By Martha Grevatt
July 29, 2018

An emergency alert has been issued for support for Lucasville Uprising death row defendant Imam Siddique Abdullah Hasan, who has been transferred into solitary confinement. Organizers are preparing a “phone zap” of protest to Ohio prison authorities. (See details below.)

The Lucasville Uprising, as it has come to be known, took place in 1993 at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. There were many issues pushing inmates to the point of rebellion, including overcrowding; guard violence and guard-instigated inmate-on-inmate violence; poor sanitation, food and medical care; and allowing only one phone call with loved ones per year. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the forcing of Muslim inmates to take a TB test that involved ingestion of an alcoholic substance, forbidden by their faith.

A point won in the subsequent negotiated surrender agreement was that there would be no retaliation against anyone tied to the Uprising. In fact, several dozen inmates were falsely sentenced in the murder of a guard and/or inmate hostages. Five — most of whom were involved in negotiating the surrender and actually prevented additional loss of life — remain on Ohio’s death row 25 years later.

There is a need to grow the movement to free Imam Siddique Abdullah Hasan, Keith Lamar, Namer Mateen, George Skatzes and Jason Robb. Solidarity meetings recognizing the 25th anniversary of the rebellion have been held around the country this year.

On the evening of July 21, Hasan was transferred to the hole — i.e., put in solitary confinement. Authorities accused him of organizing for a prison work stoppage.

Boston activists were holding a meeting July 27 and expecting a call from Hasan. When the call did not come through, they learned about Hasan’s transfer from an Ohio supporter.

This is not the first time authorities have targeted Hasan and other Lucasville defendants. Earlier this year the four death row defendants, along with Greg Curry, were abruptly denied phone and email access on the anniversary of the negotiated surrender of the Uprising. Essentially the prison administration is doing the same thing to Hasan they did in 2016, when they aimed false, racist and Islamophobic accusations that Hasan tried to recruit a faith leader for a suicide bombing plot.

How to support

A phone zap in support of Imam Hasan will begin at 9 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 30. Please start calling the numbers below at that time and continue to call and email:

Ohio State Prisons: 330-743-0700 (Fax: 330-743-0841)

Warden: Richard A. Bowen, Jr. drc.osp@odrc.state.oh.us

NW Regional Director David Bobby: 614-752-1736 David.Bobby@odrc.state.oh.us

For updates, visit “Phone Zap: Defend Imam Hasan” where more details will be posted.

Write letters of support to Hasan and get them in the mail ASAP so that authorities know that people are mobilizing in his defense.

Siddique Abdullah Hasan
130-559
878 Coitsville-Hubbard Rd.
Youngstown, Ohio 44505