Ihsan

hunger for justice cont.

Updates on the ongoing hunger strikes. Dr. Sami al-Arian, collapsed on the 23rd day of his hunger strike, yet he still vows to continue. He has been moved to a medical facility in North Carolina.

In Canada, one of the three hunger strikers, Mohammad Mahjoub, on the 83rd day of his hunger strike, and after five and a half years of detention has been released.

READ MORE FOR NEWS AND SUPPORT ACTIONS...

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Dr. Sami Al-Arian Health in Jeopardy Send Fax Now!

MAS Freedom Foundation Organizes Major Fax Campaign to Judge Gerald Lee

WASHINGTON, DC - Feb. 15, 2007 (MASNET) Due to the severe health concerns of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, who collapsed on the twenty-third day of his Hunger Strike for Justice, the Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation has organized an emergency fax campaign to Judge Gerald Lee of the Virginia Eastern District Court.

Dr. Sami Al-Arian embarked upon a hunger strike to protest his legal treatment, incarceration, and current eighteen month jail sentence for his refusal to testify testifying before a grand jury. This verdict was rendered against him despite a plea agreement he had with the government, which included a no-cooperation clause (See:
http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=3987).

Given the fact that sending letters to Judge Gerald Lee will take a long period of time, MAS Freedom Foundation is urging individuals to send faxes directly to Judge Lee's chambers today. Additionally, everyone is encouraged to contact at least 10 other individuals and request that they send faxes and contact others as well. Please be polite and respectful when writing to Judge Gerald Lee. Send your fax to the Honorable Judge Gerald Lee at: (703) 299-3339

Below is a sample fax highlighting key points to address.

SAMPLE FAX:
To the Honorable Judge Gerald Lee
Your Honor,

Dr. Sami Al-Arian is currently on a hunger strike in federal detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities. Family members have reported that Dr. Al-Arian collapsed on the twenty-third day of his fast and has been moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North Carolina. He began his hunger strike more than 3 weeks ago after refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. His attorneys have indicated that an earlier plea agreement freed him from further cooperation and that the government's actions amount to a form of harassment. On humanitarian grounds I respectfully request that Dr. Al-Arian's sentence for civil contempt be removed.

END.

NOTE: It is critically important to indicate that you are requesting the removal of the 18 month sentence for civil contempt. Judge Lee only has jurisdiction over the civil contempt portion of Dr. Al-Arian's sentence, thus he cannot release Dr. Al-Arian. However, Judge Lee can remove the 18 month civil contempt sentence making Dr. Al-Arian eligible for release in April.

Please don't forget to join MAS Freedom Foundation and thousands across the United States on Wednesday, February 21st as we unite in solidarity with Dr. Al-Arian's Hunger Strike for Justice and for a national press conference in front of the Department of Justice at 11:00am.

For more information on how you can participate in the Hunger Strike for Justice or assist Dr. Al-Arian and his family please call MAS Freedom Foundation at: (202) 496-1288

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CAIR ACTION ALERT #507

WRITE LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF DR. AL-ARIAN
Imprisoned Florida professor collapses on 23rd day of hunger strike

(WASHINGTON D.C., 2/15/07) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to write letters in support of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a former Florida professor currently on a hunger strike in federal detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities.

Family members report that Al-Arian collapsed on the 23rd day of his fast and has been moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North Carolina.

Al-Arian began his hunger strike more than three weeks ago after being given a sentence of up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. His attorneys say an earlier plea agreement freed him from further cooperation with the government. Supporters say the government's actions amount to a form of
harassment.

In 2005, a Florida jury rejected federal charges that Al-Arian operated a cell for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was scheduled for release and deportation in April.

The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of major American Muslim organizations, recently said the new prison sentence given to Al-Arian amounted to unconstitutional "double jeopardy."

The AMT statement said in part:

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the government is seeking to impose legal and physical penalties on Dr. Al-Arian that it could not obtain through the judicial process. . .We call on all fair-minded Americans who care about the preservation of the integrity of our nation's legal system to speak out about this apparent abuse of prosecutorial power. We also call on federal authorities to cease their harassment of Dr. Al-Arian and to release him as scheduled so that he and his family can resume their lives in another country."

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm, but POLITE.)

1. CONTACT the following officials to request that Dr. Sami Al-Arian be released from detention and allowed to leave the country with his family. (Make sure to include your name, address and ZIP Code in the letter)

The Honorable Judge Gerald Lee
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
401 Courthouse Square
Alexandria, VA 22314

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Fax: (202) 307-6777
E-Mail: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Comments: 202-456-1111
Fax: 202-456-2461
E-Mail: comments@whitehouse.gov

Sample Letter:

Dr. Sami Al-Arian is currently on a hunger strike in federal detention to protest his treatment by U.S. authorities. Family members report that Al-Arian collapsed on the 23rd day of his fast and has been moved from Virginia to a medical facility in North Carolina. He began his hunger strike more than three weeks ago after being given a sentence of up to 18 months for refusing to testify before a grand jury in Virginia. His attorneys say an earlier plea agreement freed him from further cooperation and that the government's actions amount to a form of harassment. I therefore respectfully request that you support the immediate release of Dr. Al-Arian so that he and his family may resume their lives in another country.

2. CONTACT your own elected representatives through:
http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/

3. SEND COPIES of all correspondence to CAIR at:
info@cair.com or fax: 202-488-0833

4. COPY TO Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee. E-Mail:
john.conyers@mail.house.gov or fax: (202) 225-0072

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Mohammad Mahjoub, Longest Held of Canada's Secret Trial Detainees, to be Returned to His Family
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/

On Day 83 of his hunger strike, good news finally arrives.

On Day 83 of his hunger strike, secret trial detainee Mohammad Mahjoub has finally received the news he has been waiting for since June, 26, 2000, when he was arrested on a secret trial security certificate. Federal Court judge Richard Mosley has ordered Mahjoub released, under strict house arrest conditions, to his family.

"The applicant today is an ailing and aging man preoccupied with his health and the lack of contact with his family apart from telephone calls and occasional visits," Mosley found, acknowledging the tremendous toll detention has taken on Mahjoub. "The conditions of his detention have exacerbated that problem."

Significantly, Judge Mosley also found that "his detention might reasonably be described as indefinite."

Mosley also found that Mahjoub, "at this stage of his life and with the interests of his family and health at stake, he has simply too much to lose should he be released and violate the terms and conditions." Friends and community supporters have pledged over $100,000 in cash and performance bonds to secure his release.

posted by malangbaba at 2/16/2007 02:23:00 AM