In February 2023, the “Heibo bleibt!” forest occupation near Dresden was evicted.
We want to take the events of a year ago as an opportunity to once again take a stand on the case of Finn, who is currently still in prison in Leipzig.
Who is Finn?
Finn describes himself as a climate activist and anti-fascist and is in his mid-20s.
Finn, who helped at the vigil against the Heibo eviction in February 2023, was arrested on the country road towards Ottendorf-Okrilla during a traffic stop because there was a warrant for his arrest (unrelated to Heibo), which Finn didn’t even know about. Since then, Finn was initially held in custody in Leipzig Prison until August 2023 while he awaited his trial at Leipzig Regional Court. The underlying charges against Finn, including aggravated arson, had no connection to the eviction of Heibo.
On 14.08.2023, Finn was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months prison by the Leipzig Regional Court after the public prosecutor’s office had demanded a total of almost 6 years in prison. Among other things, he was accused of setting fire to objects in Leipzig hotels on several occasions. The court judged this to be serious arson, but without the corresponding intent. Instead, according to the court, it was merely a matter of attracting attention.
What is Finn’s prison situation like?
Finn has been in prison since mid-February 2023, first in pre-trial detention and then in normal prison. After his arrest near Heibo, he spent a few days in pre-trial detention in Görlitz prison. He was later transferred to Leipzig Prison and Hospital, Leinestraße 111, where he has been ever since.
Finn also tries to eat a vegan diet in prison. This is not easy, as there is no vegan food in the canteen. He therefore provides for himself by buying food in the prison store. However, this food is much more expensive than in a normal supermarket, which is why Finn has to spend a lot of money on it.
As a monthly payment into his prison account arrived a little late once, he had no money to buy food in the prison store at the time. As he can only buy food once a week and not all the time, he had no food for a week, which meant he had to go hungry for a week. The prison guards offered him the opportunity to eat the non-vegan food if he was so hungry.
Finn also didn’t get his medication at first, which is why he was in a very bad way when he started his sentence a year ago.
Finn had to endure another unpleasant, humiliating incident when he was once visited by a person in prison. After this visit, he had to strip completely naked and was strip-searched. This was carried out because he was suspected of receiving drugs from the visitor and smuggling them into the prison. Of course, there was no truth to this accusation and the prison officers did not find any drugs. However, it is not clear whether this was just a pretext to put Finn in a particularly degrading situation.
Unfortunately, situations like this are part of everyday life in prison and show how the lockers treat the prisoners and the harassment and humiliation they experience there time and time again.
Why do we support Finn?
For us, prison doesn’t solve problems, it creates them.Even if we find it difficult to understand the acts Finn has committed and do not support them as such, we still think it is important to continue supporting Finn in prison.
Prison means isolation, domination, poverty and violence. Prison is a way for the state to tackle social problems.Prison is intended to punish, deter and “resocialize”, i.e. prepare for reintegration into society. However, there is hardly any opportunity for self-determination and prisoners are isolated from the rest of society. One in three ends up back in prison after release. Prison is a violent and monotonous place. The authoritarian penal system reinforces discrimination and economic exploitation. Prisons therefore do not serve to reduce violent behavior by and between people, but rather reinforce it.
Such an environment is not the right place for us, where Finn can reflect on his actions and receive sufficient support from friends and other people to make such a process possible.
How can Finn be supported?
The following still applies: Don’t leave Finn alone, help to break through the isolation of everyday life in prison!
To reduce the feeling of loneliness in prison, Finn is very happy about every letter that arrives.
Above all, Finn needs money to make phone calls and buy vegan food, so please donate to the account with “Heibo-FreeFinn” in the subject line.
Address to write letters to Finn:
Finn Siebers c/o Scheffel
c/o Justizvollzugsanstalt Leipzig mit Krankenhaus
Leinestraße 111
04279 Leipzig
Bank aacount for donation:
Name: “Spenden&Aktionen”
IBAN: “DE29 5139 0000 0092 8818 06”
BIC: “VBMHDE5F”
Subject: “Heibo-FreeFinn”
What is the Heibo?
In September 2021, the Heibo, a part of the forest near Dresden, was occupied by activists. They opposed the gravel extraction for which the forest was to be cleared and linked their protest with demands critical of capitalism for climate justice and a turnaround in construction and mobility.
In February 2023, the “Heibo bleibt!” forest occupation was violently evicted by a large police force. After the eviction, 7.5 hectares of forest were cut for the expansion of the Ottendorf-Okrilla gravel pit. In the aftermath of the eviction, there were several cases of repression, some of which are still ongoing.
Information on Heibo, Finn and other cases of repression can be found on the heibo blog.
Further reasons against the prison and its effects can be found in ten arguments against prison.
10 Arguments against Prison