New River Valley residents face prison and fines; 2 activists in court for protest at Army base

Critics say the School of the Americas teaches torture and assassination to soldiers from Latin America.

By MIKE GANGLOFF

BLACKSBURG - Sue Daniels and Niklan Jones-Lezama are in a federal courtroom in Georgia today , facing trespass charges for what they describe as doing their part in the war on terrorism.

??? "George Bush has asked us to stop terrorism wherever we see it," Jones-Lezama said last week, a few days before he left Blacksburg for his trial. "For following the president's orders, I could lose my house and my job."

??? The two New River Valley activists were among an estimated 10,000 demonstrators who last November converged on Fort Benning, Ga., for an annual protest at a U.S. Army school that trains Latin American soldiers. Dabbled with fake blood and carrying coffins to symbolize the victims of the dictators and death squads they say the school supports, Daniels and Jones-Lezama joined a small group of protesters who crossed onto base property.

??? Now they are among 37 people, including eight Virginians, who face up to six months in prison and $5,000 in fines. They expect to enter pleas today and to be sentenced later this week.

??? "I am deeply angry," Daniels said last week, rehearsing a statement she planned to make in court. "The voices of dissent are being silenced in this country. And without dissent, there can be no democracy."

??? Jones-Lezama said he can't believe that as the United States hunts Osama bin Laden, it continues to run a school that issued manuals on torture.

??? "It's insane, a world gone wrong," he said.

??? Daniels, a 42-year-old Pembroke resident who is working on a doctorate in biology at Virginia Tech, and Jones-Lezama, 38, who works at Tech as a switchboard operator, are no strangers to protest . Both have participated in peace marches and anti-globalization campaigns and are involved in a variety of causes. But last fall was the first time either attended the 13-year-old protest at Fort Benning.

??? The Army says the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, located just outside Columbus, Ga., promotes democracy by providing a professional education for civilian officials, military personnel and police. Critics say "the School of the Assassins," a play on the institute's former name, the School of the Americas, teaches torture and assassination. Some of its graduates are linked to murders and coups, including the recent, short-lived overthrow of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

??? Usually, demonstrators who enter the base but don't have a previous record of trespass are released with a warning. Repeat offenders face a federal district judge not known for leniency. Last year, an 88-year-old nun was sentenced to six months in prison for trespassing during a protest.

??? Five years ago, Richard Streb, then a 73-year-old Roanoke resident, served six months in federal prison for entering Fort Benning during a School of the Americas protest.

??? Discussing the approaching trial with friends at a Blacksburg coffee shop, Daniels and Jones-Lezama were emotional as they described their plan to plead not guilty and to cast their actions in a framework of international law, which calls on people to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against humanity.

??? Judging from the trials of others arrested at the base, a plea of not guilty may lead to a longer sentence, they said.

??? For Jones-Lezama, an extended absence might mean losing his job. Mortgage payments and other bills will be "a huge problem," he said. His wife, Claudia, a native of Nicaragua who was jailed as a Sandinista, sounded resigned to his absence.

??? "I think they do not torture people here," she said.

??? For Daniels, who said she enjoys support from her department at Tech, prison would mean losing time in her research. But the protests were worth the hardships, she added. There have been calls and e-mails of support from across the country, and more important, the knowledge that they'd done the right thing.

??? "My actions were in full accordance with my principles - and that's an awesome feeling," Daniels said.

??? A vigil in support of Daniels and Jones-Lezama is planned for 5 p.m. today on Tech's Henderson Lawn in Blacksburg. A potluck meal at 6:30 p.m. at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church will include a presentation on the School of the Americas protest. Both events are being sponsored by the Coalition for Justice, the AWOL anti-war group and the Virginia Tech chapter of Amnesty International. A yard sale to raise money for Daniels and Jones-Lezama is scheduled for July 13 at 216 Harding Ave. in Blacksburg.