Mistreatment of Dr. Sami Al-Arian Continues by US Justice Department Despite Concluding the Case, Americans Are Urged to Call

Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace, September 30, 2006

Despite a mutual agreement reached in May of this year to conclude the case against him, and the agreement of the Justice Department in Tampa that his immediate deportation was in the best interest of the government, the harassment of Dr. Sami Al-Arian by other Justice Department offices has continued. Dr. Al-Arian was recently moved from his permanent facility at the Medium Security wing of FCI Coleman, north of Tampa, to numerous destinations around the country until he reached his most recent destination, an overcrowded local jail in rural Warsaw, Virginia.

Purpose Behind Move

According to a Sept. 26 report by the St. Petersburg Times, Dr. Al- Arian's move to Virginia is part of a government ploy to force him to testify before a grand jury or face further imprisonment. His former attorney William Moffitt stated emphatically that Dr. Al- Arian is under no obligation to cooperate with the government. In fact, the current actions by the government are a blatant violation of the plea agreement, which specifically states that Dr. Al-Arian is not to be pursued in any other cases.

"It is a clear violation of the plea agreement, which was supposed to end Sami's business with the United States, and prosecutors know that," said Moffitt. Linda Moreno, Moffitt's co-counsel, said, "The plea agreement doesn't mention cooperation and that is intentional. That Dr. Al-Arian would not cooperate was negotiated."

The report states that Dr. Al-Arian could be held in contempt for refusing to testify, extending his imprisonment indefinitely for up to eighteen months. He is currently scheduled to leave the country upon his release in April 2007. Any actions by the U.S. Attorney in Virginia is only meant to further punish Dr. Al-Arian following his court victory last December. The new legal issues will prolong the suffering of the Al-Arian family, which has been faced with this ordeal for over three and a half years.

The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace calls upon all Americans to condemn the continued harassment of Dr. Sami Al-Arian. Please contact the Department of Justice and the office of the United States Attorney to call for an end to the government's pursuit of Dr. Al-Arian and his continued mistreatment while in federal custody. Prosecutors should be requested to honor the terms of the plea agreement and cease any demands for cooperation.

During the move, Dr. Al-Arian was taken through Miami, Atlanta, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma City, and Pennsylvania, before ultimately reaching Virginia, all in the span of 72 hours. His arms and legs were continuously shackled and kept in stress positions. In spite of the fact that the Muslim holy month of Ramadan had begun, Dr. Al-Arian was barely given any food or water, for over 18 hours at times. During the trip, he was also subjected to verbal abuse by the U.S. Marshals responsible for transporting him, and had his personal property confiscated.

The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace condemns the government's treatment of Dr. Al-Arian during this move. We ask all conscientious citizens to contact the U.S. Marshal's and the U.S. Attorney's Office to protest their deplorable actions in moving Dr. Al-Arian a thousand miles away from his family and subjecting him to numerous abuses in the course of his move.

Since reaching the local jail in Warsaw, Virginia, Dr. Al-Arian has continued to suffer at the hands of the authorities. The facility has refused to accommodate his religious beliefs, depriving him of a Koran and prayer rug. Officials have also refused to adhere to the standard Ramadan eating schedule by denying him daily medication after his fast. Dr. Al-Arian, who is diabetic, has been unable to take his medication and his health has suffered as a result.

We urge all concerned supporters to contact:

1- Northern Neck Regional to object to this deplorable treatment and clear lack of respect for the religious rights of Muslims. Web site: http://www.nnrj.state.va.us/

2-In addition, please contact the local and national offices of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and ask that they act to protect Dr. Al-Arian's rights. Web site: www.cair-net.org

== Al-Arian ordered to testify in case www.sptimes.com/2006/09/26/Tampabay/Al_Arian_ordered_to_t.shtml

His ex-lawyer believes this is a ploy to further punish Al-Arian, who will likely not testify and will be held in contempt.

MEG LAUGHLIN

Published September 26, 2006

Sami Al-Arian, who is seven months away from leaving prison, is about to be subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury in another terrorism-related case in Virginia, according to his former attorney, Bill Moffitt.

Al-Arian, who was serving his sentence at a prison 60 miles north of Tampa, has been moved to a county jail in Virginia, where he will be summoned to testify before a grand jury about an Islamic think tank.

"It is a clear violation of the plea agreement, which was supposed to end Sami's business with the United States, and prosecutors know that," said Moffitt.

Steve Cole, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, said, "We can't comment on any activity involving Sami Al-Arian." Linda Moreno, Moffitt's co-counsel, said, "The plea agreement doesn't mention cooperation and that is intentional. That Dr. Al- Arian would not cooperate was negotiated."

What this means, said Moffitt, is that Al-Arian will probably take the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify, which will result in contempt charges. This could extend his sentence by 18 months. In May, Al-Arian was sentenced to 57 months in prison as part of a plea agreement in which he admitted helping associates of the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad with non-violent activities. His release date was set for April 13, 2007, because he had already spent several years in prison before and during the trial.

The agreement came five months after Al-Arian received not guilty verdicts in a jury trial, where he was charged with fundraising for the violent activities of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Israel and the Occupied Territories. At the end of the six-month trial, a jury acquitted him on eight counts and hung on nine.

Al-Arian's plea agreement stated that the Department of Justice could not "charge defendant with committing any other federal offenses known ... at the time of the execution of this agreement." At the plea agreement hearing in April, federal prosecutor Cherie Krigsman specifically told the court that Al-Arian would not be charged in the Eastern District of Virginia, "with committing any other federal crimes known ... at the time of this agreement." Krigsman mentioned the Eastern District of Virginia because of Al- Arian connections to the International Institute of Islamic Thought, a think tank in eastern Virginia. The IIIT is still being investigated by the federal government.

"It's an outrageous violation of the agreement," said Moffitt. "Sami is about finished and they're piling on."

Contact Meg Laughlin at mlaughlin@sptimes.com or 727 893-8068.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

Apartheid Wall


The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03).

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