[Martin Sostre trial

On July 14, 1967, police raided Martin Sostre’s bookstore in Buffalo, NY and accused him of selling $15 worth of heroin. They arrested Sostre on narcotics, riot, arson and assault charges. He was convicted, largely on the testimony of Arto Williams, a drug addict who had had charges pending against him at the time of the raid, and Mr. Sostre was sentenced to 30 to 40 years on the drug charge. Six years later, Mr. Williams recanted his testimony and said he had lied to help the police in return for leniency in his own case. However, Mr. Sostre was denied a new trial and the United States Supreme Court in 1974 refused to hear the case. He remained in prison until his sentence was commuted in 1975 by Governor Hugh Carey due to political pressure from Amnesty International and dozens of Martin Sostre Defense Committees throughout the country.