Juan Santos Rivera

Released
Gender:Male
Race:Hispanic
Era:1950s
State:Puerto Rico
Support
Communism Puerto Rican Independence Communist Party of Puerto Rico
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Biography

Juan Santos Rivera was the president of the Communist Party of Puerto Rico, arrested in October 1954 in the first Smith Act case brought on the island. He was one of eleven defendants awaiting trial in San Juan; speaking no English, he protested he could not confront his accusers in an English-language trial.

Case

Charges: Smith Act — conspiracy to advocate the overthrow of the government
Sentence: Faced a mainland prison term if convicted
Convicted: Arrested October 1954; awaiting trial in Puerto Rico

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