By the International Campaign for the Release of Simon Trinidad on March 21, 2018
On January 29, 2018, our campaign invited friends in solidarity from around the world to send letters to Colombian political prisoner Simón Trinidad, who is currently serving an unjust sentence in a maximum-security penitentiary in the United States for crimes he did not commit.
Simón Trinidad went to trial four times in Washington, D.C., for drug trafficking and hostage taking. The jury hung for the drug trafficking case (i.e. they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict) with most of the jurors in favor of acquittal. The US Attorney dismissed this case.
In Simón Trinidad’s first hostage taking trial the jury also hung, and the US decided to retry him. In his second hostage taking trial the jury indicated they were deadlocked, but the judge ordered them to continue deliberations. The jury eventually convicted him on one of the six charges: conspiracy to hold hostages.
There was no evidence to demonstrate that Simón Trinidad played a role in or was responsible for the capture of the three US military contractors involved in this case.
Simón Trinidad, after his conviction, was sentenced to 60 years in prison. He has been held at the Florence ADX penitentiary in Colorado, the highest-level federal maximum-security prison in the United States, much of the time in solitary confinement and with limited contact with the outside world.
Those who responded to the first call to send letters received the same message from the Bureau of Prisons indicating that he cannot directly receive the letters; according to Federal Bureau of Prisons policy, Trinidad faces restrictions with regard to correspondence in accordance with Title 28 Part 540 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
However, the response from the Bureau of Prisons mentions that Simón Trinidad will be informed that someone sent him a letter or postcard. Even though he cannot read it, the news will make him feel our solidarity and will confirm that there are many people who remember him and are trying to shed light on the truth surrounding his case.
Please note that the envelope should be addressed exactly as follows:
Juvenal Ovidio Palmera Pineda
Reg. # 27896-016
USP Florence ADMAX
U.S. PENITENTIARY
PO BOX 8000
FLORENCE, CO 81226
Source: International Campaign to Free Simón Trinidad