Summary
Bernard Rappaz, hemp farmer from Valais, Switzerland, was detained up by police on march 20th. Bernard has been accused (and comdemned by new retroactive laws) of illegal trade in cannabis, but since he is one of the country’s leading hemp industrialists and forefighters of the Freedom to Farm, he is wellknown as a pioneer for biological agriculture and renewable energy. Those "qualities" made him a genuine target of authorities from the Valais county.
We’re inviting all of you supporters to send the following sample letter to all indicated Swiss authorities contact (see below) and call for people to support. Day after day, worldwide, peoples are joining the « Empty stomach solidarity chain » for 24h or more. Please register to the chain to set Bernard free.
Like in 2006, another « Empty stomach solidarity chain » started on Monday, March22th 2010.
With ENCOD support, Cannabis Sans Frontières (cannabis with no borders) initiated the mouvement. As a response to media black-out in France about Bernard Rappaz case, but also in order to put pressure on swiss authorities.
Immediately, peoples from different places worldwide offered to participate, as well as to regularly send letters to swiss authorities in order to ask for an exceptionnal right to reprieve, or to decide an amnesty, or at least to suspend his penalty until his last call for a review of the trial is accepted. All we ask is simply to end drug war persecutions, first those like this one.
We need a large support, in order to ensure that Bernard’s health will not be put in danger, as his last hungerstrike occured during 73 days, due to his motivation against all injustices caused by prohibition rules.
- KIT ACTION "Empty stomach" with Bernard Rappaz
- 4 pages to be printed and broadcasted
To ensure your participation to this initiative, please follow up this :
1 - Send a message of solidarity to Bernard : Bigger his mails will be abundant, faster swiss authorities will react.
Bernard RAPPAZ - Political prisonner
Pénitencier de Crêtelongue
3977 Granges / VS
2 – Copy the sample letter and accomodate it as you prefer, and send it by postal or fax/email to the Minister of Justice and Police, Ms Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, conseiller fédéral - Cheffe du DFJP (Minister of Justice), Département fédéral de justice et police, Palais fédéral ouest, CH-3003 Berne and to all contacts mentionned (see all contacts attached list).
3 – Register your participation on http://supportrappaz.org or by posting a message to
4 - Join the collective solidarity fund to ensure that "Oasis" Farm will not be sold : less than 20 days remain to gather 60 000 SFr (less than 40 000 euros), which are still lacking to purchase collectively Bernard Rappaz’s farm.
Please send your donations, to this bank account : c.c.p. 19-10613-5 / Bernard Rappaz, Ferme Oasis, Chemin des Iles 50, CH 1907 Saxon, Switzerland
5 – Join the global demo on April 10th : Register your cities local events. At the occasion of Swiss federal state chairwoman, Me Doris Leuthard’s birthday, we want to recall her about Bernard Rappaz’s case who will be starving since 22 days !
This date could be also choose for an extended purpose, as « end drug war dealth penalty, mass gangsters mutual assassinations, as well as soft killing targetted individuals as Marc Emery (Canada), Dana Beal (USA), Bernard Rappaz ( Swiss Confederation), André Fürst (Swiss Confederation), Chakib El Khayari (Marocco), Maksim Popov (Ouzbekistan), and so many, too many... ».
For your demonstration, find the embassy of Swiss confederation nearest to you :
Thanks for your support !
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Sample letter to adress to Swiss authorities
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Dear Minister of Justice,
I request your attention on the case of Bernard Rappaz, a Valais’s county citizen from Switzerland, a hemp farmer, on hungerstrike since he enterred in jail on march 20th. This is an ultimate protest against his judgement last november 2008, confirmed by Federal court in October 2009, rather than to have his case considered since he introduced a demand to review his trial. He has been accused and comdemned for illegal trade of cannabis. Due to different laws among swiss counties, he has received a singular heavy condemnation. His judgement is made an exemple. This only underlines a targetted persecution against the "Gandhi of hemp".
This is an emergency. Nobody can change his mind. Bernard Rappaz is ready to die. But his death must be avoided, by a simple human approach. Does Bernard Rappaz need to die to bury the fight for a rational cannabis policy that protects youth, of which he is a pioneer ?
I ask you to do all what can be done under your power in order to stop as soon as possible his hungerstrike, and set Bernard Rappaz free. You have the power to suspend his detention until his last call for trial’s review is stated. No need to mention that you could also considered an exceptionnal right to reprieve.
Time has come to look into a more efficient way to fight against drugs than the current one which only prosecutes and puts in jail, therewith minimizing the will of authotities to solve real problems ?
I also announce you my decision to associate myself to his hunger strike as participant of an international « empty stomach solidarity chain » (precise your engagement : dates/place), initiated by Cannabis with no Borders (Cannabis Sans Frontières).
Sincerely yours,
Name - Signature
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To be sent to :
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Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, conseiller fédéral - Cheffe du DFJP (Minister of Justice)
Département fédéral de justice et police
Palais fédéral ouest
CH-3003 Berne
******** Copy to : ********
Corina Casanova : - Chancelière de la Confédération (Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Chancellerie fédérale,
Palais fédéral Ouest
CH-3003 Berne
Tél. +41 (0)31 322 37 91
Fax +41 (0)31 322 37 06
http://www.bk.admin.ch/org/00490/index.html?lang=fr
Pascale Bruderer Wyss, présidente du Conseil national 2009/2010
http://www.pascale-bruderer.ch/kontakt/
Erika Forster-Vannini, Présidente du Conseil des Etats en 2009/2010
sekretariat-sr-forster@bluewin.ch
Then, send a copy of your solidarity action with Bernard Rappaz, to inform your Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Voir en ligne : SUPPORT BERNARD RAPPAZ