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Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace<br>
June 27, 2008<br><br>
Bush Justice Department Indicts Dr. Sami Al-Arian: The Injustice <br>
Continues<br><br>
ALEXANDRIA The Bush Administration's persecution of Dr. Sami Al <br>
Arian reached new heights on Thursday when prosecutors in the Eastern
<br>
District of Virginia brought charges against him, entering a new <br>
phase in the politically-motivated campaign of the past five years.
<br><br>
The indictment charges Dr. Al-Arian with two counts of criminal <br>
contempt, relating to two attempts by Virginia prosecutors to bring <br>
him before a grand jury investigating other Muslim organizations.
<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian had already been held in civil contempt for more than <br>
one year for his refusal to testify. A plea agreement signed with <br>
Florida prosecutors following his 2005 acquittal protected him from <br>
cooperating in any additional cases. It was intended to bring his <br>
case to a close by allowing him to leave the country. Two federal <br>
courts have refused to allow evidentiary hearings that would allow <br>
the plea agreement to be enforced. <br><br>
Even with the additional time served, Dr. Al-Arian's sentence ended <br>
on April 7 of this year. He was then taken into the custody of <br>
immigration authorities who were making preparations for his <br>
deportation. <br><br>
In the midst of that process, the Bush Administration made its last <br>
ditch effort to continue its punishment of Dr. Al-Arian by bringing <br>
new charges against him. He now faces additional prison time if <br>
convicted. Criminal contempt is the only charge in American law that
<br>
has no maximum penalty. <br>
<br>
"This indictment proves that the government was never interested in
<br>
any information that Dr. Al-Arian has on the IIIT matter," his <br>
attorney, Professor Jonathan Turley, wrote on his blog. IIIT or the <br>
International Institute of Islamic Thought is the Muslim think tank <br>
that is the target of a six-year witch-hunt by a prosecutor based in
<br>
Virginia. "This was a classic perjury trap used repeatedly by the
<br>
government to punish those individuals who could not be convicted <br>
before an American jury."<br><br>
He continues: "They have indicted him despite the fact that the
<br>
prosecutors admitted that he is a minor witness in the IIIT <br>
investigation and he has already given two detailed statements under
<br>
oath to the government and offered to take a polygraph examination to
<br>
prove that he has given true information about his knowledge of IIIT.
<br><br>
Dr. Al-Arian has addressed every document cited by the government as
<br>
the reason for his being called before the grand jury. He has shown <br>
that he has no incriminating information to offer against either IIIT
<br>
or its officers."<br><br>
Here's the link to Turley's entire statement:<br>
<a href="http://jonathanturley.org/2008/06/26/dr-sami-al-arian-indicted-on-two" eudora="autourl">
http://jonathanturley.org/2008/06/26/dr-sami-al-arian-indicted-on-two</a>
-<br>
counts-of-criminal-contempt/<br><br>
These charges follow a string of abuses by a rogue prosecutor whose <br>
actions appear to be politically motivated. Assistant US Attorney <br>
Gordon Kromberg's bigoted remarks against Arabs and Muslims have been
<br>
widely publicized in the media and condemned by leading human rights
<br>
organizations. His actions have resulted in the unjust prosecution of
<br>
many American Muslim activists, including at least one case of a <br>
perjury trap similar to that faced by Dr. Al-Arian. <br><br>
This indictment is only the latest in what has become the standard by
<br>
which the Bush Justice Department operates. After refusing to honor <br>
the agreement it reached with Dr. Al-Arian in April 2006, it never <br>
approached the grand jury process in good faith either. As Dr. Al <br>
Arian's attorney has revealed, prosecutors were not interested in <br>
obtaining any information, but only used the grand jury subpoenas as
<br>
a means by which to bring new charges against him and keep him <br>
imprisoned. These actions signal an erosion of the justice system, <br>
much to the dismay of all Americans who trust their officials will <br>
carry out the law on an impartial and depoliticized basis. <br><br>
TAKE ACTION:<br><br>
All concerned Americans are urged to continue their protest of the <br>
abuses committed by the Bush Administration in their name. We ask <br>
that you write to the Attorney General about the injustices suffered
<br>
by Dr. Al-Arian. We also ask that you contact your representatives in
<br>
Congress and members of the Judiciary Committee, requesting that they
<br>
investigate the actions of the rogue prosecutor. <br>
Please check
<a href="http://www.freesaminow.com/" eudora="autourl">
www.freesaminow.com</a> for updates regarding the new <br>
charges against Dr. Al-Arian.<br><br>
Attorney General Michael Mukasey<br>
Department of Justice<br>
U.S. Department of Justice<br>
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW <br>
Washington, DC 20530-0001<br>
Fax: (202) 307-6777<br>
E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General,
<br>
may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov.<br><br>
US Department of Justice<br>
Office of Professional Responsibility<br>
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW<br>
Washington, DC 20530<br>
House Judiciary Chair<br>
The Hon. John Conyers, Jr.<br>
2426 Rayburn Building<br>
Washington, DC 20515 <br>
(202) 225-5126 <br>
Fax: (202) 225-0072<br><br>
E-mail: John.Conyers@mail.house.gov<br>
Senate Judiciary Chair<br>
Sen. Patrick Leahy<br>
433 Russell Senate Office Building<br>
United States Senate<br>
Washington, DC 20510<br>
(202) 224- 4242 <br>
E-mail: senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov<br><br>
For more information about Dr. Al-Arian's case, please:<br>
See the Washington Post article "Former Professor Indicted In Muslim
<br>
Charities Case" by Jerry Markon, Friday, June 27, 2008 <br>
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR20080" eudora="autourl">
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR20080<br>
</a>62603664.html<br><br>
We encourage you to write letters to the editor of the Washington <br>
Post about Dr. Al-Arian's case, expressing your outrage about the new
<br>
charges:<br><br>
The e-mail address is letters@washpost.com. <br>
Do not send attachments; they will not be read.<br><br>
To contribute to Dr. Al-Arian's legal defense, please send checks
to:<br>
National Liberty Fund<br>
P.O. Box 1211<br>
24525 E. Welches Road<br>
Welches, OR 97067<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
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