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<font size=3>tampabaycoalitionforjusticeandpeace@yahoogroups.com
<br><br>
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace<br>
April 13, 2007<br><br>
Prison Guard Threatens Dr. Al-Arian's Life<br><br>
TAMPA— For nearly three days this week, the whereabouts of Dr. Sami <br>
Al-Arian were unknown. He was last seen by family members last
<br>
Sunday at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, NC, where he was <br>
steadily recovering from the effects of a 60-day hunger strike in <br>
which he lost 55 pounds, more than 25 percent of his bodyweight.
<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian embarked on the hunger strike to protest the Justice <br>
Department's violation of a plea agreement that would have seen him <br>
released today, Friday April 13, 2007. Instead, he spent the days
<br>
leading up to his original release date in a harrowing ordeal that <br>
saw him transferred from Butner to the Alexandria Detention Center in
<br>
northern Virginia. During the course of the trip, Dr. Al-Arian
spent <br>
nearly two days at a temporary facility in Petersburg, Virginia, <br>
where he was subjected to some of the worst verbal and physical <br>
abuses by prison officials in the course of his four-year <br>
imprisonment.<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian arrived in Petersburg on Tuesday April 10 at 5 PM. Upon
<br>
his arrival, Dr. Al-Arian's undergarments were confiscated and he was
<br>
instead given old, worn out undergarments with holes in them. He
was <br>
placed in a tiny, freezing cold cell with pools of water on the <br>
ground. Though the vent released extremely cold air, he was given no
<br>
additional blankets or extra clothing and no cleaning supplies to <br>
clean the dirty cell. Since there were no windows in the cell, he <br>
could not tell the time of day or the direction to perform his Muslim
<br>
prayer. <br><br>
Moreover, the guards at the federal facility in Petersburg illegally
<br>
seized Dr. Al-Arian's legal documents and then proceeded <br>
to "misplace" them. They have yet to be found or
returned. <br>
Following a 30-hour stay in the deplorable cell, Dr. Al-Arian was <br>
taken to be transported to northern Virginia at 4:30 AM on Thursday,
<br>
during which time he was subjected to the most abusive conduct on the
<br>
part of at least two officials with the Bureau of Prisons.
<br><br>
A Correctional Officer who was strip-searching Dr. Al-Arian asked <br>
him "Where are you from? Afghanistan?" Dr. Al-Arian refused to
answer <br>
the question. The guard repeated the question several times, before <br>
saying: <br><br>
"It doesn't matter where you're from. If I had my way, you wouldn't
<br>
be in prison. I'd put a bullet in your head and get it done with. <br>
You're nothing but a piece of s***."<br>
<br>
Dr. Al-Arian responded: "Why do you say that? You don't know
me." The <br>
guard replied:<br>
"I know enough about all you guys. You're all pieces of s***. You
can <br>
go pray to the f*** that you pray to."<br>
<br>
He then unleashed a stream of obscenities at Dr. Al-Arian, repeatedly
<br>
telling him to "Shut the f*** up." Dr. Al-Arian then told him,
"If <br>
you were brave enough, you would tell me what your name so I can <br>
report you." <br><br>
The guard then walked away hurling more obscenities. The guard who <br>
engaged in this verbal abuse refused to give Dr. Al-Arian his name.
<br>
He is white, over-weight, 6 foot 2 inches tall with green eyes, a <br>
goatee and is balding. <br><br>
This is not the first time the guard in question has harassed Dr.
Al-<br>
Arian. In January, when Dr. Al-Arian was in Petersburg when being <br>
transferred to Butner, the same guard told him: "You're a terrorist.
<br>
I can tell by your name."<br>
<br>
The lieutenant in charge heard the exchange, took Dr. Al-Arian to the
<br>
side and proceeded to squeeze his right arm and right leg with <br>
handcuffs and leg irons. Because of this, Dr. Al-Arian was completely
<br>
numb for the duration of the four-hour trip to Alexandria. The <br>
lieutenant, who is white, about 6 foot tall, with green eyes, also <br>
repeatedly told Dr. Al-Arian to "Shut the f*** up" and
tightened his <br>
shackles 7 times, increasing the pain each time. <br>
<br>
Both the guard and lieutenant transferred Dr. Al-Arian to Alexandria.
<br>
When Dr. Al-Arian disembarked from the van that transported him, the
<br>
lieutenant repeatedly pulled the chain around Dr. Al-Arian's waist in
<br>
an attempt to trip him and cause him to fall. He also shoved him <br>
against a wall when they arrived at the U.S. Marshals office in <br>
Virginia. <br>
<br>
Dr. Al-Arian has since been at the Alexandria Detention Center. He <br>
can receive letters at the following address:<br><br>
Dr. Sami Al-Arian<br>
Alexandria Detention Center<br>
2001 Mill Road<br>
Alexandria, VA 22314<br><br>
The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace strongly condemns the <br>
deplorable treatment Dr. Al-Arian received at the hands of the racist
<br>
prison officials. What's worse, this injustice occurred at a time <br>
when he should have been recovering from his hunger strike, not being
<br>
moved and abused across states. <br><br>
TBCJP demands an immediate investigation into these incidents, which
<br>
disturbingly reveal a pattern of institutionalized racism in the <br>
prison system, as evidenced by the guard's supervisor, who not only <br>
sanctioned the reprehensible behavior but engaged in it as well.
<br><br>
ACTON: All conscientious Americans are called upon to act to stop the
<br>
abuses against Dr. Al-Arian. We request that you write letters to the
<br>
following individuals:<br><br>
1. Honorable Judge Gerald Lee<br>
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia<br>
401 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA 22314<br><br>
2. U.S .Bureau of Prisons<br>
(202) 307-3198<br>
info@bop.gov<br>
320 First St., NW<br>
Washington, DC 20534<br><br>
3. Warden Vanessa P. Adams<br>
Phone: 804-504-7200<br>
Fax: 804-504-7204<br><br>
FCI PETERSBURG MEDIUM<br>
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION<br>
P.O. BOX 90042<br>
PETERSBURG, VA 23804<br>
E-mail address: PEM/EXECASSISTANT@BOP.GOV2<br><br>
4. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales<br>
U.S. Department of Justice<br>
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW<br>
Washington, DC 20530-0001<br>
Fax Number: (202) 307-6777<br><br>
5. Rep. John Conyers<br>
2426 Rayburn Building<br>
Washington, DC 20515<br>
(202) 225-5126<br>
(202) 225-0072 Fax<br>
John.Conyers@mail.house.gov<br>
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