In this action alert, the ACLU urges citizens to take action to fix the National Defense Authorization Act
Will Congress Finally Start to Clean Up the Mess It Made With the NDAA?
Posted by Chris Anders, Washington Legislative Office at 12:16pm
Excerpt:
On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. EST, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold the first hearing ever on the indefinite military detention provisions in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Congress passed in December. This hearing will be Congress' first opportunity to own up to its mistakes and start to fix them. But the only way the NDAA will be fixed is if senators and House members hear from you and your family and friends that indefinite military detention authority is wrong, dangerous, and needs to be repealed.
As we've said before, the NDAA is dangerous because it authorizes this president and all future presidents to order the military to lock away civilians picked up far from any battlefield, in indefinite detention without charge or trial based on suspicion alone. It could permit any president to send the American military to imprison people anywhere in the world, even where there is no armed conflict and no threat to Americans.
Unbelievably, some members of Congress even rejected amendments clarifying that the NDAA military detention provisions do not apply inside the U.S.
Take action to notify your members of Congress.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
For Abu-Ali Family, Only One Legal Avenue Left for Son’s Freedom
I became aware of this case through activists with whom I worked on Fahad Hashmi case. To donate to the Ahmed Abu Ali Defense Fund and for more information, see http://freeahmed.com/.
For Abu-Ali Family, Only One Legal Avenue Left for Son’s Freedom
Written by Contributing Writers
Thursday, February 23, 2012
(Reprinted from The Muslim Link)
We are all familiar with this tale: a young man gets arrested by surprise, held for years without charges, shackled for days at a time, whipped past the point of burning, interrogated through the nights, threatened with death, forced into confession, and ultimately incarcerated for life. Perhaps we have read George Orwell’s 1984, heard about Adolf Hitler’s Germany, or seen the horrors of Bashar Al-Assad’s current Syria on our television screens. But in fact, this nightmare is neither fiction nor history nor foreign. It is right here, right now, in our backyards.
It is the life story of an American: Ahmed Abu-Ali. Born in Texas, Ahmed completed high school in Northern Virginia where he graduated as valedictorian and spent his free time working with disabled adults, teaching children how to read, and building bridges in interfaith activities. He served as a summer counselor and youth group leader at Dar Al Hijrah, and donated blood regularly to the American Red Cross. He is a Muslim American, a brother, a son, and most of all your Muslim brother.
Ahmed dreamed of becoming a teacher full-time one day. Just before graduating college, when Ahmed was set to fulfill his lifelong dream in his Northern Virginia hometown, his life took an unexpected turn.
On June 8, 2003, at the age of 22, Ahmed was suddenly arrested while studying Islamic Studies in Saudi Arabia, amidst a final exam. He was detained and held in jail for 20 months without charges or access to attorney. After his family sued the U.S government, he was unexpectedly sent back to the U.S., where he was convicted for terrorism-related conspiracy charges on the basis of a false confession that was elicited by torture. Many details in Ahmed’s case illustrate the extent to which it was fabricated. For instance, Ahmed is the first person in all of U.S. history who was arrested based entirely on secret evidence. Also, his case set a precedent on evidence obtained by a foreign government by torture. Furthermore, the judge at his trial refused to allow evidence of possible torture to be presented.
Today, at age 30, Ahmed spends 23 hours a day everyday in solitary confinement at ADX Supermax Prison in Florence, Colorado. If he would like to take his one-hour of “recreation,” into a 5x5 metal cage where he gets a small view of the sky, he must get strip-searched. His cell measures 8×12 feet, located 20 meters beneath the ground. The last time Ahmed got a hug, he was also 22. Special Administrative Measures prohibit Ahmed from any outside contact, except sparse, limited, and monitored correspondences with his immediate family and attorney. When his family visits, they communicate with him via telephone and take turns watching him through the glass, with his feet still shackled.
For the past eight years and eight months, Ahmed has been fighting for justice, and repeatedly denied his basic rights as an American citizen—the right for a Miranda statement, the right to an attorney, the right to a speedy trial, the right to know your accuser, the right to know the evidence against you, , and the protection from cruel and unusual punishments. In our U.S. courts, under the banner of liberty and justice for all, Ahmed has been stripped of his 4th, 5th and 6th amendment rights.
Now it is our turn to demand justice. Ahmed’s family has exhausted their legal options. The last leg of this legal battle is the writ of habeas corpus, a procedure for release from unlawful detention. To ensure success, Ahmed needs your support. Please Follow Ahmed on Twitter @BringAhmedHome, Like Ahmed on the Facebook page “Free Ahmed,” and join us at the upcoming Freedom Dinner on March 3rd at Dewan-E-Khaas in Ahmed’s hometown, Northern Virginia. For students who donate, an anonymous donor will not only match but double their donations up to 1k. If you have an upcoming special occasion, consider purchasing a Freedom Cake or other desserts. For other ways to help, please visit http://freeahmed.com/take-action/. If we don’t speak up for Ahmed, who will? Let us not turn our back on a brother in need. Help free Ahmed by visiting www.freeahmed.com
As Ahmed waits, silenced in his cell, it is up to us to spread the word. We are the voice of the voiceless. We are not afraid to broadcast the truth. We are not afraid to stand up for the innocent. We will free Ahmed, and set a precedent that never again will we allow another Ahmed to be unjustly persecuted on our soil.
For Abu-Ali Family, Only One Legal Avenue Left for Son’s Freedom
Written by Contributing Writers
Thursday, February 23, 2012
(Reprinted from The Muslim Link)
We are all familiar with this tale: a young man gets arrested by surprise, held for years without charges, shackled for days at a time, whipped past the point of burning, interrogated through the nights, threatened with death, forced into confession, and ultimately incarcerated for life. Perhaps we have read George Orwell’s 1984, heard about Adolf Hitler’s Germany, or seen the horrors of Bashar Al-Assad’s current Syria on our television screens. But in fact, this nightmare is neither fiction nor history nor foreign. It is right here, right now, in our backyards.
It is the life story of an American: Ahmed Abu-Ali. Born in Texas, Ahmed completed high school in Northern Virginia where he graduated as valedictorian and spent his free time working with disabled adults, teaching children how to read, and building bridges in interfaith activities. He served as a summer counselor and youth group leader at Dar Al Hijrah, and donated blood regularly to the American Red Cross. He is a Muslim American, a brother, a son, and most of all your Muslim brother.
Ahmed dreamed of becoming a teacher full-time one day. Just before graduating college, when Ahmed was set to fulfill his lifelong dream in his Northern Virginia hometown, his life took an unexpected turn.
On June 8, 2003, at the age of 22, Ahmed was suddenly arrested while studying Islamic Studies in Saudi Arabia, amidst a final exam. He was detained and held in jail for 20 months without charges or access to attorney. After his family sued the U.S government, he was unexpectedly sent back to the U.S., where he was convicted for terrorism-related conspiracy charges on the basis of a false confession that was elicited by torture. Many details in Ahmed’s case illustrate the extent to which it was fabricated. For instance, Ahmed is the first person in all of U.S. history who was arrested based entirely on secret evidence. Also, his case set a precedent on evidence obtained by a foreign government by torture. Furthermore, the judge at his trial refused to allow evidence of possible torture to be presented.
Today, at age 30, Ahmed spends 23 hours a day everyday in solitary confinement at ADX Supermax Prison in Florence, Colorado. If he would like to take his one-hour of “recreation,” into a 5x5 metal cage where he gets a small view of the sky, he must get strip-searched. His cell measures 8×12 feet, located 20 meters beneath the ground. The last time Ahmed got a hug, he was also 22. Special Administrative Measures prohibit Ahmed from any outside contact, except sparse, limited, and monitored correspondences with his immediate family and attorney. When his family visits, they communicate with him via telephone and take turns watching him through the glass, with his feet still shackled.
For the past eight years and eight months, Ahmed has been fighting for justice, and repeatedly denied his basic rights as an American citizen—the right for a Miranda statement, the right to an attorney, the right to a speedy trial, the right to know your accuser, the right to know the evidence against you, , and the protection from cruel and unusual punishments. In our U.S. courts, under the banner of liberty and justice for all, Ahmed has been stripped of his 4th, 5th and 6th amendment rights.
Now it is our turn to demand justice. Ahmed’s family has exhausted their legal options. The last leg of this legal battle is the writ of habeas corpus, a procedure for release from unlawful detention. To ensure success, Ahmed needs your support. Please Follow Ahmed on Twitter @BringAhmedHome, Like Ahmed on the Facebook page “Free Ahmed,” and join us at the upcoming Freedom Dinner on March 3rd at Dewan-E-Khaas in Ahmed’s hometown, Northern Virginia. For students who donate, an anonymous donor will not only match but double their donations up to 1k. If you have an upcoming special occasion, consider purchasing a Freedom Cake or other desserts. For other ways to help, please visit http://freeahmed.com/take-action/. If we don’t speak up for Ahmed, who will? Let us not turn our back on a brother in need. Help free Ahmed by visiting www.freeahmed.com
As Ahmed waits, silenced in his cell, it is up to us to spread the word. We are the voice of the voiceless. We are not afraid to broadcast the truth. We are not afraid to stand up for the innocent. We will free Ahmed, and set a precedent that never again will we allow another Ahmed to be unjustly persecuted on our soil.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)