Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace
July 9, 2003

Tampa-

Earlier today court-appointed attorneys for Dr. Sami Al-Arian filed a motion with Judge James Moody that would dismiss them from the case and allow Dr. Al-Arian to represent himself.

Dr. Al-Arian made the decision to dismiss his attorneys earlier this week, following a number of unauthorized actions by the attorneys which undermined his defense and sent the wrong message to the community.

For instance, the attorneys, Jeffrey Brown and Frank Louderback, appeared on the television program “The O’Reilly Factor” on June 11th without consulting with their client or giving him notice. Bill O’Reilly, a vitriolic pseudo-journalist, attacked Dr. Al-Arian on air, two weeks after the tragic events of Sept. 11. O’Reilly’s vicious tirade contributed to the political persecution of Dr. Al- Arian.

Hopefully, through his self-representation, Dr. Al-Arian’s constitutional right to due process will be protected, particularly his right to confront his accusers and see evidence against him.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far. Dr. Al-Arian was denied his right to a speedy trial and was placed in solitary confinement in Coleman Federal Penitentiary, 70 miles away from Tampa. Additionally, Dr. Al-Arian has been denied access to 99 percent of the evidence in this case, preventing his ability to mount a meaningful defense.

With the exception of halting frequent strip searches, the conditions at Coleman Penitentiary have not improved. Dr. Al-Arian is still in 23-hour lockdown and has limited access to his attorneys. He may only receive non-contact visits from family members, and he is denied telephone calls. As a pre-trial detainee, Dr. Al-Arian is placed in the Special Housing Unit, a facility which is normally reserved for temporarily punishing convicted felons.

To protest his political persecution, Dr. Al-Arian has been on a hunger strike since his unjust detention 139 days ago. He has since lost 45 pounds.