Additional documentation thanks to Freedom Archives
On April 4, 1980 Eleven national liberation fighters for Puerto Rican independence were captured by local police in Evanston, Illinois and accused of being members of the Fuerzas Armadas de LiberaciĆ³n Nacional (FALN). Immediately upon their arrest, the Eleven rejected the criminal charges, taking the position that they are armed combatants of the Puerto Rican struggle against colonialism. They demanded to be treated as Prisoners of War in accordance with the Geneva Convention and other International Law. The Puerto Rican Prisoners of War did not participate in any legal proceedings held against them. Instead, by turning their backs to the judge and addressing their supporters, they turned the courtroom into another arena of struggle for Puerto Rican independence.
