wfn.org | [UCC NEWS] UCC leader calls for investigation into killing of Puerto

[guessb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
United Church News
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, news director
216/736-2177, newsroom@ucc.org

For immediate release
October 5, 2005

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST LEADER CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO FBI'S KILLING
OF PUERTO RICAN NATIONALIST

CLEVELAND -- The general minister and president of the 1.3-million-member
United Church of Christ today called upon the head of the FBI to begin
a
"full, independent and immediate investigation" into the death of Filiberto
Ojeda Rios, who was killed last month in southeastern Puerto Rico.

Ojeda Rios, a central leader in the call for Puerto Rican independence,
died following a gun battle with FBI agents on Sept. 23.

"The United Church of Christ extends its deepest sympathy to the people of
Puerto Rico," said the Rev. John H. Thomas. "We join with members of
Congress and Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila in demanding a full,
independent and immediate investigation into the actions of the FBI in
the
events surrounding this death."

Since the shooting, the FBI has been widely criticized and has been the
subject of widespread protests throughout the U.S. territory, where the UCC
has approximately 65 congregations as part of the mainline denomination's
Puerto Rico Conference.

The shootout reportedly began when agents came to arrest Ojeda Rios for his
alleged role in planning a 1983 robbery in West Hartford, Conn. The FBI
maintains Ojeda Rios fired first. However, Ojeda Rios' widow, who escaped
the shooting scene, said FBI agents were the first ones to open fire.

"It is our understanding that FBI agents waited approximately 20 hours
before allowing anyone to enter Ojeda Rios' home, where autopsy reports
indicate that he bled to death from a gunshot wound to his shoulder,"
Thomas wrote to FBI Director Robert Mueller III. "In particular, we seek to
know why Filiberto Ojeda Rios was not arrested and given medical attention
immediately."

September 23, the day of Ojeda Rios' death, marks a significant date in
Puerto Rico history when, in 1868, islanders staged an uprising against
Spanish rule. It also marks the anniversary of a proclamation calling for
Puerto Rican self-determination and nationhood.

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