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Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace<br>
April 15, 2008<br><br>
I. Dr. Al-Arian Moved from Abusive Facility<br>
II. Reminder about Al-Arian Press Conference Today!<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian Moved from Abusive Facility<br><br>
ARLINGTON, Va.-- Immigration officials on Monday afternoon removed Dr.
Sami Al-Arian from the Howard County Detention Center in Maryland to an
undisclosed detention facility. Dr. Al-Arian, who entered the seventh
week of a hunger strike on April 14, had been kept in punitive conditions
over the weekend, denied medical monitoring and forced to endure the
harsh environment of the segregation unit of the detention
center.<br><br>
Yesterday, while in a temporary holdover cell at an Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Virginia, Dr. Al-Arian was given a
brief visit with family members.<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian's daughter, Laila, said officials called the family and
offered them an opportunity to visit with him before he was transferred
to another facility. "We had been requesting a visit since last
week, but since he is constantly moved, we have not seen him in some
time. It was especially urgent because my mother had only seen him once
during her trip here and she is going back to Egypt on Tuesday," she
said.<br><br>
Nahla, the wife of Dr. Al-Arian, said, "We are grateful to the
immigration officials for granting us this visit, and we hope they
fulfill their obligation toward our family and deport Sami as soon as
possible so that he may finally come back to us. It's been more than five
years. We just want this nightmare to end."<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian's family reports that the visit lasted thirty minutes and
that they saw met him behind a glass partition. Having not seen him in
over two weeks, they reacted strongly to the toll Dr. Al-Arian's hunger
strike has taken on his body. "He's lost 35 pounds," said his
son, Abdullah. "He is far thinner and weaker than the last time we
saw him. I don't know how much more of this he can take. The government
needs to release him, if for nothing else, than for his
life."<br><br>
Mrs. Al-Arian was also traumatized by witnessing her husband in his
current state. "He looked like he'd been through a concentration
camp. We want him to stop the hunger strike but he feels he has no other
choice. This indefinite imprisonment has torn our family apart. We have
had to suffer through three different release dates without him ever
being freed."<br><br>
The family of Dr. Al-Arian has renewed its call for the government to
release him, as stipulated by the plea agreement. Although he has been
transferred into the custody of immigration authorities, officials have
given no indication if they plan to deport Dr. Al Arian. On March 3, a
federal judge issued a third order for Dr. Al-Arian to testify before a
grand jury. He has continued to refuse to testify, on the basis of a plea
agreement signed with prosecutors that promised him non-cooperation and
expedited deportation.<br><br>
"It is especially urgent that all supporters of justice for my
father become involved at this critical stage," said Laila Al-Arian.
"His life is on the line. Our government must do the right thing and
let him go. We believe that if they hear from the thousands of concerned
citizens and supporters, they will do the right thing. But there isn't
much time."<br><br>
The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace urges all conscientious
individuals and organizations to contact elected officials as well as the
Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, to demand
an end to the injustice against Dr. Al-Arian once and for all.<br><br>
TALKING POINTS:<br><br>
• As of April 11, 2008, Dr. Al-Arian's term of
imprisonment has concluded. The plea agreement stipulates that he be
given expedited deportation and as such, he should be allowed to leave
the country immediately.<br>
• Prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia have
abused the grand jury process to keep Dr. Al-Arian detained for more than
a year beyond his original sentence. They continue to threaten further
action with the latest court order seeking his testimony.<br>
• The plea agreement removed all standard language that
would allow the government to pursue cooperation. Florida prosecutors
have admitted, on the record, that Dr. Al-Arian explicitly requested
non-cooperation, and that they agreed to his request.<br>
• Dr. Al-Arian has been on a hunger strike since March
3, 2008. For the first 18 days, he abstained from both food and water.
Since then, he has only taken water. He has lost 35 pounds and his life
is in danger. His release is requested not only on legal grounds, but
humanitarian grounds as well. This case has drawn international attention
and has dealt a severe blow to the United States of America's domestic
human rights record. Dr. Al-Arian is the most prominent political
prisoner in the United States and the only one currently on a hunger
strike. <br><br>
FIND YOUR REPS: Go to the following website to find your representatives
in the House and <br>
Senate through your zipcode:<br>
<a href="http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/<br><br>
</a>ALSO PLEASE WRITE AND FAX:<br><br>
Honorable Judge Gerald Lee<br>
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia<br>
401 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA 22314<br>
Fax: (703) 299-3339<br><br>
II. Press Conference to Call for the Release of Sami Al-Arian<br>
WHEN: Today, Tuesday, April 15, 11 a.m.<br>
WHAT: Civil rights and Islamic leaders call for release of hunger
striking Palestinian <br>
professor Sami Al-Arian<br>
WHERE: The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education
Center, 3940 <br>
Broadway.<br><br>
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