Uhuru Three trial enters second week as defense prepares to counter Russian interference claims
Tampa, Florida - The Uhuru Three trial – a high-stakes battle over free speech rights – is heading into its second week as prosecutors prepare to wrap up their alleged Russian interference case.
The much-anticipated trial opened at the Tampa Federal Court on Tuesday following a press conference that drew Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein and prominent racial and reparative justice advocates in support of African People's Socialist Party (APSP) Chairman Omali Yeshitela (82) and leading solidarity organizers Penny Hess (78) and Jesse Nevel (34).
In July 2022, the FBI – with the cooperation of local law enforcement – violently raided seven homes ands offices of the APSP and the associated Uhuru Movement in St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Petersburg, Florida.
Nine months later, the US Department of Justice announced indictments in the case accusing Yeshitela, Hess, and Nevel of acting as "unregistered illegal agents of the Russian government" to "sow discord and spread pro-Russian propaganda."
The Uhuru Three, long-time advocates of reparations and Black liberation, have steadfastly denied the allegations. A fourth defendant – Gazi Kodzo (born Augustus Claudius Romain Jr.), founder of the Black Hammer Party in Atlanta, Georgia – also faces federal conspiracy charges.
Cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, but the Hands Off Uhuru! campaign has shared regular updates from the trial.
Jury selection in the case began on Tuesday. District Judge William Jung asked candidates a series of questions to reveal any potential bias, including whether they had ever been involved in any form of social protest.
The Hands Off Uhuru! campaign reported one person said they had protested the Vietnam War, while another said they had protested Israel's genocide in Gaza. Both were dismissed as juror candidates.
US government lays out charges in Uhuru Three trial
Once a panel of 12 jurors and six alternatives was selected, the trial moved to opening arguments.
The prosecution laid out its charges, which concern the APSP's alleged ties with Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia President Alexander Viktorovich Ionov. The Justice Department says Ionov conspired to spread pro-Kremlin narratives by recruiting and sponsoring dissident groups in the US since at least late 2014. Prosecutors put particular stress on a trip Yeshitela took to Moscow in 2015 at Ionov's expense.
Yeshitela's supporters have pointed out that the APSP leader's messaging – including denouncing American militarism and the US government's genocide of Black people – has remained consistent for decades. They have accused the US government of trying to silence anti-war voices through its indictment.
"Omali Yeshitela is innocent. Penny Hess is innocent. Jesse Nevel is innocent," the chairman's attorney, Ade Griffin, reportedly told the court. "This case is about censorship. It's an attack by the US government to censor political beliefs of the African People's Socialist Party."
Subsequent days of the trial featured testimony and cross-examination of several government witnesses. First to take the stand was Syracuse University Professor Brian D. Taylor, who provided background on Russian intelligence services but admitted he did not have knowledge about APSP ties to Moscow, Hands Off Uhuru! said.
A series of FBI agents also testified, revealing they had gathered over 20 terabytes of data from electronics seized during the July 2022 raids – an amount so large it would take a lifetime to go through.
Defense attorneys for the Uhuru Three argued that many of the statements pulled by the prosecution had been selectively chosen and presented out of context.
Uhuru Three prepare to make defense as trial enters second week
Hands Off Uhuru!, meanwhile, said they had filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the extent and timeline of the FBI's surveillance of the Uhuru Three, but they were denied.
The federal trial is expected to continue on Monday with a final day of government witness testimony. Then, the Uhuru Three's legal team will present their defense.
In the meantime, advocates are urging supporters to pack the Tampa courthouse in solidarity with the Uhuru Three.
"We are clear that these charges are an absolute attack on the right to free speech of African people and the right for us to come to our own positions and our own determinations regarding matters of national and international policies of the US government," Hands Off Uhuru! Campaign Chair Mwezi Odom said in a broadcast on The Burning Spear TV channel.
"African people have agency. We are clear on who the enemy is, and this history – this 600-year-old history – of genocide against African people is nothing new," she added.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire