Gov’t moves al-Arian to Atlanta

Dr. Sami al-Arian

The Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace reports that Dr. Sami al-Arian, political prisoner of the U.S. government’s phony “war on terror,” has been moved from a correctional facility in Tallahassee, Fla., to a penitentiary in Atlanta, receiving no food or water during the 15-hour process. Now in Atlanta, Al-Arian is being held in solitary confinement and 23-hours-a-day lockdown. The move makes it harder for his family in Florida to visit him; in addition, he has been denied visitation rights for 30 days.

Although the U.S. government led a public campaign to condemn Al-Arian as the “North American leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” he was acquitted of eight charges, with the jury deadlocked over the remaining nine. Facing deportation, he accepted a plea bargain for an immigration fraud charge in order to be with his family. But the judge reneged on the bargain, forcing him to remain in prison until his deportation.

Letters of support to Dr. Al-Arian can be sent to: Dr. Sami Al-Arian (#40939-018), USP Atlanta, USP Penitentiary, P.O. BOX 150160, Atlanta, GA 30315.

—LeiLani Dowell