Gold hammer and sickle

New Communist Party of Britain

Solidarity with Sean Garland

Statement signed by over 50 Communist & Workers Parties at Athens Greece in solidarity with Sean Garland

We, the undersigned Communist and Workers parties attending the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of Greece, Athens on 18th/22nd February 2009, condemn the arrest of Comrade Sean Garland, former President of the Workers’ Party of Ireland and current member of the Central Executive committee. He was arrested outside the Party offices in Dublin on Friday 30th January 2009, at the request of the U.S. authorities who are seeking his extradition to the U.S. The request for the extradition was signed by Condoleezza Rice in the final days of the Bush Administration.

Comrade Garland was first arrested in October 2005 while attending the Party congress in Belfast. This was a blatant attempt by the U.S. authorities to take advantage of the unjust and controversial extradition treaty between the U.S. and British governments which would have afforded him little or no legal protection. After having been granted permission to return to Dublin for urgent medical attention, after much consideration Sean Garland decided not to return to Northern Ireland.

Sean Garland has lived openly and has conducted his political activities and engagements in public for the last 3 years. He made his address known to the Irish authorities. He is 75 years old and is in serious ill health, suffering from a number of medical conditions.

Sean Garland has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has received strong support from a wide spectrum of political, trade union and public figures concerned at the manner in which he was treated. Sean Garland is being subjected to a relentless and vindictive campaign of persecution by the U.S government.

We condemn this blatant attack on a leading member of The Workers’ Party of Ireland who has pursued a struggle against imperialism for almost 60 years. We express our solidarity with the Workers’ Party of Ireland and with Comrade Sean Garland in the fight against extradition to the U.S.

We demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of these extradition proceedings on political, legal and humanitarian grounds and call on all communist, workers parties and progressive organisation to send messages of support to the Workers’ Party at wpi@indigo.ie and the Campaign to Defend Sean Garland at: defendseangarland@gmail.com

The Parties

  1. Communist Party of Albania
  2. Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (PADS)
  3. Communist Party of Armenia
  4. Workers Party of Belgium
  5. Brazilian Communist Party
  6. New Communist Party of Britain
  7. Communist Party of Canada
  8. Colombian Communist Party
  9. Communist Party of Cuba
  10. Socialist Workers Party of Croatia
  11. Progressive Party of the Working People — AKEL Cyprus
  12. Communist Party of Denmark
  13. Communist Party in Denmark
  14. Communist Party of Estonia
  15. French Communist Party
  16. Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
  17. Communist Party of India (Marxist)
  18. Communist Party of India
  19. Tudeh Party of Iran
  20. Communist Refoundation Party, Italy
  21. Party of the Italian Communists
  22. Workers Party of Korea
  23. Socialist Party of Latvia
  24. Communist Party of Malta
  25. Party of the Communists Mexico
  26. New Communist Party of the Netherlands
  27. Communist Party of Pakistan
  28. Palestinian Communist Party
  29. Party of the People, Panama
  30. Peruvian Communist Party
  31. Communist Party of Poland
  32. Communist Refoundation, Puerto Rico
  33. Romanian Communist Party
  34. New Communist Party of Serbia
  35. Party of the Communists of Serbia
  36. Communist Party of Spain
  37. Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain
  38. Party of the Communists, Catalonia
  39. Communist Party of the Soviet Union
  40. Communist Workers Party of Russia (RKRP)
  41. Party of the Communists of Russia (RPC)
  42. Syrian Communist Party
  43. Communist Party of Sweden
  44. Communist Party of South Africa
  45. Communist Party of Turkey
  46. Union of Communists of Ukraine
  47. Communist Party of Venezuela
  48. World Peace Council
  49. World Federation of Trade Unions
  50. Communist Party of Portugal

To confirm:-

  1. Communist Party of Ireland
  2. Communist Party of Britain
  3. Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

6th March 2009