Monte Melkonian Fund

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October 22, 1988. One of only two known photographs of Monte (on the right) in prison. This photo was taken in the exercise yard of the Maison Centrale of Poissy Prison, France. The inmate on the left wearing dark glasses is Mehmet, a Kurd from Turkey. Monte was arrested in Paris in November 1985 on charges of illegal entry into France and possession of a falsified passport, explosives, and an illegal handgun. During his three and one-half years in prison, he spent months in solitary confinement, went on hunger strike to demand status as a political prisoner, and helped organize nation-wide prison rebellions.