Clemente Soto Vélez - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here is another example how the United States (US) government used state terrorism against Puerto Rico (PR) to keep PR a colony.
Click on the link above to read a short biography of Clemente Soto Velez. He was arrested after the US chief of police for PR was assassinated. This is why.
The chief of police had declared war against the Puerto Rico Nationalist Party (PRNP) for wanting independence for PR. He gave orders to the police to shoot to kill the members of the PRNP. The police killed 4 university students in what is known as the Rio Piedras Massacre.
To see the US ’ contradiction, you need to keep in mind that whenever you hear a US government official speak about the future political status of PR, he/she will always say that the US will support whatever decision the people of PR make. But that and what the US has done during 114 years of PR occupation are totally opposite each other. But that rhetoric is what the US considers to be politically correct one!
In response to the massacre, the PRNP ordered the death of the chief of police. The 2 men who executed the chief were captured and executed while in police custody.
Clemente Soto Velez and three other leaders of the PRNP were arrested and tried for the chief’s death. They were found not guilty. Since the US judge was not happy with that verdict, he ordered a retrial. This time, the judge got the verdict that he wanted! But what was the crime?
Get this! The four Nationalists were found guilty of trying to overthrow the government of the United States through violent means in Puerto Rico ! According to international law, that is perfecting legal. What is not is the US ’ colonization of PR!
This is why; any process to decolonize PR controlled by the US will never work. The obvious reason is because, the US has gone to extreme measures to acquire and keep PR as her colony. The decolonization process must be totally out of the US as required by the United Nation’s Resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960.
You can see a brand new documentary about Clemente Soto Velez called, A Revolt in Letters.
http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=24
http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=24