PUERTO RICAN POLITICAL PRISONERS

Puerto Rican activists spearhead a campaign seeking release of Puerto Rican political prisoners held in U.S. prisons. They organize rallies, marches, demonstrations and petition drives; write letters and lobby elected officials; hold educational forums and conferences; and engage in dramatic actions such as the taking of the Statue of Liberty. This unified effort achieves the release of Puerto Rican political prisoners in 1979 and 1999.

In 1979, President Carter grants pardons to Oscar Collazo, Lolita Lebron, Irving Flores, Rafael Cancel Miranda and Andres Figueroa Cordero who had spent from 25 to 29 years in U.S. prisons for the attacks on Congress and Blair House. When they arrive in San Juan, thousands greet them as patriots. Wherever they go on the Island and among Puerto Rican communities in the U.S., they receive VIP treatment.