Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace

October 6, 2003

After a brief “vacation” at the Orient Road Jail in Tampa (where he was allowed to see some of the evidence), Sami Al-Arian has been moved back to the federal prison at Coleman, Florida.

Coleman is not designed to hold pretrial detainees. All the prisoners except Sami Al-Arian and co-defendant Sameeh Hammoudeh have been convicted of serious crimes. Al-Arian and Hammoudeh are held in the maximum security wing along with the most serious offenders and people with psychological problems. Normally, prisoners are there for a maximum of a few weeks, but Al-Arian and Hammoudeh have already been there for SIX months.

Although they have not yet been tried, Al-Arian and Hammoudeh have fewer privileges than the other prisoners. For example, the other prisoners can have contact visits with their families, but Dr. Al-Arian cannot. His children can no longer hug their father.

The other prisoners can have visitors, but Dr. Al-Arian is only allowed to see his wife and children. His brother, friends, and clergy are not allowed to visit him. A lawyer who came from Washington to talk to him was not allowed to see him. Even the lawyer who has been consulting on his case has difficulty seeing him, and is now not allowed contact visits with him.

Dr. Al-Arian is not allowed to make phone calls to his family, and he was told that he is not allowed to make phone calls to his lawyer until prison officials get permission from Atlanta.

This kind of treatment does not make any sense. It is extremely punitive for someone who will not even go to trial until 2005. He can not possibly prepare a defense from the Coleman federal prison. Indeed, it will be very difficult for him to even maintain his sanity.

Given the international attention this case is receiving, it is very important that Dr. Al-Arian receive a fair trial. However, under these conditions, this cannot possibly happen. Please write to:

The Honorable Thomas B. McCoun III Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse 801 N. Florida Ave., #223 Tampa, Florida 33602-3800 (E-mail messages can be sent to his attention at )

The Honorable James Moody Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse 801 N. Florida Ave. Tampa, FL 33602-3800

Ask that Dr. Al-Arian be moved to the Orient Road jail or released.

If you would like to contribute to Dr. Al-Arian’s legal defense fund: National Liberty Fund (NLF) P.O. Box 3568 Alexandria, VA 22304

Other places you might write to express your desire for a fair trial are:

Sen. Bob Graham (FL)
101 E. Kennedy Blvd., Ste. 3270
Tampa, FL 33602
813-228-2476 or 202-224-3041 (Washington)

Sen. Bill Nelson (FL)
801 N. Florida Ave., 4th Floor
Tampa, FL 33602
813-225-7040 or 202-224-5274

St. Petersburg Times-Tampa Edition
1000 N. Ashley Drive
Tampa, FL 33602

Tampa Tribune
202 S. Parker St.
Tampa. FL 33606