Andrè Furst, coordinatore di Chanvre-info.ch e membro dello Steering Committee di Encod, è stato prelevato dalla polizia svizzera e portato in prigione. Scusate se il testo del comunicato stampa è per ora solo in inglese, altre info su www.encod.org, dove si possono firmare la lettera aperta alle autorità svizzere e l' appello Libertà di coltivare: niente prigione per Andrè Furst!

The following press release was received from Switzerland yesterday. It seems the 29 months prison term for André Fürst has now begun. You can help to put pressure on the Swiss authorities to make it as short and human as possible: please send the http://www.encod.org/info/PUBLIC-LET...THORITIES.html and ask others to do so as well..

P.R. concerning the arrest of Andre Furst:

Sunday 09.09.07, The Fribourg cantonal police arrested André Fürst

For a couple of months, Chanvre Info has been taking care of a hemp field
for the production of seeds, hemp schnapps and essential oil, three
strictly legal products. Suddenly, the police sequestered the storage
hall, blocked the access to the field and later arrested André Fürst.

The pretext used is not acceptable. André Fürst never received instruction
from the cantonal judge Markus Jumly to send a harvest-announcing letter.
Chanvre-Info will start harvesting on the 17th September. Before, we just
maintain the field by taking out the mouldy, male, hermaphrodite and sick
plants. Exactly what the police found in the truck on the filed and in the
storage during its first intervention Saturday evening.

This field is official; the authorities could stop the Chanvre-Info
expenses to grow and protect it for such a long time if they would have got
a legal argument to do it. The narcotic Federal law has not been revised.
The popular initiative for hemp regulation will be up to vote around 2008/09
The reform of the Swiss hemp policy has not been achieved. Why has the
Fribourg authorities suddenly chosen this brutal repression?

Switzerland was well known for its tradition of socially acceptable
compromise and great respect of human and civil rights. André Fürst was
arrested on Sunday without his lawyer's assistance and for a futile
pretext. This zero tolerance style of justice, directly inspired by the
USA, is not an acceptable way to threaten a Swiss citizen.

We claim for André Fürsts liberation and impartial justice for hemp.

Chanvre-Info



Report da Murten (Svizzera):

Im writing from the farm, in Murten, where I have to inform you all of
some very bad news...
About 2 hours ago the local police took Andre Furst and have put him into
prison.

They did not give him the chance to call his lawyer, and at the beginning
only asked Andre to come to the station for an interview. I, as a
co-worker of ENCOD through Hemp Lobby, together with Sylwia were also
expecting to speak with the police in an interview, but they only wanted
to speak with Andre to begin with, and said they would ring us later...so
we waited, and waited a bit more...

After an hour an a half, we stood in front of the station only to find out
a bit later from a policeman who was leaving, that they are holding
Andre...

As soon as we know something more we shall write again - if it will be
possible.