Month: September 2014

22 Puerto Rico Cops Plead Guilty to Corruption Charges

Originally published on August 27, 2014, at NationofChange.org

Twenty-two Puerto Rico Police Officers have pleaded guilty to multiple charges of robbery, extortion, civil rights violations, drug dealing, and obstruction of justice. Tainted by a pervasive history of abuse and corruption, the Puerto Rico police department operates with virtual impunity and a blatant disregard for the law. Separate investigations from the DOJ and ACLU confirm multiple reports of the police engaging in the unjustified use of excessive force, lethal force, and criminal activities.

On the evening of November 5, 2008, Lt. Erick Rivera Nazario and Officer Jimmy Rodriguez Vega confronted and killed 19-year-old Jose Luis Irizarry Perez. While Officer David Colon Martinez restrained Irizarry Perez, Lt. Rivera Nazario and Officer Rodriguez Vega beat the teenager to death with their batons. On March 8, 2013, Officer Rodriguez Vega pleaded guilty to one count of depriving Irizarry Perez of his civil rights by striking him with his police baton.

After failing to cover-up the unlawful killing, Officer David Colon Martinez pleaded guilty on August 22, 2014, to one count of making a false statement to the FBI and one count of perjury for lying to the federal grand jury that investigated the incident. Officer Miguel Negron Vazquez joined him in pleading guilty to making a false statement to the FBI.

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Demand an End to Government-Sponsored Human Rights Abuse

Originally published on August 27, 2014, at ForceChange.com

Target: Jose Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola

Goal: Stop the human rights abuses committed by the police and other security forces in Angola

Government officials are allowing arbitrary arrests, torture, and unlawful killings of civilians by the police. Activists are arrested for attending protests even though their constitution protects the right to assemble. With a lack of due process, suspects often face potentially life-threatening prison conditions and corrupt corrections officers. The Angolan government must root out these criminal cops to prevent further abuses against their people.

According to the U.S. State Department, widespread government corruption is responsible for the proliferation of dirty cops patrolling the streets. Two police officers reportedly shot a man twice in the head for confronting them after they had severely beaten his friend. Police regularly arrest activists without charges and utilize excessive force in order to intimidate protesters. The murders of political opponents are rarely investigated, allowing many assassins to walk free.

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