- Dr. Andrej H., who works as urban sociologist, is claimed to have close >contacts with all three individuals who have been charged but still remain >free; >- Dr. Andrej H. is alleged to have been active in the resistance >mounted by the >extreme left-wing scene against the World Economic Summit of 2007 in >Heiligendamm; >- The fact that he allegedly intentionally -- did not take his mobile phone >with him to a meeting is considered as conspiratorial behavior. > >Andrej H., as well as Florian L., Oliver R. und Axel H., are detained >since 1st August 2007 in Berlin-Moabit under very strict conditions: >they are locked in solitary confinement 23 hours a day and are allowed >only one hour of courtyard walk. Visits are limited to a total of half >an hour every two weeks. Contacts, including contacts with lawyers, >are allowed only through separation panes, including contact with >their lawyers. The mail of the defense is checked. > >The charges described in the arrest warrants reveal a construct >based on very dubious reasoning by analogy. The reasoning involves >four basic hypotheses, none of which the Federal High Court could >substantiate with any concrete evidence, but through their combination >they are to leave the impression of a terrorist association. The >social scientists, because of their academic research activity, their >intellectual capacities and their access to libraries, are said to be >the brains of the alleged terrorist organization. > >For, according to the Federal prosecutor, an association called >militante gruppe is said to use the same concepts as the accused >social scientists. As evidence for this reasoning, the concept of >gentrification is named - one of the key research themes of Andrej >Holm und Matthias B. in past years, about which they have published >internationally. They have not limited their research findings to an >ivory tower, but have made their expertise available to citizens >initiatives and tenants organizations. This is how critical social >scientists are constructed as intellectual gang leaders. > >Since Andrej Holm has friends, relatives and colleagues, they now also >are suspect to be terrorists, because they know Andrej. Another >accused individual was blamed for having the names of Andrej Holm and >of two others charged (but not jailed) in his address book. Since the >latter are also deemed to be terrorists this is how guilt by >association is established. > >Paragraph 129a, introduced in Germany in 1976, makes it possible >for our colleagues to be criminalized as terrorists. This is how, >through 129a, the existence of a terrorist group is claimed. > >Through these constructs, every academic research activity and >political work is presented as potentially criminal in particular >when politically engaged colleagues who intervene in social struggles >are concerned. This is how critical research, in particular research >linked with political engagement, is turned into ideological ring >leadership and terrorism. > >We demand that the Federal Prosecutor (Bundesanwaltschaft) immediately >suspend the 129a-proceedings against all parties concerned and to >release Andrej Holm and the other imprisoned from jail at once. We >strongly reject the outrageous accusation that the academic research >activities and the political engagement of Andrej Holm are to be >viewed as complicity in an alleged terrorist association. No arrest >warrant can be deduced from the academic research and political work >of Andrej Holm. The Federal Prosecutor, through applying Article >129, is threatening the freedom of research and teaching as well as >social-political engagement. > >Initial signatures by: > >Dr. Manuel Aalbers (Columbia University, New York), Prof. Dr. Rowland Atkinson >(University of Tasmania, Australien), Prof. Dr. Lawrence D. Berg (Canada >Research Chair in Human Rights, Diversity & Identity, University of British >Columbia), Prof. Dr. Neil Brenner (New York University, Sociology), Prof. Dr. >Craig Calhoun (President, Social Science Research Council, and University >Professor, Sociology, NYU), Prof. Dr. Mike Davis (Prof. of Urban History, >Irvine/USA), Dr. Michael Dear (Professor of Geography at the University of >Southern California/Los Angeles), Prof. Dr. Michael Edwards (The Bartlett >Centre for Architecture and Planning, UCL, London), Prof. Dr. Geoff Ely >(University of Michigan, Karl Pohrt Distinguished University Professor), Prof. >Dr. John Friedmann (University of California, Los Angeles), Prof. Dr. Herbert >Gans (Columbia University, New York), Prof. Dr. Alan Harding (University of >Salford, UK), Prof. Dr. Michael Harloe (University of Salford, >Vice-President), >Prof. Dr. David Harvey (Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, >Graduate Center >of the City University of New York, New York), Prof. Dr. Andreas Huyssen >(Villard Professor of German and Comparative Literature at Columbia >University), Prof. Dr. Martin Jay (Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professor of History, >University of California Berkeley), Prof. Dr. Bob Jessop (Lancaster >Universtiy), Prof. Dr. Roger Keil (York University, Toronto, >Canada), Prof. Dr. >Rianne Mahon (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada), Prof. Dr. Peter Marcuse >(Columbia University, New York), Prof. Dr. Margit Mayer (Freie Universitt >Berlin), Prof. Dr. Frances Fox Piven (President of the American Sociological >Association, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology, City >University New York), Prof. Dr. Andrew Ross (New York University, New York), >Prof. Dr. Saskia Sassen (Columbia University, New York, and London School of >Economics) Prof. Dr. Andrew Sayer (Lancaster University, Sociology), Prof. Dr. >Richard Sennett (Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics, >Bemis Professor of Social Sciences at MIT, Professor of the Humanities at New >York University), Prof. Dr. William Sewell (The Frank P. Hixon Distinguished >Service Professor of Political Science and History Emeritus, University of >Chicago), Prof. Dr. Neil Smith (Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and >Geography, Director of the Center for Place Culture and Politics, Graduate >Center of the City University of New York), Prof. Dr. Michael Storper >(Centennial Professor of Economic Geography, London School of Economics, and >Professor of Economic Sociology, Science Po, Paris), Prof. Dr. Erik Swyngedouw >(University of Manchester, UK), , Prof. Dr. Peter J. Taylor (Loughborough >University, UK), Prof. Dr. John Urry (Lancaster University, Sociology), Dr. >Jennifer Wolch (Professor of Geography at the University of Southern >California/Los Angeles). > >Sihn here: >http://www.policing-crowds.org/petition.html > >========================== > > >http://www.freeandrej.net.ms/ > >To Monika Harms >Federal Prosecutor of the Federal Court of Justice > >Brauerstrae 30 > >76135 Karlsruhe > >On August 1, 2007, the socially committed Berlin sociologist, Dr. >Andrej H., was detained upon the order of the office of the federal >prosecutor. The order followed a police search of his residence and >the residences of three other academics. All three are suspected of >being members of an organization called "militante gruppe" ("militant >group"/mg), which is being investigated by the federal prosecutor's >office in accordance with 129a StGB on suspicion of the formation of >a terrorist association. The arrest warrant issued for Dr. Andrej H. >is justified by two "conspiratorial meetings he is said to have had >several months ago with an individual taken custody during an arson >attempt on federal armed forces vehicles in "Brandenburg an der Havel" >in late July. > >We strictly oppose the use of violence as endorsed and practiced by >the "militant group." At the same time, however, we strongly object >to the notion of intellectual complicity adopted by the federal >prosecutor's office in its investigation. According to Dr. Andrej >H.'s legal representative, accusations concerning his membership in a >terrorist organization have been made on the following grounds: > >- the office of the federal prosecutor possesses no information >concerning the nature of Dr. Andrej H.'s meeting with the suspected >arsonists; their suspected participation in the "militant group" is >based on the fact of the meetings alone; > >- according to the federal prosecutor's office, Dr. Andrej H.'s >involvement in the terrorist group can be deduced from his >intellectual engagement in subjects broached in the writings of the >"mg"; a 1998 publication of Dr. Andrej H. contained various "key >words and phrases" also found in the texts of the "militant group" >(including, for example, the term "gentrification" widely used in >urban sociology), > >- the suspect, with a doctoral degree in political science and, as >an employee of a research institute, had access to libraries where he >could inconspicuously do the research required for the founding of a >militant group". > >Such arguments allow any piece of academic writing to be potentially >incriminating. The rationale followed by the federal prosecutor's >office is a direct threat to all those who pursue and publicly defend >critical studies in the sciences, humanities, arts, and media. >Critical research, even in combination with social and political >activism, cannot be labeled terrorist activity. > >We hereby petition the office of the federal prosecutor to drop the >charge that Dr. Andrej H.'s academic writings constituted intellectual >participation in a terrorist organization. Nothing in Dr. Andrej H.'s >scholarly work justifies an arrest warrant. This line of reasoning >represents a fundamental threat to intellectual and academic freedom. > >Likewise, we hereby petition for an immediate cease in the >investigation of Dr. Andrej H. in accordance with 129a StGB, which >calls for an especially harsh detention and restrictions in legal >defense. > >August 9, 2007 > > >Sign here: >http://www.gatdesign.de/andrej/petitionlist_e.php > > > > > ># distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission ># <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, ># collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets ># more info: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and "info nettime-l" in the msg body ># archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >_______________________________________________ >etc-int mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://www.eclectictechcarnival.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/etc-int
-- ____________________________________________________________ helen varley jamieson: creative catalyst [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.creative-catalyst.com http://www.avatarbodycollision.org http://www.upstage.org.nz http://www.writerfind.com/hjamieson.htm ____________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
