Thanks to reader Miriam Adams for notifying me that Sami Al-Arian was freed on bail today by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after five years in prison:
Sami Al-Arian is out on bail in Virginia today, said his attorney Jonathan Turley.
“He is having a very cheerful reunion with four of his children in Washington, D.C.,” said Turley.
His wife, Nahla, and youngest daughter, Lama, returned to Egypt three days ago.
The former University of South Florida professor had been in federal custody for more than five years and was released this afternoon after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agreed with his attorneys that to hold him was a violation of his constitutional rights. Al-Arian had been held by ICE for 130 days and the legal limit was 90 days.
A federal judge had ordered the government to release him in July. Despite her ruling the Justice Department refused to do so and the judge ordered them to do so once again today, which is the only reason he is out.
Despite a five year battle by the feds to pin a terror charge of any kind on him, they never succeeded. Keeping him in jail seemed designed as a punishment for their failure, rather than a legitimate legal procedure. His release is a small victory for civil liberties and against Islamophobia in this country. It is a small victory against the Bush Administration’s perpetual war on terror.
He is nowhere near in the clear yet though. Now, he must prepare for a Supreme Court appeal of the supoena that led to his original contempt citation.
This is a small and partial victory for all of us who are realize the great dangers to our civil liberties brought upon by the politicization of the Justice Department with right-wing bigots.
The National Lawyers Guild called the summons issued to Dr. Al-Arian, despite a jury’s failure to return a single guilty verdict against him and a no-cooperation clause that was part of his plea agreement, nothing less than “punitive government harassment.” The NLG also stated that this case is “an example of how politically-motivated “war on terror” prosecutions are distorting the American legal system.”
It’s deeply depressing to see how the Justice Department and the courts (with the notable exception of Judge Brinkema) made a mockery of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. This harassment and abuse of power was orchestrated by US Attorney Gordon Kromberg, who has been documented making racist and Islamophobic remarks. How is it that these Jewish right-wing Islamophobes have infiltrated our justice system? And speaking about vetting, where’s the proper vetting when these dangerous people get hired?
Some more revealing information on federal prosecutor Gordon Kromberg, the mastermind of this witchhunt against Al-Arian:
“To describe where he’s [Kromberg] coming from, he’s blogged about trips he’s taken to Israel and his fear of Palestinians. He’s made anti-Arab and anti-Muslim statements on the record that he’s never apologized for. During one trial in Virginia, he said “all Arabs lie”–that’s what he told the jury–and he said “don’t believe anything they tell you.”
– Laila Al-Arian, graduate of Columbia University School of
Journalism and daughter of Sami Al-Arian, in an interview with ZNet.
well there’s an unbiased source his daughter…
excuse me I’m sorry you’re right the dangerous person here isn’t Al Arian, who wasn’t found not guilty but had hung juries on several counts – but the prosecutor… yes he’s the one who was seen on tape praising violent jihad, who used his college office to raise money to fund terrorism and is on tape praising the actions of a group that is even more violent and extreme than Hamas – Islamic Jihad….
Yes, yes yes we have to get it straight…
No the story today at least is that even when a brazen funder and supporter of murder and terrorism receives a hung verdict even he can’t be kept in jail in the United States of America… it’s just the story gets edited by deranged tunnel visioned people like yourself… to a brave hero was set free and the “dangerous” right wingers must be stopped”!! Praise g-d!!
@J.: You neglected to read where the daughter says that Kromberg made these comment ON THE RECORD. In other words, Kromberg said them, not Al Arian’s daughter or Al-Arian. I’ll be researching to try to find them & then you can try to deny that he said them.
BTW, in American jurisprudence if there’s a hung jury you’re innocent. Remember “innocent till proven guilty??” Or is yr philosophy “innocent until proven Muslim?”
The “dangerous person” is the PROSECUTOR?? Is that a typo on yr part? You’re saying Kromberg is dangerous? Or have you confused the diff. in the American system of jurisprudence betw. defense attorney & prosecutor??
I didn’t say Sami Al Arian was a hero. I said that American justice had mistreated him. There’s a diff. though I wouldn’t expect you to understand it.
And if you’re accusing Jonathan Turley of raising money to fund terror you’re even more off yr nut than you appear to be.
Yup, in America when someone isn’t guilty of a crime they can’t be kept in jail in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Thank God for that. That is, unless they’re enemy combatants in Guantanamo. Then we can lock ’em up & throw away the key. At least, that is until we get a decent president who respects the Constitution.
[comment deleted per violation of comment rules]
@Benjamin Bratt: Your comment was not published because it violated my comment rules. No anti-Semitic phrasing is allowed even if it is intended in jest (feeble as yr attempt might be). And if you hadn’t used a fake e mail address then I could’ve communicated this to you directly.
you’re a joke… anti-semitic phrasing… rule 20-3a subcode 2.14 – If I don’t like your comment I may at any time find a reason to delete it even if the rule I am citing is actually the opposite intent of the post involved…
@Benjamin Bratt: I actually publish comments of yrs that don’t violate my comment rules. The rules hold for true both for anti-Semites & for right wingers like you aping anti-Semitic rhetoric. I’m not interested in what your “intent” was. I find such rhetoric odious period; and of feeble wit when it’s supposed to imitate true anti-Semitic language.
I invited you to resubmit the comment w/o the offensive language. You chose not to do it. I’ve been more than reasonable.
Jessica,
According to a court motion filed on Oct. 26, 2006, this is what Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg said in court:
“If they can kill each other during Ramadan, they can appear before the grand jury—all they can’t do is eat before sunset. I believe Mr. Al-Arian’s request is part of the attempted Islamization of the American Justice System. I am not going to put off Dr. Al-Arian’s grand jury appearance just to assist in what is becoming the Islamization of America.”
You don’t have to be a supporter of Palestinian rights to condemn this bigotry. Imagine for a second a prosecutor making the same statement albeit with one small change, e.g.: “I believe Mr. Abramoff’s request is part of the attempted Judaization of the American Justice System.”
A prosecutor making that kind of statement would be sacked on the very same day. And rightly so. Why wasn’t Gordon Kromberg terminated from his job?
More evidence of Gordon Kromberg’s anti-Muslim racism: Gromberg objected to Al-Arian’s release on bail to his daughter’s home, arguing that, as a Muslim woman, Laila Al-Arian–a well-respected author and TV producer –would be too weak and submissive to oppose any potential attempt by her father to flee. “In this particular culture, she would not be able to stop him from leaving,” he stated in open court.
Disgusting. And shocking that an American prosecutor can get away with that without consequences.
Considering the impressive collection of racist and bigoted remarks made by Kromberg, he should have been dismissed from this case a long time ago. And a complaint should have been filed against him with the appropriate grievance committee.