[Pnews] Rasmea Odeh sentenced to 18 months, but is coming home!

[Prisoner News]

Over the objections of a prosecution team that called for 5-7 years in 
federal prison, a harsh sentence with terrorism enhancements, Judge 
Gershwin Drain sentenced Rasmea Odeh, Chicago’s 67-year-old Palestinian 
community leader, to 18 months for Unlawful Procurement of 
Naturalization, of which she was convicted last November.

Almost 200 of Rasmea’s supporters filled two courtrooms in the Detroit 
federal courthouse, and left disappointed but not defeated.  “This is a 
blow, of course, but we have to remember that the government wanted the 
judge to lock Rasmea up for half a decade or more,” said Muhammad 
Sankari of the national Rasmea Defense Committee.  “Judge Drain had to 
weigh the outpouring of support that Rasmea has inspired from across the 
country. We made it impossible for the judge to justify an extended 
prison term, and now, we will stand with her in the fight to appeal the 
conviction itself, to make sure she doesn’t serve one day of that prison 
sentence.”

The decision came after her attorneys argued that she not be imprisoned 
at all.  Seventy important leaders of unions and community-based, 
faith-based, civil rights, and student organizations, as well as 
prominent academics and activists, wrote letters to the judge in the 
past few weeks, urging him to issue a sentence with no prison time 
beyond the month Rasmea served in a county jail following the November 
verdict.  They cited her invaluable service as a community leader in 
Chicago, as well as concerns for her age, poor health, and chronic 
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

One of the many letters of support came from Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton 
of Detroit.  He wrote, “I am asking for compassion in her sentencing. 
Rasmea has much to offer her community…keeping her out of prison would 
allow her to continue as a contributing and productive person, doing the 
work that is so critical to hundreds of refugee women.”

For their part, prosecutors called for Judge Drain to issue a sentence 
far beyond standard sentencing guidelines. While prosecutors had been 
barred from branding her a terrorist in front of the jury last year, 
today they were bound by no such court orders, asking that a terrorism 
enhancement be added to prolong her sentence.

Frank Chapman of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political 
Repression said, “The government showed their true colors today, making 
it clear this case was never about immigration, but rather, the 
political persecution of a Palestinian hero. What they didn’t bargain 
for is that Rasmea would defend herself, and that thousands would rally 
around her.”

During the trial last year, Rasmea was prevented from presenting 
evidence about the events that led to her conviction by an Israeli 
military tribunal 45 years ago.  Judge Drain had ruled that the 
circumstances of conviction by Israel didn’t matter.  “Not the illegal 
1967 massacres and occupation - let alone the military ethnic cleansing 
of 750,000 Palestinians from the land and their homes when Palestine was 
partitioned in 1948 - not the midnight sweeps and kidnapping by the 
invading Army after the 1967 war, not the torture, not the kangaroo 
court and false confessions, not the prison time,” said her attorneys in 
filings to the court.

"Be strong whatever happens," Rasmea said before speaking to the judge, 
"I am strong."

After the sentencing, Rasmea was released on bond, as she sets out to 
appeal her conviction.  Surprising many, the prosecution did not object, 
despite having pressed for her bond to be revoked after the guilty 
verdict.  She credits the work of her supporters across the country for 
forcing the government’s hand.

Zena Ozeir of the Z Collective in Detroit said, “I have no doubt 
Rasmea’s freedom today is owed to the public outcry against her 
persecution. The government is still out to lock her up for years, but 
that is something they couldn’t win today. We have been with her at 
every hearing and trial date, we’ve held protests across the country, 
and flooded their phone lines and mail boxes, with people of conscience 
demanding an end to this prosecution, and an end to her unjust treatment 
in jail this fall.  We will not stop until we win justice for Rasmea!”

After today’s hearing, Rasmea returns to Chicago, where she will 
continue her important community activism and work with her attorneys on 
an appeal of the verdict.  If Odeh loses her case on appeal, she will 
have to serve the full sentence, and then lose her citizenship and be 
subject to immediate removal from the United States.

Rasmea Defense Committee

justice4rasmea.org <http://justice4rasmea.org>


-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20150312/3ffcbfb6/attachment.htm>