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Nadia was scheduled to appear before the Federal Grand Jury in San<br>
Francisco today. A support demonstration was held outside of
the<br>
courthouse with over 100 people, representing many different movements,
in<br>
attendance. Nadia read a brief statement of resistance to her
supporters<br>
and the media.<br><br>
Nadia's lawyer filed a "motion to quash" ( basically a legal
argument<br>
saying that there is no reason Nadia should be subpoenaed) on her behalf.
<br>
The US attorney put off Nadia's appearance to allow time to consider
the<br>
motion. Nadia will be informed soon of her next appearance
date.<br><br>
Two of the other three people scheduled to appear today also had
their<br>
appearances rescheduled. One person went before the Grand Jury,
asserted<br>
her fifth amendment privileges against self incrimination to all
questions<br>
asked, and was excused.<br><br>
Thank you to all of those of you who came to the support demonstration!
<br>
Nadia and the other targets of this witch-hunt really appreciate all
of<br>
your support.<br><br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Supportnadia mailing list<br>
Supportnadia@fbiwitchhunt.com<br>
<a href="http://fbiwitchhunt.com/mailman/listinfo/supportnadia_fbiwitchhunt.com" eudora="autourl">
http://fbiwitchhunt.com/mailman/listinfo/supportnadia_fbiwitchhunt.com<br>
<br>
</a></font><h1><font size=4><b>SAN FRANCISCO <br>
Grand jury hunt for fugitive finds Fifth <br>
Witnesses win reprieves, invoke rights at hearing<br><br>
</b></font></h1><font size=1><a href="mailto:sfinz@sfchronicle.com">Stacy
Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer</a><br><br>
Thursday, June 23, 2005<br>
</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Three people were excused and one person invoked her
Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself Wednesday during the
first day of a San Francisco <b>grand</b> <b>jury</b> hearing designed to
investigate two 2003 Bay Area bombings connected to the animal rights
movement. <br><br>
Activists say the federal government is on a statewide witch hunt,
convening <b>grand</b> juries in both San Francisco and San Diego this
week in an effort to harass protesters of all kinds, but especially
members of animal rights and environmental groups. <br><br>
But authorities respond that they have no desire to interfere with law-
abiding protesters, only those who use violence to further their cause.
In recent years militant animal rights and environmental activists have
resorted to stalking executives whose companies test their products on
animals, to activating explosives, setting arson fires and committing
vandalism, causing millions of dollars of damage in California alone. The
FBI has made no secret that catching domestic terrorists is one of the
agency's top priorities. <br><br>
At least 10 people have been subpoenaed in the Bay Area to appear before
the San Francisco <b>grand</b> <b>jury</b> investigating the whereabouts
of fugitive Daniel Andreas San Diego, who is charged with planting bombs
at two East Bay companies in 2003. <br><br>
Three of those subpoenaed were given a temporary reprieve from having to
testify Wednesday after their lawyers filed motions accusing the
government of violating the protesters' Fifth Amendment rights. Stella
Sythe, a fourth person who was subpoenaed to testify, said she took the
stand and refused to answer questions by invoking her right not to
incriminate herself. <br><br>
About 75 people protesting the <b>grand</b> <b>jury</b> hearings waited
outside the federal courthouse on Golden Gate Avenue chanting and
carrying signs. Ben Rosenfeld, a lawyer who is representing the group on
behalf of the National Lawyers Guild, called the secret proceedings a
star chamber used to conduct an illegal fishing expedition. <br><br>
"If the government really believes that these people have been
harboring Mr. San Diego, then what they're doing is asking them to
incriminate themselves in front of the <b>grand</b> <b>jury</b>," he
said. "But I don't think they really believe that. This is
political. It's a government shakedown." <br><br>
San Diego evaded FBI agents who were following him from Sonoma to San
Francisco in October 2003 and has been in hiding ever since. Agents
searched his car trunk in San Francisco and found components and
ingredients that matched the bombs used in the predawn explosions on Aug.
28, 2003 at Chiron Corp., an Emeryville biotech firm, and a month later
at Shaklee, a Pleasanton company that sells health, beauty and household
products, according to federal documents. <br><br>
No one was hurt in the bombings, which caused minor structural damage.
But LaRae Quy, a spokeswoman for the FBI in San Francisco, said it's just
a matter of time before someone dies in one these explosions. <br><br>
"If the emergency response team had arrived just a few minutes
earlier at Chiron when the second bomb went off, one of its members could
have been killed," she said. "And if someone is killed, it's
going to be murder." <br><br>
In Southern California, at least nine people have been called to testify
before a San Diego federal <b>grand</b> <b>jury</b> investigating a 2003
arson fire that destroyed an apartment complex that was under
construction there. A banner signed by the Earth Liberation Front that
was left at the scene said, "If you build it, we'll burn it."
<br><br>
Three people were called to testify in San Diego on Tuesday. The three
asked for a continuance so they could have time to seek legal guidance,
but were denied, according to Rich Macgurn, who is acting as a spokesman
for the group. <br><br>
Michael Cardenas, a software engineer who says he does not consider
himself an animal rights or environmental activist but was part of a
coalition of groups that organized a series of "Revolution
Summer" events in 2003, including a speech given by a well-known ELF
activist hours after the apartment fire was set, said he invoked his
Fifth Amendment right not to answer the <b>grand</b> <b>jury</b>'s
questions. <br><br>
Before asserting his right, he said he was asked if he knew the activist
Rod Coronado, if he was present at Coronado's speech and if he was
familiar with certain organizations. After each question, Cardenas said,
he asserted his right not to incriminate himself. Macgurn said many
activists see the interrogations as a gross abuse of the <b>grand</b>
<b>jury</b> system and a "further sign of growing governmental
hostility to legitimate political activity." <br><br>
FBI agent Quy, who is legally barred from discussing <b>grand</b>
<b>jury</b> investigations, responded in general: "There are
perfectly legitimate animal rights and environmental movements out there
... We're only after those who resort to violence or break the law."
<br><br>
<i>E-mail Stacy Finz at
<a href="mailto:sfinz@sfchronicle.com">sfinz@sfchronicle.com</a>.</i>
<br><br>
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