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Uhuru 3 to appear in court in Tampa on Tuesday: Charges are “absolutely absurd”

Omali Yeshitela, Uhuru
Omali Yeshitela. Screenshot during WMNF interview, August 27, 2024.

Two years ago, the FBI raided Uhuru's home in St. Petersburg.

Last year, three members of the African People's Socialist Party (Uhurus) were charged with secretly spreading Russian propaganda and illegally interfering in US elections in order to sow discord in American society.

We spoke to two of the accused, known as the Uhuru 3, who will appear in court next Tuesday. Omali Yeshitela And Jesse Nevel.

“I just want to say that all the accusations they have made against us are absolutely absurd. They are trying to sum up 60 years of our history. This is consistent. This is part of your history at WMNF, the work I have done, and it has always been consistent. What we are doing today is not much different than what we were doing then. And as for the fact that the Russian government paid us for anything: we never accepted a cent from the Russian government. We had a relationship with a non-governmental organization in Russia, just like we had relationships with non-governmental organizations in Spain and elsewhere,” Yeshitela told WMNF.

Listen to the whole show here:

Her supporters will march and hold rallies in St. Petersburg on Saturday. The “Hands Off Uhuru” march begins at 11:00 a.m. at Uhuru House, 1245 18th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33705.

The National Lawyers Guild – Chicago Chapter filed a 25-page amicus curiae brief in support of the three defendants on First Amendment grounds and the “historical context of the suppression of Black political expression.” … “The defendants’ alleged misconduct is inextricably linked to their political views. … the suppression of Black voice and political expression by the government in the United States.”

In 2022, the FBI also charged Russian citizen Alexander Ionov with secretly funding black political groups and directing them to “publish pro-Russian propaganda.”

Watch this interview:

Omali Yeshitela was also interviewed on Democracy Now! last year.

Also in the Tuesday Café on August 27, 2024

We also spoke with Cathy SalustriOwner of The Gabber newspaper in Pinellas County and author of a new book, Florida Spectacular.

WMNF's Tuesday Café

“Tuesday Café” airs live weekly on WMNF starting at 10:06 a.m. ET.

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WMNF's Tuesday Café with Seán Kinane.