AROUND THE WORLD judges, politicians and American military personnel in Greece:
The claim is made that Pablo, owing to his "Trotskyist ideas" and his "organizational experience" was the brains behind this organization. This accusation is grotesque, since anyone who has followed Raptis' political development from the Greek left opposition in the 1930s until today will know of his criticisms of authoritarianism in the name of socialist democracy and self-management. He is a Marxist militant who has always struggled openly for his ideas and who believes that it is only mass revolutionary action that can change the world. It is clear, however, that his positions, including opposition to the imperialist mobilization in the Gulf - have not endeared him to the Greek right and far right.
These slanders are dangerous, since they can give fascists and secret police agents the pretext for murder, as was the case with Henri Curiel in France. The latter was killed by a death squad shortly after the publication of slanderous articles presenting him as the "brains behind terrorism in the Third World"
Statements of solidarity with Pablo and further information can be obtained from Sous le drapeau du Socialisme, 42 rue d* Avron, 75020, Paris. * in struggle since October 1990 against Obituary - Tran Van Sam
The main accusations against the 1566 (Extracts from the speech by Ha Cuong Nghi at the funeral of Tran Van Sam political detainees, and against some thou- in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris on December 18, 1990) sands of others (9256 at the end of Octo- "BORN on September 10, 1919 in the central region of Vietnam, you arrived ber), concern such crimes as having in 1940 with 15,000 other Vietnamese workers requisitioned by the French govexpressed an opinion contrary to the offi- ernment for the war... cial line of the single party, having made a In August 1944, at the time of the liberation of France from the German occurecent visit to Uganda, or having followed pation, you threw yourself into the mobilization for the creation of the Struggle a course in martial arts. Committees of Vietnamese Workers in French Camps. This mobilization led to
The International Commission of Jurists a broad political movement which led in December 1944 to the formation of the as well as the Union of Central African General Delegation of Indochinese in France, representing 20,000 VietnaLawyers have denounced these trials. Messages of protest can be sent to: Gener-
In January 1945, you joined the La Lutte group, which was led by Trotskyal Major J. Habyarimana, President of the ists....In December 19, 1946 you formed the first Trotskyist group in the Republic, Kigali, Rwanda. * Mazargues camp. In this period you were elected a member of the Executive
Committee of the Central Committee of Vietnamese Workers in France. TURKEY After the dissolution of this organization, due to the repatriation of the majority "No to war" of the workers to Vietnam, you took part in August 1951 in the creation of the
Association of Vietnamese Workers in France.... ON October 19, 1990 a 16 year old school You were always in the front rank in the struggle for an open defence of Trotsstudent was arrested in Turkey for writing kyism and the Fourth International. Many times you criticized us for not openly "no to war" on the walls of her school. At asserting our identity, when for tactical reasons we had to circulate our press the time, the Public Prosecutor demanded without this identification, in order that it might make its way into Vietnam.... a jail sentence of 24 years for this peaceful Your final political acts were the signing of the "Appeal for the rehabilitation of
Ta Thu Thau*, which appeared in Le Monde on May 26, 1989, and our "Appeal
While awaiting trial, the young woman Vietnam 1990" for democracy, pluralism and multipartyism in Vietnam, which was held in the prison of Bayrampasa in appeared in Le Monde on March 6, 1990, and in Libération on May 1, 1990. Istanbul. My dear Sam, with all your strength and tenacity you fought with us against
After being denounced by the director of Stalinism, which you considered the "curse of the international workers movethe school, she was held by the police for ment." You have died at the moment when this curse is being lifted in a number nine days. Her father and sister, who visit- of countries. But the outlook for the world remains uncertain. You will not be ed her in prison, stated that she had been beaten up in the offices of the Political Department, while in police custody. According to the most recent information, she faces a prison sentence of between five and 15 years — Info Türk. *
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