Bush Administration: We're Working on the Legalities

by John Halliwell
        Mon May 12, 2008 ,While the Bush Administration has, from time to time, done things which are – ahem – ethically questionable, it has usually made at least a half-hearted attempt to cover them with a veneer of legality.
       Occasionally, however, it will throw aside any such pretensions. Take Sami Al-Arian, a man who should never have been imprisoned in the first place, who has spent the last five years in jail under conditions decried by Amnesty International as "gratuitously punitive," whose prison term ended on April 11th, and who is nevertheless still being held behind bars...read more

Dr. Al-Arian Suspends Hunger Strike After 57 Days

VIRGINIA ,April 29, 2008-- Yesterday, on the 57th day of his hunger strike, Dr. Sami Al-Arian suspended his fast, at the urging of his family, friends and supporters. Dr. Al-Arian, who has lost more than 40 pounds, began the hunger strike on March 3 to protest continued harassment and abuse of power by the Justice Department. Early last week, as his blood pressure and blood sugar reached dangerously low levels, Dr. Al-Arian collapsed and lost consciousness at his cell in Hampton Roads Regional Jail and was then examined by a doctor..reead more 

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You Can Now Donate to Dr. Al-Arian's Legal Defense Online Through paypal or Credit Card  (Note: Donations are not tax-deductible)

SIGN THE PETITION TO FREE DR.AL-ARIAN

WRITE TO DR.AL-ARIAN 

WRITE TO JUDGE GERALD LEE asking for better medical care for Dr. Al-Arian and an end to the government's abuse of the grand jury process to continue to detain him. more

The award-winning documentary "USA vs. Al-Arian" will air on American television station Link TV on 3 dates in early May. It is also available online at Link TV's website.

Listing of dates and locations of screenings of the full-length film, USA vs.Al-Arian

57 Days of Hunger Strike, Dr. Sami Lost Over 40 Pounds

Al-Arian Health Status Update On Thursday Mar. 20, more than two weeks after beginning a water and food strike, Dr. Sami Al-Arian began drinking water. He remains on a hunger strike. Throughout his strike, despite suffering from chest pains, severe dehydration, headaches and other symptoms, Dr. Al-Arian was not offered an IV or treated for any of the symtoms. read more
A Washington Post Article on Mar. 22 about the Al-Arian case (Refusal Keeps Terrorism Convict in Prison) contained some errors. read more The radio program Flashpoints covered Dr. Al-Arian's case Monday, Mar. 24. Listen to the segment here at minute 46:00 of the broadcast.
Hunger Strike 2008

Week 1
Dr. Al-Arian Begins Hunger Strike (Mar. 3)
DOJ Calls Dr. Al-Arian Before Third Grand Jury (Mar. 3)
Dr. Al-Arian Moved to Medical Unit of County Jail (Mar. 5)
Al-Arian Children Visit Father in Medical Unit (Mar. 6)
Al-Arian on hunger strike again (Mar. 6)
The Trials of Sami al-Arian, Harpers.org (Mar. 7) Dr. Al-Arian’s Third Strike (Mar. 8)

Week 2
The Torture of Sami Al Arian (Mar. 11)
Dr. Sami taken to a federal medical facility in NC (Mar. 12)
Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian VS Big Brother (Mar. 14)

Week 3
Crossing the Line interview Al-Arian daughter (Mar. 19)
Dr. Al-Arian Continues Hunger Strike (Mar. 19)

Photos of Dr. Al-Arian during his 2007 Hunger Strike here and here
Review of Film "USA vs. Al-Arian"

Special Report on Al-Arian Case
Read the report in the April 2007 issue of WRMEA The Roadmap to Despotism “Much of the government’s evidence against me consisted of speeches I gave, lectures I presented, articles I wrote, magazines I edited, books I owned, conferences I convened, rallies I attended, interviews I conducted, news I heard and websites no one accessed. In one instance, the evidence consisted of a conversation that one of my co-defendants had with me in his dream,” he said. “It was reminiscent of the thought crime of Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ The scary part was not that these were offered into evidence, but that a federal judge admitted them. That’s why I am so proud of the jury, who acted as the free people that they were and saw through Big Brother’s tactics. -Dr. Sami Al-Arian read more 2007 Hunger Strike Click here for complete coverage of Dr. Al-Arian's hunger strike last year.

Norway Trip
News from the Al-Arians' February 2007 trip to Oslo, Norway, where the award-winning documentary "USA vs. Al-Arian" premiered. read more

Plea Agreement The Resolution of Dr. Al-Arian's Case:
Following negotiations between defense and government attorneys that began after the December 2005 acquittals, a plea agreement was signed in Dr. Sami Al-Arian’s case. read more Amnesty International: Treat Dr. Al-Arian Fairly

The Verdict Dr. Al-Arian and co-defendants acquitted Read more about the verdict, including worldwide reaction
The Trial Click here for complete coverage of the trial.

Summary: The Case of Sami Al-Arian

Background

      Dr. Sami Al-Arian, whose Palestinian parents were forcibly exiled from their homeland in 1948, immigrated to the United States at the age of 17 to pursue higher education. Al-Arian, 50, was a tenured professor of computer science at the University of South Florida until after 9/11, when the school's administration, at the behest of then-Governor Jeb Bush, attempted to fire him for his outspoken views, work for Palestine, and activism for civil liberties. ( more information on Dr. Al-Arian’s life before his arrest and imprisonment)