On June 2, 2016, about 45 demonstrators called out by Mass Action Against Police Brutality commemorated the one year anniversary of the coordinated police and FBI assassination of 26 year old Al Hajj Usaamah Rahim in Roslindale, Massachusetts, where he was ambushed in the parking lot of CVS.
After murdering Rahim, the JTTF raided the home of his nephew, David Wright in Everett, Massachusetts and arrested him on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to ISIL, obstruction charges, and charges to commit terrorism across national boundaries. The crowd of protesters was majority Black, many Muslim, and very diverse.
After marching from Roslindale Square, flowers were strewn at the spot where Rahim died, and Imam Farooq of Masjid Alhamdulillah made a dua. Then white balloons were released into the air while reading al Fatiha. His mother and other close friends and family wore all white. Many people driving by seemed supportive or curious, and those who slowed down, as well as pedestrians we passed, were handed a leaflet headlined, "Justice for Usaamah Rahim!"
Rahim was on his way to work at CVS that morning on June 2, 2015 in broad daylight. FBI claimed the brother was wielding a knife, but the surveillance video clearly shows that the federal agents and police officers suddenly approached him, one with gun drawn. No federal or municipal judge served any warrant for Rahim. This was not a situation gone bad while someone was resisting arrest. This police killing appears to be premeditated murder organized by the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).
The government claims that Rahim and Wright were in contact online with Junaid Hussain, whom Obama assassinated by drone in August 2015 in Raqqa, Syria. Hussain was a 21 year old British-Pakistani hacker who once posted Tony Blair's personal information online, and was later said to be recruiting volunteers for the Islamic State online, according to the government.
"This dangerous precedent of government abduction based on science fiction-like speculation and prognostication is a threat to the rights of everyone," states Mass Action. "It is also very concerning that the Boston Police force is involved with an FBI investigation blurring the line of the duties of local police and federal government. This is all part of the ever increasing expansion of police agencies and police powers that target the residents of this country in the name of fighting the 'War on Terror.'"
Wright's legal case has similarities to others' like Tarek Mehanna and Ziyad Yaghi, as well as Yassin Aref, in that the JTTF, BPD and FBI followed these young men for months previous to their arrest. The government has not provided any evidence of a conspiracy other than wiretapped conversations, which they claim contain hidden code words. For example, "going on vacation" to them meant "going for jihad." The government also claims that Rahim and Wright were planning to behead Pamela Geller. Wright, who maintains his innocence, has been held in the brutal Plymouth facility for one and ½ years awaiting trial.
The protesters demanded the indictment and prosecution of all police, FBI and others involved in the military tactile assassination of Al Hajj Usaamah Rahim; Full and complete investigation of all officers and personnel involved in the murder and plotting of the murder; Release of the full unedited video of the shooting to the public; Freedom for David Wright, imprisoned since June 2 2015; and and an End to the targeting of Blacks and Muslims!
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FBI. Show all posts
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Large Protest Against Police Brutality Ignored by the Media
Boston: On July 13, 2016 a very large demonstration organized by Mass Action Against Police Brutality took place at the police headquarters, then walking 3 ½ miles through the city of Boston. In the beginning speeches, much mention was made (that was omitted by all media) by his sister of the June 2015 killing of Usaama Rahim by Joint Terrorism Task Force along with FBI and Boston police.
As the demonstration proceeded along through the projects of Roxbury, the crowd swelled to several thousands. You could not see the end of the demonstration, the street was completely filled. Protesters eventually shut down all traffic at the Dudley T station while giving short speeches and then more speeches at Dudley Square filling every inch of space. The crowd was very ethnically diverse and in a very loving supportive energetic mood. When the mother or sister of a police victim began to cry, the crowd would shout out words of love and encouragement. One speaker wondered where all these supportive people were before, when she really needed them, at the time police committed these acts.
Recently, Boston Mayor Walsh made statements supporting police officers without also stating clear support for the lives of Bostonian civilians. There is a corrupt "Irish cop" mafia culture in Boston. However, Boston is also known for being relatively served and not instigating police riots. Police lined the crowd on bicycles but did not interfere with the crowd. In one instance, a white bigot rushed into the crowd and punched a Franciscan monk. A supporter of the march chased the attacker off. The police did nothing. The crowd was such that the police had to step aside. It was a historic day. Bostonians don't usually have large protests.
As the demonstration proceeded along through the projects of Roxbury, the crowd swelled to several thousands. You could not see the end of the demonstration, the street was completely filled. Protesters eventually shut down all traffic at the Dudley T station while giving short speeches and then more speeches at Dudley Square filling every inch of space. The crowd was very ethnically diverse and in a very loving supportive energetic mood. When the mother or sister of a police victim began to cry, the crowd would shout out words of love and encouragement. One speaker wondered where all these supportive people were before, when she really needed them, at the time police committed these acts.
Recently, Boston Mayor Walsh made statements supporting police officers without also stating clear support for the lives of Bostonian civilians. There is a corrupt "Irish cop" mafia culture in Boston. However, Boston is also known for being relatively served and not instigating police riots. Police lined the crowd on bicycles but did not interfere with the crowd. In one instance, a white bigot rushed into the crowd and punched a Franciscan monk. A supporter of the march chased the attacker off. The police did nothing. The crowd was such that the police had to step aside. It was a historic day. Bostonians don't usually have large protests.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Boston Muslim Shot and Killed & then Convicted by the Media
June 7, 2015
http://www.newtrendmag.org/ntma1605.htm
At 7am on Tuesday, June 2, a black Muslim man, Usaama Rahim, 26, was shot by Boston FBI and police in front of the CVS in Roslindale, a relatively nice area of Boston. His brother, Ibrahim Rahim, who is an imam in California, stated that Usaama was waiting for the bus to go to work when police and FBI approached him for "questioning." The police claim he wielded a knife, which left them no choice but to shoot him dead.
Not a single community organization in Boston from the Green Rainbow Party to the Muslims have made any kind of immediate attempt at organizing a demonstration or making a statement as one would expect. The news reports that the man was "under investigation" (as we all are). This alone is enough for them to say the authorities killed a "terrorism suspect." There are some reports the man had made some statements online supporting the Islamic Caliphate. He had been trailed by government agents for the past 6 days 24/7 and was said to be visibly nervous.
This event is even more alarming than your average police shooting because, like the case of Ibrahim Todashev, who was killed by Boston police and FBI in his Florida home in 2013, the murder appears to be premeditated. Todashev is also said to have lunged at officers, which somehow resulted in him being hit in every major organ and a final kill shot to the back of the head.
"CNN already has the black Muslim killed by Boston police convicted as "part of terror network" - a "source" said so!" opined Glenn Greenwald that day. "1) Police kill a black US Muslim on the street; 2) anonymously claim he follows ISIS on social media; 3) case closed."
Local clergy were invited to view the videotape of the event. Imam Farooq Abdullah, who is a highly respected local African American leader, stated that the footage was very distant and inconclusive as to whether or not the man had brandished a knife but it was true that the police backed up several yards before shooting him in the chest. He was not, as his brother Ibrahim was told by their father, shot in the back, nor was he talking on a cell phone at that moment.
Nevertheless, there was no need to kill him. The story about him planning to behead a police officer sounds far-fetched, though if true, would indicate that he was either mentally unstable or just making a joke about smoking pigs. If the authorities actually had any evidence of this plot, they could have easily obtained a warrant for his arrest. Approaching him in the street to intimidate him was certainly not the appropriate way to deal with either a dangerous terrorist or a mentally ill person. They could have left their card at his house or called him.
The most worrying aspect of this entire story is the complete silence of the usual activist crowd.
What is the matter with this town? They stopped traffic when police killed a black man elsewhere, but when it happens here at home they don't care? Why, because he is Muslim? I posted a comment expressing concern on Mayor Walsh's Facebook page and was deluged by hateful comments, mostly from Irish people, who are convinced the police must have been justified in killing a terrorist and that by killing him, they saved a lot of taxpayer's money.
Most likely, public sentiment against Muslims has been stoked by the Boston Marathon Bombing trials, which are all winding down this month. On Tuesday, June 2, Dias Kadyrbayev, the Kazakh friend who threw away the backpack, was sentenced to 6 years by Judge Woodlock after agreeing to plead guilty. Azamat Tazhayakov of Kazakhstan and Robel Phillipos of Ethiopian heritage, who both plead innocent but were found guilty, and Khairullozhon Matanov of Kyrgyzstan, who agreed to plead guilty because he knew he would not get a fair trial in Boston, will be sentenced within the week. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's official sentencing is scheduled for June 24. Dias, Azamat and Khairullozhon are expected to be deported after serving out their sentences. Stephen Silva, who sold Dzhokhar the gun, got 7 years. Silva is being held in general population and Robel is under house arrest while the Asian kids are all in solitary confinement. After sentencing they will be moved to other prisons. I pray they will be safe.
http://www.newtrendmag.org/ntma1605.htm
At 7am on Tuesday, June 2, a black Muslim man, Usaama Rahim, 26, was shot by Boston FBI and police in front of the CVS in Roslindale, a relatively nice area of Boston. His brother, Ibrahim Rahim, who is an imam in California, stated that Usaama was waiting for the bus to go to work when police and FBI approached him for "questioning." The police claim he wielded a knife, which left them no choice but to shoot him dead.
Not a single community organization in Boston from the Green Rainbow Party to the Muslims have made any kind of immediate attempt at organizing a demonstration or making a statement as one would expect. The news reports that the man was "under investigation" (as we all are). This alone is enough for them to say the authorities killed a "terrorism suspect." There are some reports the man had made some statements online supporting the Islamic Caliphate. He had been trailed by government agents for the past 6 days 24/7 and was said to be visibly nervous.
This event is even more alarming than your average police shooting because, like the case of Ibrahim Todashev, who was killed by Boston police and FBI in his Florida home in 2013, the murder appears to be premeditated. Todashev is also said to have lunged at officers, which somehow resulted in him being hit in every major organ and a final kill shot to the back of the head.
"CNN already has the black Muslim killed by Boston police convicted as "part of terror network" - a "source" said so!" opined Glenn Greenwald that day. "1) Police kill a black US Muslim on the street; 2) anonymously claim he follows ISIS on social media; 3) case closed."
Local clergy were invited to view the videotape of the event. Imam Farooq Abdullah, who is a highly respected local African American leader, stated that the footage was very distant and inconclusive as to whether or not the man had brandished a knife but it was true that the police backed up several yards before shooting him in the chest. He was not, as his brother Ibrahim was told by their father, shot in the back, nor was he talking on a cell phone at that moment.
Nevertheless, there was no need to kill him. The story about him planning to behead a police officer sounds far-fetched, though if true, would indicate that he was either mentally unstable or just making a joke about smoking pigs. If the authorities actually had any evidence of this plot, they could have easily obtained a warrant for his arrest. Approaching him in the street to intimidate him was certainly not the appropriate way to deal with either a dangerous terrorist or a mentally ill person. They could have left their card at his house or called him.
The most worrying aspect of this entire story is the complete silence of the usual activist crowd.
What is the matter with this town? They stopped traffic when police killed a black man elsewhere, but when it happens here at home they don't care? Why, because he is Muslim? I posted a comment expressing concern on Mayor Walsh's Facebook page and was deluged by hateful comments, mostly from Irish people, who are convinced the police must have been justified in killing a terrorist and that by killing him, they saved a lot of taxpayer's money.
Most likely, public sentiment against Muslims has been stoked by the Boston Marathon Bombing trials, which are all winding down this month. On Tuesday, June 2, Dias Kadyrbayev, the Kazakh friend who threw away the backpack, was sentenced to 6 years by Judge Woodlock after agreeing to plead guilty. Azamat Tazhayakov of Kazakhstan and Robel Phillipos of Ethiopian heritage, who both plead innocent but were found guilty, and Khairullozhon Matanov of Kyrgyzstan, who agreed to plead guilty because he knew he would not get a fair trial in Boston, will be sentenced within the week. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's official sentencing is scheduled for June 24. Dias, Azamat and Khairullozhon are expected to be deported after serving out their sentences. Stephen Silva, who sold Dzhokhar the gun, got 7 years. Silva is being held in general population and Robel is under house arrest while the Asian kids are all in solitary confinement. After sentencing they will be moved to other prisons. I pray they will be safe.
Interview with Ali Randall
Government Surveillance, Constant government Pressure and the Trauma of his Wife.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1620.htm
I spoke by phone this week with Ali Randall, who is a member of Jamaat al Muslimeen, about his life, and his experiences dealing with government surveillance and questioning. He is a self-employed diesel mechanic. He married his wife Aisha in 2011.
Since government spying agencies prefer to operate in the shadows and specialize in intimidating people into silence, my observation in various cases has been that a person is safer when their situation is made public.Therefore, Br. Ali agreed to speak with New Trend about these disturbing, personal matters.
Ali told me that at age 19, he committed a bank robbery for which he received a ten year prison sentence, which he served in Louisberg, Kentucky. His actions were not politically motivated. The money he got was immediately squandered for his own personal pleasure. The beauty of the unfortunate situation, however humiliating, was that while in prison he got to meet several high profile Muslim long term prisoners, including Jihad Abdulmumit, whom I interviewed a couple years ago at the Jericho Conference [http://karinfriedemann.blogspot.com/2013/06/exclusive-interiew-with-jihad.html].
He also met Sheikh Omar Abdurrahman's co-defendant, Tariq al-Hassan of Sudan in prison, as well as Al-Sayed Nuseer, who had killed a rabbi. Life behind bars and learning about Islam was not without its moments. In 1996, white prisoners stabbed to death, 30 times, a white man who took shahada at the Kentucky federal prison.
Ali met Imam Luqman in the 1990's, who was leading group study sessions in the prison. Imam Luqman is the brother from Detroit who was murdered by a team of FBI and police. Being from there myself, I knew one of Imam Luqman's wives, who went by Sister Malika. I was there when she came to the masjid as a homeless woman with two kids. I watched, astonished, as sisters competed with each other trying to convince their husbands to marry her. The sister told me she was so overwhelmed by proposals she didn't know which one to choose, so the imam seemed like the safest choice to provide a stable situation for her. His death was a huge shock.
Ali also met Dr. Kaukab Siddique in prison. Brother Kaukab was serving as a visiting minister to federal prisons. The resulting friendship has now become interesting to the FBI as a result of the media attacks on the professor, drawing attention to his personal opinions.
In February 2015 the FBI started following Ali around with 1-5 vehicles. In May, they surrounded his house but they didn't come in. They knocked on the door and asked questions about "Who do we listen to?" They also asked if he had any plans to go to Iraq or Syria to join ISIS. The answer was no. Ali's parents in law were also being followed and visited at their home.
Br. Ali was questioned again and again in May, June and July. They asked him if he knew certain people, about whom he had no idea. "Someone told them I was a terrorist," he said.
The FBI wanted to know why he was sending Imam Badi and Kaukab articles on ISIS, which he had forwarded from the internet by private message on Facebook. When Br. Ali went to Baltimore after the riots, he and also his wife and a friend were being followed 24 hours a day.
"They need to investigate more before harassing people," Ali told New Trend. "I thought they would kill me."
February 2015 the FBI started following him. He started noticing it for sure by March. By April and May they were openly parking outside his window. He contacted ACLU, but they couldn't help. Ali would approach vehicle and ask, "Why are you following me?" and the man would always say, "I'm not following you." He said he would never see that person again but another one would replace him.
At one time he heard the FBI agent say, "Subject approaching" on his walkie-talkie.
As recently as last week, Br. Ali was interviewed for 3 hours by the FBI, who told him, "We need your help."
"They asked if I knew someone who would do an act of terror," Ali told New Trend. He said they were asking about the entire Muslim community.
In June 2015, Ali was arrested for Xanex and spent 55 days in a city jail. While he was in there, the prison got a call from the FBI asking for information about ISIS and why Kaukab was representing them. The whole thing has been extremely stressful for Ali and his wife, whose health problems are flaring up probably as a result of the relentless political harassment.
"I lost money (on lawyers). I couldn't sleep in my house except with the lights on. After they surrounded my house I could never sleep there again, I couldn't even sleep at my mother's house," he admitted. Ali's mother in law continues to have problems with her job now.
I asked him, "If you were to disappear, what would you want to tell everyone?"
Br. Ali said, "Don't give up the fight of standing up against injustice. Speak out. You don't have to commit violence but speak out."
When he went to Baltimore he went there not representing any organization, and without any protection. He just wanted to see what was going on. He walked through areas inhabited by what he called "the scum of the scum." People on drugs, walking and nodding off at the same time. Gangs, abandoned buildings. The people living in these areas are tired of being beat up and harassed by the police. They are trying to speak out.
He spoke of the HIV rate in Baltimore. He also noticed that, compared to the 90's after Rodney King, when people were smashing store windows to steal TVs, the more recent social upheaval in Baltimore saw people looting toilet paper and soap. Things they really must need.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1620.htm
I spoke by phone this week with Ali Randall, who is a member of Jamaat al Muslimeen, about his life, and his experiences dealing with government surveillance and questioning. He is a self-employed diesel mechanic. He married his wife Aisha in 2011.
Since government spying agencies prefer to operate in the shadows and specialize in intimidating people into silence, my observation in various cases has been that a person is safer when their situation is made public.Therefore, Br. Ali agreed to speak with New Trend about these disturbing, personal matters.
Ali told me that at age 19, he committed a bank robbery for which he received a ten year prison sentence, which he served in Louisberg, Kentucky. His actions were not politically motivated. The money he got was immediately squandered for his own personal pleasure. The beauty of the unfortunate situation, however humiliating, was that while in prison he got to meet several high profile Muslim long term prisoners, including Jihad Abdulmumit, whom I interviewed a couple years ago at the Jericho Conference [http://karinfriedemann.blogspot.com/2013/06/exclusive-interiew-with-jihad.html].
He also met Sheikh Omar Abdurrahman's co-defendant, Tariq al-Hassan of Sudan in prison, as well as Al-Sayed Nuseer, who had killed a rabbi. Life behind bars and learning about Islam was not without its moments. In 1996, white prisoners stabbed to death, 30 times, a white man who took shahada at the Kentucky federal prison.
Ali met Imam Luqman in the 1990's, who was leading group study sessions in the prison. Imam Luqman is the brother from Detroit who was murdered by a team of FBI and police. Being from there myself, I knew one of Imam Luqman's wives, who went by Sister Malika. I was there when she came to the masjid as a homeless woman with two kids. I watched, astonished, as sisters competed with each other trying to convince their husbands to marry her. The sister told me she was so overwhelmed by proposals she didn't know which one to choose, so the imam seemed like the safest choice to provide a stable situation for her. His death was a huge shock.
Ali also met Dr. Kaukab Siddique in prison. Brother Kaukab was serving as a visiting minister to federal prisons. The resulting friendship has now become interesting to the FBI as a result of the media attacks on the professor, drawing attention to his personal opinions.
In February 2015 the FBI started following Ali around with 1-5 vehicles. In May, they surrounded his house but they didn't come in. They knocked on the door and asked questions about "Who do we listen to?" They also asked if he had any plans to go to Iraq or Syria to join ISIS. The answer was no. Ali's parents in law were also being followed and visited at their home.
Br. Ali was questioned again and again in May, June and July. They asked him if he knew certain people, about whom he had no idea. "Someone told them I was a terrorist," he said.
The FBI wanted to know why he was sending Imam Badi and Kaukab articles on ISIS, which he had forwarded from the internet by private message on Facebook. When Br. Ali went to Baltimore after the riots, he and also his wife and a friend were being followed 24 hours a day.
"They need to investigate more before harassing people," Ali told New Trend. "I thought they would kill me."
February 2015 the FBI started following him. He started noticing it for sure by March. By April and May they were openly parking outside his window. He contacted ACLU, but they couldn't help. Ali would approach vehicle and ask, "Why are you following me?" and the man would always say, "I'm not following you." He said he would never see that person again but another one would replace him.
At one time he heard the FBI agent say, "Subject approaching" on his walkie-talkie.
As recently as last week, Br. Ali was interviewed for 3 hours by the FBI, who told him, "We need your help."
"They asked if I knew someone who would do an act of terror," Ali told New Trend. He said they were asking about the entire Muslim community.
In June 2015, Ali was arrested for Xanex and spent 55 days in a city jail. While he was in there, the prison got a call from the FBI asking for information about ISIS and why Kaukab was representing them. The whole thing has been extremely stressful for Ali and his wife, whose health problems are flaring up probably as a result of the relentless political harassment.
"I lost money (on lawyers). I couldn't sleep in my house except with the lights on. After they surrounded my house I could never sleep there again, I couldn't even sleep at my mother's house," he admitted. Ali's mother in law continues to have problems with her job now.
I asked him, "If you were to disappear, what would you want to tell everyone?"
Br. Ali said, "Don't give up the fight of standing up against injustice. Speak out. You don't have to commit violence but speak out."
When he went to Baltimore he went there not representing any organization, and without any protection. He just wanted to see what was going on. He walked through areas inhabited by what he called "the scum of the scum." People on drugs, walking and nodding off at the same time. Gangs, abandoned buildings. The people living in these areas are tired of being beat up and harassed by the police. They are trying to speak out.
He spoke of the HIV rate in Baltimore. He also noticed that, compared to the 90's after Rodney King, when people were smashing store windows to steal TVs, the more recent social upheaval in Baltimore saw people looting toilet paper and soap. Things they really must need.
American Torture: American Justice
African Americans & Puerto Ricans often not treated as "human beings."
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1633.htm
BOSTON, MA: On Saturday December 12, 2015, a workshop was held at Roxbury Community College entitled "American Torture: American Justice: Human Rights American Style," organized by the City School and Jericho Boston in commemoration of International Human Rights Day. The date also coincided with the 66th birthday of Arnold King, who has been in prison since he was 18 and has not been released on parole after 42 years despite the unanimous recommendation of the parole board. His brother, Kazi Toure chaired the event, saying, "With whatever gains Black and Brown people may feel were earned during the civil rights movement, equality was not one of them. Until Black people, people of African descent are viewed as "human beings," equality and full citizenship are an illusion."
Some very high profile people were represented in the panel discussions. During the lunch break, the speakers were all available to anyone that wanted to talk to them personally. Two of them, Fred Hampton Jr. and Luis Rosa expressed interest in speaking before a Muslim audience if invited, to counteract racism and to create links between our communities.
Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. of Black Panther Cubs and Prisoners of Conscience, whose father Fred Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party, was murdered by the Chicago police and FBI, spoke about the need to heighten consciousness, to be able to distinguish between what is normal and what is abnormal. He said the first step towards political freedom is like the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous: Recognize that you have a problem. "It's embarrassing to be oppressed. It's embarrassing to admit your father is in prison." Mental colonization hurts. People get involved in a people's revolution because of Inspiration, Aspiration, or Desperation. He said the masses are intelligent. They may not have a fancy term for it, but if they hear that a police officer shot a man 16 times in the back, they will say without hesitation, "They wrong."
Luis Rosa, a former Puerto Rican prisoner who was given amnesty by President Clinton, spoke of how sad he was to leave his comrade, Oscar Lopez Rivera behind in prison. Rivera, 72, is the longest-held political prisoner in Puerto Rican history, for his participation in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Rosa spoke of how he was freed despite a 100 year sentence for "seditious conspiracy." Take nothing for granted, he advised supporters of prisoners. In order to free Rosa, the Puerto Rican activists had three people inside the White House pushing for his freedom, Nobel Prize winners requesting his release, the Japanese Congress inquired about the political prisoners. "Don't neglect the religious community." Learn how to articulate and know your audience so that you can ask them to support the release of political prisoners. "We need to have dossiers ready. Know their cases and be able to speak about their history and current status.
Rosa recommended organizing regular contact between one penpal and one prisoner. Then, the penpals would have regular meetings in which they update each other on all the prisoners. This would maximize prisoner outreach while providing socialization for the activists, which will encourage them to continue. To build community we need love and unity.
"Fight for those who fight for us!" Rosa said. "They are not criminals or terrorists. They fought for what our communities enjoy. They are part of us and we are part of them. Engrave those names in your mind and heart."
Marquette Peltier, daughter of imprisoned American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier spoke of her father's tireless efforts for the sake of his community. "If he didn't do it, who would?" she said. "If he can get up and shower every day, we have to get up every day and do what we have to do." Peltier has been in prison for 38 years, accused of shooting an FBI officer during a raid on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Please download letters to support his release at WhoIsLeonardPeltier.info
It is hoped that President Obama will grant him clemency because as a Senator, Obama promised to help. "Show me the support," he had said to the small group of activists. Maybe now it is time for American Indians to lead us.
Ray Luc Levasseur, who spent 20 years in solitary confinement for his involvement with a leftist anti-war group said it's easy to get discouraged. Behind bars, you can wonder, "Was my sacrifice worth it?" He spoke of a coral reef. Countless tiny creatures give their lives, and in so doing, create an ecosystem which has the power to change the course of the ocean.
Levasseur mentioned his comrade Tom Manning, who is serving a life sentence for bombing an IBM office to protest apartheid in South Africa, as well as returning fire and killing a police officer. "Everything that goes on in client states is exported from here. We've seen it all." Manning was body slammed, breaking his hip. He has been beaten in handcuffs, breaking his shoulders. He has been repeatedly stun gunned, denied medication and surgery, tear gassed, stripped naked while his cell is wrecked, his genitals threatened by a German Shepherd. Now an old man, he is in a wheelchair in solitary confinement at Coleman with an untreated leg infection.
Dr. Lana Habash, who is Palestinian, updated the status of Palestinian activist Amer Jibran, who was well known in Boston for participating in protests against Israel, gathering the ire of the Zionists, who targeted the young student for prosecution. After being arrested then released in Boston, he was deported then re-arrested in Jordan and sentenced to ten years. Habash linked Black Lives Matter movement to the Palestinian struggle by mentioning that police are sent to Israel for training in how to respond to the American public as an enemy population.
Also speaking was Russel Maroon Shoaz, Jr., whose father was a Black Panther Party activist, who has been held in isolation for over 23 years. Shoaz is dedicated to raising awareness about his father. The son of Herman Bell, a former Black Panther who is serving a life sentence for killing two police officers, sang an inspiring song for the audience. Herman Bell has spent the past 42 years in prison. He is going to the New York state parole board in February 2016.
Please email freehermanbell@gmail.com with a message of support for his release, with Subject Line: Herman Bell, 79C-0262.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1633.htm
BOSTON, MA: On Saturday December 12, 2015, a workshop was held at Roxbury Community College entitled "American Torture: American Justice: Human Rights American Style," organized by the City School and Jericho Boston in commemoration of International Human Rights Day. The date also coincided with the 66th birthday of Arnold King, who has been in prison since he was 18 and has not been released on parole after 42 years despite the unanimous recommendation of the parole board. His brother, Kazi Toure chaired the event, saying, "With whatever gains Black and Brown people may feel were earned during the civil rights movement, equality was not one of them. Until Black people, people of African descent are viewed as "human beings," equality and full citizenship are an illusion."
Some very high profile people were represented in the panel discussions. During the lunch break, the speakers were all available to anyone that wanted to talk to them personally. Two of them, Fred Hampton Jr. and Luis Rosa expressed interest in speaking before a Muslim audience if invited, to counteract racism and to create links between our communities.
Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. of Black Panther Cubs and Prisoners of Conscience, whose father Fred Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party, was murdered by the Chicago police and FBI, spoke about the need to heighten consciousness, to be able to distinguish between what is normal and what is abnormal. He said the first step towards political freedom is like the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous: Recognize that you have a problem. "It's embarrassing to be oppressed. It's embarrassing to admit your father is in prison." Mental colonization hurts. People get involved in a people's revolution because of Inspiration, Aspiration, or Desperation. He said the masses are intelligent. They may not have a fancy term for it, but if they hear that a police officer shot a man 16 times in the back, they will say without hesitation, "They wrong."
Luis Rosa, a former Puerto Rican prisoner who was given amnesty by President Clinton, spoke of how sad he was to leave his comrade, Oscar Lopez Rivera behind in prison. Rivera, 72, is the longest-held political prisoner in Puerto Rican history, for his participation in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Rosa spoke of how he was freed despite a 100 year sentence for "seditious conspiracy." Take nothing for granted, he advised supporters of prisoners. In order to free Rosa, the Puerto Rican activists had three people inside the White House pushing for his freedom, Nobel Prize winners requesting his release, the Japanese Congress inquired about the political prisoners. "Don't neglect the religious community." Learn how to articulate and know your audience so that you can ask them to support the release of political prisoners. "We need to have dossiers ready. Know their cases and be able to speak about their history and current status.
Rosa recommended organizing regular contact between one penpal and one prisoner. Then, the penpals would have regular meetings in which they update each other on all the prisoners. This would maximize prisoner outreach while providing socialization for the activists, which will encourage them to continue. To build community we need love and unity.
"Fight for those who fight for us!" Rosa said. "They are not criminals or terrorists. They fought for what our communities enjoy. They are part of us and we are part of them. Engrave those names in your mind and heart."
Marquette Peltier, daughter of imprisoned American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier spoke of her father's tireless efforts for the sake of his community. "If he didn't do it, who would?" she said. "If he can get up and shower every day, we have to get up every day and do what we have to do." Peltier has been in prison for 38 years, accused of shooting an FBI officer during a raid on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Please download letters to support his release at WhoIsLeonardPeltier.info
It is hoped that President Obama will grant him clemency because as a Senator, Obama promised to help. "Show me the support," he had said to the small group of activists. Maybe now it is time for American Indians to lead us.
Ray Luc Levasseur, who spent 20 years in solitary confinement for his involvement with a leftist anti-war group said it's easy to get discouraged. Behind bars, you can wonder, "Was my sacrifice worth it?" He spoke of a coral reef. Countless tiny creatures give their lives, and in so doing, create an ecosystem which has the power to change the course of the ocean.
Levasseur mentioned his comrade Tom Manning, who is serving a life sentence for bombing an IBM office to protest apartheid in South Africa, as well as returning fire and killing a police officer. "Everything that goes on in client states is exported from here. We've seen it all." Manning was body slammed, breaking his hip. He has been beaten in handcuffs, breaking his shoulders. He has been repeatedly stun gunned, denied medication and surgery, tear gassed, stripped naked while his cell is wrecked, his genitals threatened by a German Shepherd. Now an old man, he is in a wheelchair in solitary confinement at Coleman with an untreated leg infection.
Dr. Lana Habash, who is Palestinian, updated the status of Palestinian activist Amer Jibran, who was well known in Boston for participating in protests against Israel, gathering the ire of the Zionists, who targeted the young student for prosecution. After being arrested then released in Boston, he was deported then re-arrested in Jordan and sentenced to ten years. Habash linked Black Lives Matter movement to the Palestinian struggle by mentioning that police are sent to Israel for training in how to respond to the American public as an enemy population.
Also speaking was Russel Maroon Shoaz, Jr., whose father was a Black Panther Party activist, who has been held in isolation for over 23 years. Shoaz is dedicated to raising awareness about his father. The son of Herman Bell, a former Black Panther who is serving a life sentence for killing two police officers, sang an inspiring song for the audience. Herman Bell has spent the past 42 years in prison. He is going to the New York state parole board in February 2016.
Please email freehermanbell@gmail.com with a message of support for his release, with Subject Line: Herman Bell, 79C-0262.
Last Chance Hearing for Albanians Framed by FBI
Albany, New York: On Wednesday, January 6, 2016, relatives and supporters of the Fort Dix Five held a vigil outside the US Courthouse in Camden, NJ during the appeal hearing of Albanian Americans Eljvir, Dritan, and Shain Duka. A higher court ordered this hearing to determine whether the Duka brothers received a fair trial and effective representation from their lawyers. The Duka brothers, who were convicted of plotting to 'kill U.S. soldiers' at Fort Dix, NJ insisted they were barred from testifying at their 2008 terrorism trial and asked a judge to throw out their life sentences.
The issue of law enforcement entrapment of suspects on terrorism charges is now back in the spotlight. The vigil called attention to the outrageous government entrapment of the Duka brothers, which destroyed their families, including six children, as well as the family roofing business on which the Duka brothers and their parents depended for support. The U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case was Chris Christie, now governor of New Jersey and candidate for U.S. president.
The case has been cited by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, as one of the two "biggest terrorism cases in the world" during his time as US Attorney. But critics believe FBI informants entrapped the men and say the sentence reflects overzealous efforts to protect the country after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
US District Judge Robert Kugler, who presided at trial, will rule after reviewing written briefs due next month. This is the boys' last chance of being spared the life sentences as they exhausted their appeals when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their case. They have been in prison since May 2007.
According to Project Salam, the group was "convicted in 2008 of conspiracy to attack Fort Dix, even though no plans had been made to attack anything... Thus the Duka brothers were convicted for essentially vacationing while Muslim and given life sentences plus 33 years for a plot they literally had never heard of."
What happened was that in January 2006, the young men videotaped themselves target shooting at a public shooting range and shouting, "Allahu Akbar!" They brought their Pocono vacation videotape to a Circuit City store clerk for duplication for their families. The clerk, feeling "troubled" by the images of the young men horsing around, sent it to the FBI.
"The FBI responded by sending two agents provocateur to entrap the Duka brothers in criminal activity. The agents showered attention on them and used money and manipulation to try to create interest in jihad. They asked the men to download jihadist videos, taunted them for their lack of resolve to take action, and followed them around with hidden tape recorders to record every word spoken. One agent talked alone in general terms with a relative of the brothers, Mohammed Shnewer, about how one might theoretically attack the Fort Dix army base. In response to the agent's repeated demands, another defendant, Serdar Tatar, gave the agent a map of the Fort Dix base, which his father had used to deliver pizza there. (Tatar thought that the agent was suspicious and reported him to law enforcement, who said not to worry about it.) The other agent then persuaded the Duka brothers to buy some guns, supposedly for more target shooting in the Poconos, so they would not have to wait in line at public shooting ranges."
The three immigrant brothers "hoped to tell the jury they bought assault weapons from an FBI informant for target practice, not to harm anyone," writes Maryclaire Dale for Associated Press.
Defense attorneys at trial claimed the men may have made anti-American statements but had no plans to attack anything. Paid informant Mahmoud Omar infiltrated the group and spent months goading them.
"The Duka brothers assert in court papers that they never agreed to kill soldiers at the Burlington County military base, that incriminating statements made in secretly taped conversations were not meant to be taken seriously and that the primary advocate for a terrorist action was an FBI informant. Two of the brothers also contend an attempt to buy illegal weapons, including machine guns, was meant for recreational purposes," reports Jim Walsh in the Courier-Post.
It is a case that has been called one of the biggest terrorism prosecutions of Islamic radicals but now also perhaps among the most criticized post-9/11 entrapment examples, reports Al Jazeera.
D
"The fact that the court granted a hearing in this case is unusual and suggests maybe the court is troubled by the outcome. The outcome is clearly unjust. So we're hoping that this is a signal that the court would like to take another look at the case," said Steve Downs, a civil liberties attorney in Albany, New York.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1636.htm
The issue of law enforcement entrapment of suspects on terrorism charges is now back in the spotlight. The vigil called attention to the outrageous government entrapment of the Duka brothers, which destroyed their families, including six children, as well as the family roofing business on which the Duka brothers and their parents depended for support. The U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case was Chris Christie, now governor of New Jersey and candidate for U.S. president.
The case has been cited by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, as one of the two "biggest terrorism cases in the world" during his time as US Attorney. But critics believe FBI informants entrapped the men and say the sentence reflects overzealous efforts to protect the country after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
US District Judge Robert Kugler, who presided at trial, will rule after reviewing written briefs due next month. This is the boys' last chance of being spared the life sentences as they exhausted their appeals when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their case. They have been in prison since May 2007.
According to Project Salam, the group was "convicted in 2008 of conspiracy to attack Fort Dix, even though no plans had been made to attack anything... Thus the Duka brothers were convicted for essentially vacationing while Muslim and given life sentences plus 33 years for a plot they literally had never heard of."
What happened was that in January 2006, the young men videotaped themselves target shooting at a public shooting range and shouting, "Allahu Akbar!" They brought their Pocono vacation videotape to a Circuit City store clerk for duplication for their families. The clerk, feeling "troubled" by the images of the young men horsing around, sent it to the FBI.
"The FBI responded by sending two agents provocateur to entrap the Duka brothers in criminal activity. The agents showered attention on them and used money and manipulation to try to create interest in jihad. They asked the men to download jihadist videos, taunted them for their lack of resolve to take action, and followed them around with hidden tape recorders to record every word spoken. One agent talked alone in general terms with a relative of the brothers, Mohammed Shnewer, about how one might theoretically attack the Fort Dix army base. In response to the agent's repeated demands, another defendant, Serdar Tatar, gave the agent a map of the Fort Dix base, which his father had used to deliver pizza there. (Tatar thought that the agent was suspicious and reported him to law enforcement, who said not to worry about it.) The other agent then persuaded the Duka brothers to buy some guns, supposedly for more target shooting in the Poconos, so they would not have to wait in line at public shooting ranges."
The three immigrant brothers "hoped to tell the jury they bought assault weapons from an FBI informant for target practice, not to harm anyone," writes Maryclaire Dale for Associated Press.
Defense attorneys at trial claimed the men may have made anti-American statements but had no plans to attack anything. Paid informant Mahmoud Omar infiltrated the group and spent months goading them.
"The Duka brothers assert in court papers that they never agreed to kill soldiers at the Burlington County military base, that incriminating statements made in secretly taped conversations were not meant to be taken seriously and that the primary advocate for a terrorist action was an FBI informant. Two of the brothers also contend an attempt to buy illegal weapons, including machine guns, was meant for recreational purposes," reports Jim Walsh in the Courier-Post.
It is a case that has been called one of the biggest terrorism prosecutions of Islamic radicals but now also perhaps among the most criticized post-9/11 entrapment examples, reports Al Jazeera.
D
"The fact that the court granted a hearing in this case is unusual and suggests maybe the court is troubled by the outcome. The outcome is clearly unjust. So we're hoping that this is a signal that the court would like to take another look at the case," said Steve Downs, a civil liberties attorney in Albany, New York.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1636.htm
Movement Supporting Dr. Aafia Calls for Countrywide Protests
February 21, 2016
[NOTE: I apologize for neglecting to post for a few months. The catch-up posts will be in the wrong chronological order. After that I promise to try and keep up my blog.]
March 16 marks 13 years that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has been wrongfully imprisoned. Aafia was a foreign student from Pakistan who graduated with honors from MIT and Brandeis University. She and her children were kidnapped in Pakistan and held without charge for five years in Afghan prisons under US control. According to Reuters, Siddiqui was wanted by the FBI in 2003 for questioning for possible ties to al Qaeda and was detained by Pakistani authorities. Things went terribly wrong, and rather than admit their grievous error, which included killing her baby, the US accused her of attacking a US soldier - even though she is the one who got a bullet in her stomach. Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark has described Aafia's ordeal as "the worst case of individual injustice I have ever witnessed."
AafiaMovement.com/the-aafia-mobilizations
The Boston Rally on International Women's Day will be the first of four mobilizations for Dr. Aafia Siddique also planned for March 2016 in NY, DC and Fort Worth, Texas. Help us spread the word and build toward these actions. Contact Br. Mauri Saalakhan at peacethrujustice@aol.com for exact time and place, and to volunteer.
The issue is becoming increasingly urgent. There was an attack on Aafia's family's house in Karachi at 3am on February 16! The attempted kidnapping of Aafia's children occurred just a couple days after a February 14 huge Valentine's Day "We Love Aafia" march took place, which included many young children. Asmat Siddiqui, the mother of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, said that the attack of terrorists on the house of Dr Aafia in Karachi and the threats to the family are a message to them to keep silent on the issue of Aafia. The family is refusing to back down from their mission to bring Aafia home, despite being under threat of their lives; surely we have a deep obligation to support them!
In a statement released Tuesday, Aafia's mother said that the politicians have disappointed the nation of Pakistan on the issue of Aafia. They only did politics on her name. She appealed to the chief of army, Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, to play his role in bringing home Aafia and become immortal in history like Muhammad Bin Qasim. Briefing the media on the details of the attack on her house, Asmat Siddiqui said on the night between Monday and Tuesday at 3:00am, three unknown armed terrorists reached her house. They fed the dog some intoxicating substance and later beat up a volunteer of the Aafia Movement, Amir, who was guarding the house.
They asked Amir to tell them in which rooms the children of Aafia reside and which schools they attend. When Amir refused to reply to their questions, they told him they already knew. Then he was tortured mercilessly and fell unconscious. Between 6 and 7:00am when the occupants of the house came out, they found Amir injured and tied up with ropes.
Dr. Fowzia said police were informed about the incident. She asked which type of national security plan is this, in which the citizens are not provided any security. She said 13 years ago, on the day after the kidnapping of Aafia Siddiqui [and her children], we were also told to keep silent; otherwise, four dead bodies would be found on the back street of their house. She said this threat is being employed again "to pressure us not to raise our voices for the release of Aafia Siddiqui."
"As the Siddiqui family, frontline supporters of the Aafia Movement-Pakistan, and supporters from the US branch of the International Free Aafia Movement have already made clear, We Will Not Be Intimidated into a posture of Silence and Inaction! The struggle will continue!" writes Mauri Saalakhan, Aafia's unofficial ambassador in the US, who is organizing the upcoming mobilizations.
He is asking Muslims in the US to bombard the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC, with CALLS and E-MAILS. Phone: 202-243-6500 / E-mail: info@embassyofpakistanusa.org
In your communication please express your concern regarding the safety of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's family in Karachi, Pakistan; and demand that the Pakistani government do more to get their citizen released and returned home where she belongs.
Who were the kidnappers? What political objective could possibly be gained by re-kidnapping Aafia's children? Most importantly - what can we do, what will we do as Americans to bring attention to our fellow Muslims and neighbors regarding the plight of this young woman, who has become the international face of the Disappeared? Her situation is not that unique. Political kidnappings are quite common throughout the world.
However, this is a girl who went to school in Massachusetts, who was known. She gave speeches during Muslim events, she was a leader in enthusiastic charity efforts and was even quoted in the news saying that if Americans learned about the beauty of Islam, they would all want to become Muslims! You can't just disappear someone like that and pretend it didn't happen. And indeed, she has become the Daughter of Pakistan. In many ways, her fate will determine the future of her nation.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1642.htm
[NOTE: I apologize for neglecting to post for a few months. The catch-up posts will be in the wrong chronological order. After that I promise to try and keep up my blog.]
March 16 marks 13 years that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has been wrongfully imprisoned. Aafia was a foreign student from Pakistan who graduated with honors from MIT and Brandeis University. She and her children were kidnapped in Pakistan and held without charge for five years in Afghan prisons under US control. According to Reuters, Siddiqui was wanted by the FBI in 2003 for questioning for possible ties to al Qaeda and was detained by Pakistani authorities. Things went terribly wrong, and rather than admit their grievous error, which included killing her baby, the US accused her of attacking a US soldier - even though she is the one who got a bullet in her stomach. Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark has described Aafia's ordeal as "the worst case of individual injustice I have ever witnessed."
AafiaMovement.com/the-aafia-mobilizations
The Boston Rally on International Women's Day will be the first of four mobilizations for Dr. Aafia Siddique also planned for March 2016 in NY, DC and Fort Worth, Texas. Help us spread the word and build toward these actions. Contact Br. Mauri Saalakhan at peacethrujustice@aol.com for exact time and place, and to volunteer.
The issue is becoming increasingly urgent. There was an attack on Aafia's family's house in Karachi at 3am on February 16! The attempted kidnapping of Aafia's children occurred just a couple days after a February 14 huge Valentine's Day "We Love Aafia" march took place, which included many young children. Asmat Siddiqui, the mother of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, said that the attack of terrorists on the house of Dr Aafia in Karachi and the threats to the family are a message to them to keep silent on the issue of Aafia. The family is refusing to back down from their mission to bring Aafia home, despite being under threat of their lives; surely we have a deep obligation to support them!
In a statement released Tuesday, Aafia's mother said that the politicians have disappointed the nation of Pakistan on the issue of Aafia. They only did politics on her name. She appealed to the chief of army, Staff Gen Raheel Sharif, to play his role in bringing home Aafia and become immortal in history like Muhammad Bin Qasim. Briefing the media on the details of the attack on her house, Asmat Siddiqui said on the night between Monday and Tuesday at 3:00am, three unknown armed terrorists reached her house. They fed the dog some intoxicating substance and later beat up a volunteer of the Aafia Movement, Amir, who was guarding the house.
They asked Amir to tell them in which rooms the children of Aafia reside and which schools they attend. When Amir refused to reply to their questions, they told him they already knew. Then he was tortured mercilessly and fell unconscious. Between 6 and 7:00am when the occupants of the house came out, they found Amir injured and tied up with ropes.
Dr. Fowzia said police were informed about the incident. She asked which type of national security plan is this, in which the citizens are not provided any security. She said 13 years ago, on the day after the kidnapping of Aafia Siddiqui [and her children], we were also told to keep silent; otherwise, four dead bodies would be found on the back street of their house. She said this threat is being employed again "to pressure us not to raise our voices for the release of Aafia Siddiqui."
"As the Siddiqui family, frontline supporters of the Aafia Movement-Pakistan, and supporters from the US branch of the International Free Aafia Movement have already made clear, We Will Not Be Intimidated into a posture of Silence and Inaction! The struggle will continue!" writes Mauri Saalakhan, Aafia's unofficial ambassador in the US, who is organizing the upcoming mobilizations.
He is asking Muslims in the US to bombard the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, DC, with CALLS and E-MAILS. Phone: 202-243-6500 / E-mail: info@embassyofpakistanusa.org
In your communication please express your concern regarding the safety of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's family in Karachi, Pakistan; and demand that the Pakistani government do more to get their citizen released and returned home where she belongs.
Who were the kidnappers? What political objective could possibly be gained by re-kidnapping Aafia's children? Most importantly - what can we do, what will we do as Americans to bring attention to our fellow Muslims and neighbors regarding the plight of this young woman, who has become the international face of the Disappeared? Her situation is not that unique. Political kidnappings are quite common throughout the world.
However, this is a girl who went to school in Massachusetts, who was known. She gave speeches during Muslim events, she was a leader in enthusiastic charity efforts and was even quoted in the news saying that if Americans learned about the beauty of Islam, they would all want to become Muslims! You can't just disappear someone like that and pretend it didn't happen. And indeed, she has become the Daughter of Pakistan. In many ways, her fate will determine the future of her nation.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1642.htm
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Two Important Activists 'Died' in US Custody This Month: Abu Anas al-Libi & Phil Africa
Our America: Two major, latest, crimes of our government.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1585.htm
Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i, popularly known as Abu Anas al-Libi, died in US custody on January 2, 2015 - just 3 months after he was kidnapped in Libya in front of his Tripoli home by a team of US military, CIA and FBI agents [video: YouTube.com/watch?v=vY_TCwWg_aA ].
First, al-Libi was taken to a Navy ship for torture. Intelligence officials interrogated him for a week after his capture aboard the USS San Antonio in the Mediterranean, according to the Guardian. He was then indicted and transferred to a prison in New York City. Reports have surfaced that the US obtained evidence against him via a plea bargain from Ali Mohamed, a former Egyptian army major who worked for the CIA and Egyptian Islamic Jihad.In 2000, Mohamed received a life sentence without parole after he pled guilty to five terrorist charges in connection with the embassy bombings.
Al-Libi pled not guilty in October 2014 to involvement in the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. He was supposed to go to court on January 12, 2015 to defend himself against the accusations. Instead, he was buried January 10 in Libya at a well-attended funeral.
'Adel Al-Masry, who was incarcerated alongside him in America said that our beloved father was maltreated from the moment he set foot in prison and was denied medical care, causing his health to rapidly deteriorate," stated his son, Ahmed Nazeeh al Ruqai'y .
A document filed in court by the Department of Justice said al-Libi "was taken from the Metropolitan Correctional Center to a New York hospital due to sudden complications arising out of his long-standing medical problems." Despite the care provided at the hospital, the government claimed, his condition deteriorated rapidly and he passed away Friday evening. They mention an imam was present with him at the hospital. Could this imam lend more insight into what happened at the hospital? There is no question that foul play could have been involved.
A similar though unrelated mysterious death occurred in another US prison hospital the same week. On Sunday, January 4th, 2015, Phil Africa was secretly transported from his Dallas, Pennsylvania prison to Wilkes Barre General Hospital at the same time as MOVE members were attempting to visit him. At the hospital, he was held in isolation for 5 days and not even allowed to call his wife of 44 years, Janine Africa. Due to the hospital and prison receiving hundreds of phone calls in support from around the world, Phil was finally allowed to call Janine on Thursday, January 8th. She reported that he was heavily drugged, incoherent and couldn't even hold the phone to talk to her. On Friday, January 9th Phil was sent back to the prison infirmary. On Saturday, January 10th Ramona and Carlos Africa were granted permission to visit Phil in the prison infirmary. When they reached him he was incoherent and couldn't talk or move his head to look at them. An hour after they left, they got a call that Phil passed away.
"Inmates in the infirmary and others in the prison were shocked when they heard the news. They had witnessed his vigorous health for decades in the prisons, had just seen him stretching and doing jumping jacks six days earlier," reads a statement written by the family. "When Merle Africa died in prison on March 13th, 1998 the conditions were very similar. She had been one way in the prison, but within hours of being forced to go to an outside hospital she was dead."
Phil Africa was a member of the Black revolutionary group, MOVE, whose home was bombed in Philadelphia by the US government on May 13, 1985. Two of Phil's children died in the fire.
Al-Libi also lost one of his sons in the Libyan independence struggle. (Details unknown).
Al-Libi's wife, Umm Abdul Rahman, didn't deny that her husband had been an al-Qaeda member, who fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. "My husband was affiliated with al-Qaeda a long time ago. But he was never a senior leader in al-Qaeda," she said. Later on he got involved with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, she said. "They had a common vision, a common cause, a common enemy, which was the Gaddafi regime and they wanted to overthrow this regime."
His commitment to the ousting of Libya's longtime dictator resulted in several years of imprisonment in poor conditions in Iran after the family fled Afghanistan.
Al-Libi was given asylum by the UK but was nevertheless frequently harassed by British police. His family home was raided many times, but he was never charged with any crime. A close friend, quoted by the Associated Press, said al-Libi's family had returned to Libya around 2011 under a policy introduced by Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, to promote reconciliation with regime opponents who gave up violence.
Disgracing the concept of due process, U.S. President Barack Obama asserted at a press conference in Washington DC that al-Libi was behind the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. He "helped plan and execute plots that killed hundreds of people, a whole lot of Americans. We have strong evidence of that."US Secretary of State John Kerry boasted that "members of al-Qaeda ... literally can run but they can't hide." American lawmakers praised the military operation of the man's kidnapping.
His son Ahmed Nazeeh al Ruqai'y stated: "We will not forget. Neither will we get over what happened at the hands of the Americans, who prevented us from visiting our father and deprived us from seeing him."
Sunday, December 21, 2014
If Jahar didn't bomb the marathon, who did?
Boston - Accused Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar (Jahar) Tsarnaev’s last pre-trial hearing took place on December 18th. He still resolutely refuses to plead guilty for a crime he claims he did not commit. I watched the proceedings in the overflow room and also participated in a protest outside the courthouse, where I was interviewed by reporters from every news channel.
I explained to them that I want a fair trial for Jahar. The public deserves to know what really happened. We need to make sure we got the right guy. Erroneous media reports based on leaks from anonymous law enforcement officials have been presented to the public in lieu of evidence, and have greatly biased the jury pool against the defendant before he has even gone to trial. As to whether or not I personally think he’s innocent, I would say, based on past prosecutions by US Attorney Carmen Ortiz’s team in front of the same Judge O’Toole, that it is highly probable that the young man is simply a victim of anti-Islamic prejudice.
For example, Tarek Mehanna was sentenced to over 17 years for joking comments he made on the internet, which the government misconstrued as planning to commit terrorist acts. His trial was based on highly inflammatory statements against the Islamic religion, irrelevant evidence such as beheading videos, expert testimony from career neocons, and plea bargains from acquaintances who were facing decades in prison unless they testified against Mehanna. Based on the media reports, during the time of the trial, many people in the Muslim community refused to stand up for their brother and spent energy distancing themselves from him. It was only after sentencing that he was allowed to speak out about his unjust conviction.
In Jahar’s case, he is not just accused of thought crimes but actual explosions that killed and maimed people. If he is innocent, then the real bomber is still at large. In the worst case scenario, Jahar was chosen as a fall guy to cover up for a plot that is much more sinister. So far, there have been no bomb making materials found in either his home nor that of his brother. The government has never once claimed that the fireworks that his friends took out of his dorm room were linked to the bombing. The government prosecuted the friends for lying about throwing away the backpacks, in order to pressure them to testify against their friend.
If there is evidence that Jahar and his brother Tamerlan had something to do with the Boston Marathon bombings, then the public still deserves to know the bigger picture. I have no problem with executing a criminal who committed murder but I have a huge problem with someone being executed in order to silence him. The government has silenced almost every potential defense witness. Jahar’s friends, relatives, friends of friends and even relatives of friends of friends have been deported, imprisoned and even killed by the FBI. The defense complains that they are having trouble getting anyone to talk due to government intimidation.
Furthermore, defense lawyers have complained that the prosecution is being evasive instead of presenting clear arguments as to why they believe he is the bomber. They don’t seem to want to “unravel the mystery.”
I don’t know if the truth will ever come out in this courtroom. It is not being played as a straightforward prosecution. The government is playing chess, not proving their point.
Hearing after hearing, the defense has been begging the prosecution to present their argument. Instead, the government has dumped on them millions of pages of unsearchable computer records without any explanation as to their significance. US Attorney Weinreb has consistently argued, with a smirk on his face, that if the government were to present their case to the defense, the defense would be able to come up with a counter-argument, which would be unfair to prosecutors; therefore they need to keep the element of surprise. Yet at the same time, the government has been illegally feeding news stories to the media. The defense complained that they are learning more about the government’s narrative of this case from the television than they are getting from the other attorneys. The government is not playing fair, which leads to the question of whether it is covering up the truth.
In 95% of cases since 9/11, where Muslims are accused of terrorism related acts, the FBI has been involved. We need to know more about the extent of FBI involvement in the Boston Marathon bombing suspects’ lives. His mother stated to reporters last year that the FBI had been interviewing Tamerlan on a regular basis for two years before the bombing. He had been asked to become an informant. They knew him well. So, the most likely scenario is either that he bombed the marathon as an employee of the FBI, or else that he was framed for a crime he did not commit in retaliation for refusing to become an informant for the FBI.
I don’t want to live in a country where the FBI can just come into your house and murder you because you knew somebody, where they can just accuse you of a bombing and then, instead of presenting evidence in a court of law, make up TV docu-dramas about you without even consulting you for your side of the story. Perhaps it’s not as important to ordinary Americans that their government obey the rule of law, but as someone whose parents came to this country and swore their allegiance to the US Constitution, I see no other course of action possible other than standing up and fighting for what my country stands for.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is an American citizen with rights. He came to this country as a refugee. He loved living here. He had many friends, no criminal record, and absolutely no motive to hurt anyone. If people don’t stand up for his rights, next week it could be your son in shackles.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Finally, we see him!!!
Dzhokhar (Jahar) Tsarnaev’s last pre-trial hearing took place Thursday, December 18 at 10am. Drone footage shows him being brought into the courthouse around 6am wearing shackles and an orange jumpsuit. He looked thin and seemed physically weak. The courthouse entranceway was a zoo, with a huge crowd of reporters, Homeland Security, FBI, police and protesters even before 8am. The massive audience filled the courtroom, plus two overflow courtrooms and the jury assembly hall, where the proceedings were shown on livestream video. About a dozen people identifying as victims of the Boston Marathon bombings also attended. Those watching on video were able to hear the judge clearly and see the defendant’s face while those experiencing the hearing live saw only his back.
Jahar sported wild, unkempt curly hair that was almost an afro, standing many inches above his head. He has grown a short beard. His eyes were downcast most of the time. He touched his face and nose a lot. His feet remained in shackles, while he sat in a relaxed slouch with his knees open throughout the 25 minute hearing. His facial expression seemed a bit weird and befuddled - quite intense yet not quite there - perhaps a side effect of being kept in isolation for over a year. He seemed almost disoriented, but maybe he was just exhausted from being hauled out of bed in the middle of the night. A supporter later asked his mother if he was taking medication and was told no, he won’t even take aspirin for a headache. He was wearing a black sweater over a white button-down shirt and slacks for court.
Judge O’Toole asked Jahar whether he had voluntarily chosen not to be present for any of the previous hearings; whether he had been kept up to date on the proceedings; and if he was happy with his representation. Jahar answered, “Yes, sir” to the first two questions and “pretty much,” or “very much” to the last question. This is the first time the public had heard his voice since he pled “Not Guilty” in 2013. The rest of the hearing was nothing special, just going over the motions. Judy Clarke patted him on the back a few times. Until…
As Jahar was handcuffed and taken out of the courtroom after the hearing, a woman in the courtroom started yelling loudly in Russian: “There are many people here supporting you. We are praying for you. We love you. We know you are innocent! Stay strong, my son!”
Onlookers report that he heard these words and smiled, although he did not turn around.
“I'm pretty sure his lawyers were not happy! Lol! I saw Miriam Conrad's face was like a wtf moment ... But I can tell Jahar was relieved. Jahar appreciates It,” stated an onlooker.
As the US Marshalls escorted her out, Elena shouted in English, “Stop killing innocent people! Stop killing innocent boys!”
Elena Teyer, US veteran and the mother of Ibrahim Todashev’s widow, then suddenly gave an impromptu press conference to hoards of reporters for the next one and half hours outside. Thank God! It worked out very beautifully that way because of the gag order that prevents Jahar’s lawyers from even stating that their client is innocent in public. Even the prosecutors made no statement to the press. Elena passionately defended Jahar’s innocence and all his friends. She decried all of the lives that have been destroyed because of FBI lies and games.
The ongoing arguments between the defense and prosecution are that the defense wants a “continuance” - in other words, more time to prepare. The government is demanding (and I would say bullying) the defense to provide detailed information about witnesses, even though it has been made clear that the witnesses are feeing too intimidated.
About 8 protesters held up placards after the hearing. About half were from out of state while the rest were local. One sign read: “Got proof? Innocent until proven guilty.”
There was a moment where a Bostonian named Marc who had lost half of one leg in the Boston Marathon bombing, waved his empty pant leg at the demonstrators. “We all wished we could have talked to him longer. He said something about what was found in the dorm room and I said have you never played with fireworks? We have to make sure we got the right guy!! It’s important. He reportedly told me to get a job LOL,” said a local supporter.
see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClmT70PfZRI
What was most astonishing about this hearing is that the government continues to waste the public’s time by insisting that a certain Ms. Vogelbruck be denied as a witness, because as a social worker she has interviewed a lot of people who ever knew the Tsarnaev family. Weinreb argued with his familiar smirk that he needs to know what she might say, in order that he could come up with an appropriate comeback.The government isn’t playing fair.
This is a government prosecution that was able to feed HBO and the History Channel all the statements they wanted to make, extra legal. I’d look into the government cable TV link.
The ongoing “live dispute” pertains to the list of witnesses who might testify as character witnesses in the event of a Guilty decision.
Jahar seems resigned as a noble Chechen would be, to the fate of Allah.
He absolutely refuses to plead guilty for a crime he did not commit.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Khairullozhon Matanov Brutalized in Prison
“I feel unsafe in PCCF, and I have a great fear for my life,” wrote Khairullozhon Matanov, 24, in a letter to this author postmarked November 1, 2014. Matanov is awaiting trial for allegedly lying to the FBI in an effort to downplay his relationship with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, accused Boston bomber who was killed by police in April 2013.
Matanov was severely beaten by guards after flooding his cell in protest against the constant Islamophobic harassment at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility (PCCF). The incident was reported in a letter from Matanov to a friend postmarked October 24, 2014 and also by a sympathetic fellow inmate, who has since been moved to another unit. The remaining inmates taunt him in a hostile manner.
“They harass me so much, I don’t know what to do, they couldn’t see that I was being so peaceful, now even some ignorant inmates say bad things, and when they do it, the guards play the US National Anthem, it is awful,” writes Matanov.
The US National Anthem was also blasting on the night of October 22, when seven correctional officers sprayed tear gas into his cell. Unable to breathe, Matanov tried to get some air from under the door but was sprayed in the face. After allowing them to handcuff him, he collapsed.
“When I was like half dead not moving at all they jump on me so badly. One of them stick his finger into my right eye (it’s swollen right now full of blood). After, the same person start saying, “You [expletive] Muslim terrorist” and kick my head... I pass out from pain, then I woke up when one of them twist my hand.”
Khair reports that he heard one of them say, “We have to take him out walking.”
“They took me out... the end? No! Horror just started. They put me in that chair with the spray all over my face and hands, left me for two and half hours in one room. I was crying and asking for help with my eye (literally burning with the pain). Ruthless human beings, I thought I am about to die. Fortunately for me it was not my time. I survived with lots of pain... No justice in this place.. If they will have an argument with me, they play national anthem, by the way when they came to get me in their suits they played the national anthem of USA. It is so awful, they are pulling USA down... I could hear and now I see they really really enjoyed this awful terror which they did against me.”
A week later, Matanov wrote, “Trying to get better, after all of this pain, but my eyes and my head is still not good, I can’t see properly, and I can’t read. If I do so my head goes crazy. They did not give me good medical care, even though I was beaten nearly to death.”
A former client of Matanov’s taxi service wrote in an email, “This is unbelievable. Months ago an officer told me the FBI sent him there so he would be safe...yeah right!”
Supporters contacted a number of agencies as well as the Consulate of Kyrgyzstan. It is hoped that the Kyrgyzstan ambassador to the US will visit Matanov as he did last Ramadan, after Matanov mentioned in a letter dated July 8 that he was not given any food for four days.
This is not the first time Matanov was punished for flooding his cell in protest of being singled out for harassment. In a letter postmarked August 21, he described another incident where he was stripped naked and taken to “Q5” - a cold, rubber room usually used for suicidal prisoners. He was left there without clothes, normal food or toilet for four days.
“Now I told this to my lawyer, guess what, it was better to tell to a wall so I could hear the echo.”
Matanov’s court appointed attorney, Edward Hayden told Boston Magazine that “the injuries did not appear as extensive as what was described in the letter... He had a black eye, he had scrapes, bruises, and that’s what I saw…some of these letters and Tweets make it seem like he was beaten to an inch of his life, and that’s not true.” This was not the first time that Matanov’s lawyer undermined his case.
Bruce Gellerman tweeted on November 6 that Matanov filed a motion to withdraw his attorney Edward Hayden. There will be a closed hearing on November 20.
The government is putting Matanov under intense pressure because they want to break his resolve to maintain his innocence. He was offered his freedom if he would become an FBI informant as he wrote on July 15. When he refused, he was then offered a shorter sentence of seven years if he would plead guilty, he wrote on July 24.
The day after the attack on Matanov, an inmate at the same prison, Marcus Czaja, 32, was found dead in his cell while on November 3, Steven Wayne Roderick, 34, died at PCCF. Both deaths were ruled suicides.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Government Aggressively Seeks Defendant’s Associates; Defense Fears Intimidation
TMO
Editor’s note: Karin Friedemann is a TMO Columnist. Her opinions are her own.
Demonstrators held signs in front of Boston’s federal courthouse on October 20, 2014 during the last hearing for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was accused of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Arina Montag of Haverhill, Massachusetts told reporters she believes Tsarnaev and his late brother are being unfairly prosecuted.
“I believe the boys have been set up,” she said. “I haven’t seen any actual evidence against them. I mean I’ve seen circumstantial evidence. Nothing that actually links them to what they are allegedly being accused of doing.”
Elena Teyer, the mother-in-law of Ibragim Todashev, was one of the seven people speaking out against the justice system. Her daughter’s husband was shot seven times and killed in his Florida home by federal agents from Boston in May 2013. Teyer held a collage of his autopsy photographs.
“I am dead because I knew Tsarnaevs. I knew the truth,” her sign read.
Teyer told reporters about the email between FBI agents after they killed Todashev. It says, “Good work. A job well done.” The email congratulated the FBI team for their success! It did not say, “Well that turned uglier than we had planned.” This can only imply that they were sent from Boston to Orlando to murder a potential witness.
“They came from Boston to kill my son-in-law. I know that for sure.”
“We are all here for justice,” said Teyer, detailing to reporters the holes and inconsistencies in law enforcement’s account of Todashev’s death.
The news story of the alleged Todashev confession – that he and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were involved a drug-related 2011 triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts – was originally leaked to the media by reporter Michelle McPhee. There is a bloodstained note partially written, never signed. Todashev apparently had refused to continue with this forced confession, and paid with his brains splattered next to his front door.
Government prosecutors mentioned this unsigned confession letter in a previous court filing as if it were indeed undisputed fact. Defense attorneys have since tried repeatedly without success to compel the government to give some more details about these murders, which seem to be unrelated to the Boston Marathon bombing.
On October 24, 2014, four days after the hearing, US prosecutors filed with the court their opposition to Tsarnaev’s Fourth Motion to Compel [Discovery]. In order to avoid having to hand over any evidence to the defense, US prosecutors now suddenly admit:
“The government has no evidence that Tamerlan Tsarnaev actually participated in the Walham murders.”
J.M. Lawrence, who writes for Bloomberg and the Boston Globe, tweets: “If US ‘has no evidence’ Tamerlan murdered 3 in Waltham, was the Todashev ‘confession’ in FL false? Lots of unanswered questions.”
McPhee’s most recent article in Newsweek entitled “Twisted Sisters” took heat inside the courtroom. The Islamophobic article painted a negative picture of the Tsarnaev family and contained a number of factual errors. McPhee’s article states that she was tipped off by a high ranking law enforcement official. McPhee is also the source of other erroneous stories related to the Boston Marathon bombing like the “note in the boat.”
Media leaks are very serious, because the TV version of events is extremely absent from the actual court proceedings – but heavily weighs the jury’s mindset against the defendant. Tsarnaev’s motion to address leaks “requests that the Court hold a hearing, and direct government counsel to produce the supervising law enforcement officers with access to information about this case including both federal and state supervising agents or officers – to testify about their instructions and efforts to investigate and stop unauthorized communications with news media.”
The other big issue is the government intimidation of witnesses. The government wants the defense to reveal the names of Jahar’s old friends and relatives long before the trial. This is something that is not normally done, and the defense is not going along with it, because they fear for the safety of these people and they also fear that these people once the FBI starts harassing them, will cease to become defense witnesses.
“Defense counsel have described the unusual and severe obstacles they have encountered in their efforts to interview and secure testimony from potential witnesses who knew the defendant, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and other members of his family prior to April 15, 2013… A substantial part of these difficulties stems from the aggressive, persistent and pervasive law enforcement presence in the lives of many potential defense witnesses, and the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that has necessarily followed…”
“Given the virtual certainty that the FBI will descend on each of the non-expert witnesses to interview them (and in most cases, to re-interview them), the defendant has a well-founded concern that in the very unusual context of this case, defense witnesses whose identities are disclosed to the government prior to trial will quickly cease to be defense witnesses. For this reason, the defense does not agree to a witness disclosure requirement that is not mandated by statute or rule.”
1,000 potential jurors will be screened for Tsarnaev’s trial, District Judge George O’Toole said at Monday’s hearing. The process of picking the 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case against Tsarnaev is expected to begin on November 3, 2014.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Exciting Developments in Tsarnaev Case
"The government has no evidence that Tamerlan Tsarnaev actually participated in the Walham murders."
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1574.htm
On October 20, 2014, Tsarnaev's most recent status conference hearing took place. Seven demonstrators spoke to the flock of reporters reminding them about their legal obligation to promote the presumption of innocence.
"I haven't seen any actual evidence against [the Tsarnaev brothers]. I mean I've seen circumstantial evidence. Nothing that actually links them to [the bombings]," stated demonstrator Arina Montag.
Elena Teyer is the mother in law of Ibrahim Todashev, who was shot 7 times in his Florida home by Boston FBI in May of 2013. Elena drove for three days, sleeping in her car in order to be present at this demonstration. Her brave diligence was noted.
Associated Press' Denise Lavoie reported, "Elena Teyer held a placard with photos of son-in-law Ibragim Todashev. 'I am dead because I knew Tsarnaevs. I knew the truth,' the sign read in part."
"'We are all here for justice,' said Teyer, pointing to Ibrahim's autopsy photos, explaining what she believes to be holes and inconsistencies in law enforcement's account of Todashev's death," reported Morgan Rousseau in the Boston Metro.
"They came from Boston to kill my son-in-law. I know that for sure."
Elena mentioned to reporters the email between FBI agents after they killed her daughter's husband. It says, "Good work. A job well done." It did not say, "Well that turned uglier than we had planned." The email congratulated the FBI team for their success! This can only mean that they were sent from Boston to Orlando to murder the potential witness.
Meanwhile, inside the courthouse, defending attorneys complained of media leaks. In particular, a recent Newsweek article by Michelle McPhee, entitled "Twisted Sisters," painted a negatively biased picture of the Tsarnaev family. It was Islamophobic and contained a number of factual errors. McPhee's article states that she was tipped off by a high ranking law enforcement official. McPhee is also the source of other weird stories related to the Boston Marathon bombing like "the note in the boat."
This is very serious, because the TV version of events is extremely absent from the actual court proceedings but heavily weighs the jury's mindset against the defendant. Four days after the courthouse protest, on October 24, attorneys filed three very interesting documents: Tsarnaev's defense team filed their Third Motion for a Hearing to Address Leaks by Law Enforcement, and a Memorandum Regarding Scheduling, which addresses government intimidation of witnesses. The government filed its opposition to Tsarnaev's Fourth Motion to Compel [Discovery].
Tsarnaev's motion to address leaks "requests that the Court hold a hearing, and direct government counsel to produce the supervising law enforcement officers with access to information about this case including both federal and state supervising agents or officers - to testify about their instructions and efforts to investigate and stop unauthorized communications with news media."
The next illuminating document discusses government intimidation of witnesses. The defense argues that they are not legally obligated to disclose the names of Jahar's friends, as the government demands.
"Defense counsel have described the unusual and severe obstacles they have
encountered in their efforts to interview and secure testimony from potential witnesses who knew the defendant, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and other members of his family prior to April 15, 2013... A substantial part of these difficulties stems from the aggressive, persistent and pervasive law enforcement presence in the lives of many potential defense witnesses, and the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that has necessarily followed. This problem, and the consequent slowing of the pace of the defense mitigation investigation, was one of the reasons why defense counsel sought a continuance of the trial date to September 2015..."
"These same concerns make it impossible for the defense to voluntarily agree to disclose to the government the names of non-expert witnesses long before they are to be called. Given the virtual certainty that the FBI will descend on each of the non-expert witnesses to interview them (and in most cases, to re-interview them), the defendant has a well-founded concern that in the very unusual context of this case, defense witnesses whose identities are disclosed to the government prior to trial will quickly cease to be defense witnesses. For this reason, the defense does not agree to a witness disclosure requirement that is not mandated by statute or rule."
In the government's response to defense requests for more information about Todashev's alleged confession regarding the triple homicide in 2011, in order to avoid having to hand over any evidence to the defense, US prosecutors now suddenly admit:
"The government has no evidence that Tamerlan Tsarnaev actually participated in the Walham murders."
J.M. Lawrence, who writes for Bloomberg and the Boston Globe, tweets: "If US 'has no evidence' Tamerlan murdered 3 in Waltham, was the Todashev 'confession' in FL false? Lots of unanswered questions."
The Todashev confession news leak also came from, surprise! McPhee. Government prosecutors mentioned Ibrahim's confession in an earlier court filing as fact. This is a common practice in shady politics: leak news report, then refer to news report in legal case. But if Todashev is now suddenly considered innocent, why did he write a blood-stained confession note?
1,000 potential jurors will be screened for Tsarnaev's trial, District Judge George O'Toole said at Monday's hearing. The process of picking the 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case against Tsarnaev is expected to begin on November 3, 2014.
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1574.htm
On October 20, 2014, Tsarnaev's most recent status conference hearing took place. Seven demonstrators spoke to the flock of reporters reminding them about their legal obligation to promote the presumption of innocence.
"I haven't seen any actual evidence against [the Tsarnaev brothers]. I mean I've seen circumstantial evidence. Nothing that actually links them to [the bombings]," stated demonstrator Arina Montag.
Elena Teyer is the mother in law of Ibrahim Todashev, who was shot 7 times in his Florida home by Boston FBI in May of 2013. Elena drove for three days, sleeping in her car in order to be present at this demonstration. Her brave diligence was noted.
Associated Press' Denise Lavoie reported, "Elena Teyer held a placard with photos of son-in-law Ibragim Todashev. 'I am dead because I knew Tsarnaevs. I knew the truth,' the sign read in part."
"'We are all here for justice,' said Teyer, pointing to Ibrahim's autopsy photos, explaining what she believes to be holes and inconsistencies in law enforcement's account of Todashev's death," reported Morgan Rousseau in the Boston Metro.
"They came from Boston to kill my son-in-law. I know that for sure."
Elena mentioned to reporters the email between FBI agents after they killed her daughter's husband. It says, "Good work. A job well done." It did not say, "Well that turned uglier than we had planned." The email congratulated the FBI team for their success! This can only mean that they were sent from Boston to Orlando to murder the potential witness.
Meanwhile, inside the courthouse, defending attorneys complained of media leaks. In particular, a recent Newsweek article by Michelle McPhee, entitled "Twisted Sisters," painted a negatively biased picture of the Tsarnaev family. It was Islamophobic and contained a number of factual errors. McPhee's article states that she was tipped off by a high ranking law enforcement official. McPhee is also the source of other weird stories related to the Boston Marathon bombing like "the note in the boat."
This is very serious, because the TV version of events is extremely absent from the actual court proceedings but heavily weighs the jury's mindset against the defendant. Four days after the courthouse protest, on October 24, attorneys filed three very interesting documents: Tsarnaev's defense team filed their Third Motion for a Hearing to Address Leaks by Law Enforcement, and a Memorandum Regarding Scheduling, which addresses government intimidation of witnesses. The government filed its opposition to Tsarnaev's Fourth Motion to Compel [Discovery].
Tsarnaev's motion to address leaks "requests that the Court hold a hearing, and direct government counsel to produce the supervising law enforcement officers with access to information about this case including both federal and state supervising agents or officers - to testify about their instructions and efforts to investigate and stop unauthorized communications with news media."
The next illuminating document discusses government intimidation of witnesses. The defense argues that they are not legally obligated to disclose the names of Jahar's friends, as the government demands.
"Defense counsel have described the unusual and severe obstacles they have
encountered in their efforts to interview and secure testimony from potential witnesses who knew the defendant, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and other members of his family prior to April 15, 2013... A substantial part of these difficulties stems from the aggressive, persistent and pervasive law enforcement presence in the lives of many potential defense witnesses, and the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that has necessarily followed. This problem, and the consequent slowing of the pace of the defense mitigation investigation, was one of the reasons why defense counsel sought a continuance of the trial date to September 2015..."
"These same concerns make it impossible for the defense to voluntarily agree to disclose to the government the names of non-expert witnesses long before they are to be called. Given the virtual certainty that the FBI will descend on each of the non-expert witnesses to interview them (and in most cases, to re-interview them), the defendant has a well-founded concern that in the very unusual context of this case, defense witnesses whose identities are disclosed to the government prior to trial will quickly cease to be defense witnesses. For this reason, the defense does not agree to a witness disclosure requirement that is not mandated by statute or rule."
In the government's response to defense requests for more information about Todashev's alleged confession regarding the triple homicide in 2011, in order to avoid having to hand over any evidence to the defense, US prosecutors now suddenly admit:
"The government has no evidence that Tamerlan Tsarnaev actually participated in the Walham murders."
J.M. Lawrence, who writes for Bloomberg and the Boston Globe, tweets: "If US 'has no evidence' Tamerlan murdered 3 in Waltham, was the Todashev 'confession' in FL false? Lots of unanswered questions."
The Todashev confession news leak also came from, surprise! McPhee. Government prosecutors mentioned Ibrahim's confession in an earlier court filing as fact. This is a common practice in shady politics: leak news report, then refer to news report in legal case. But if Todashev is now suddenly considered innocent, why did he write a blood-stained confession note?
1,000 potential jurors will be screened for Tsarnaev's trial, District Judge George O'Toole said at Monday's hearing. The process of picking the 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case against Tsarnaev is expected to begin on November 3, 2014.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Aafia Siddique’s Appeal Mysteriously Withdrawn
TMO
On October 9, 2014, Dr. Aafia Siddique’s family announced that US District Judge Richard Berman had without any warning ordered the case closed for the appeal of her conviction. The openly hostile, Zionist activist judge, the same judge who sentenced Aafia in early 2010, denies this. The Nation, Pakistan reported that Berman stated he had “allowed” Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to withdraw what could be the last appeal of her conviction on charges of attempted murder. Berman claimed that Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence at Carswell prison medical centre in Texas, had ‘clearly and unequivocally’ stated her intent to end the appeal. Berman added that even if the appeal had continued, he likely would have ruled against her.
Salman Khan of the Free Aafia Movement said the organization had made vehement attempts to protest the racist judge’s inclusion in the appeals process, but they were unable to have him removed from proceedings due to lack of legal funds.
“Just to reopen the trial costs $150,000, and then to remove him it would have cost us a further $100,000,” he said.
Reuters reports that Aafia wrote a statement, “I refuse to participate in this system of total injustice that has punished and tortured me repeatedly, and continues to do so, without my having committed a crime.” She wrote that she wanted to be sent home to Pakistan through diplomacy, not through the legal system.
However, Aafia’s sister, Dr. Fowzia Siddique said mystery shrouds the circumstances. She is convinced that Aafia’s statement was coerced. In their last communication, Aafia said she was “determined to fight her case.”
“This is not Aafia’s decision. I know because my last conversation with her was that she was visited [in her dreams] by our prophet Muhammad, saw, and he was pleased with my efforts and the appeal. She said it is for this reason I consent, and if we don’t connect again DO NOT believe any statement to the contrary on my behalf.”
“Since then we have had absolutely no contact with her. I know she did not withdraw of her own free will. She has been coerced. God knows how much torture [she’s been forced to endure], complete solitary and manipulations…. It horrifies me to even think about what she has been forced to go through.”
Aafia, who is being held in solitary confinement, has not been allowed phone calls to her family in Pakistan since initiating her appeal.
“We have not been allowed [in-person contact] with her at any time. There is a prison rule that she gets to speak to family for 300 minutes per month – as long as the family pays for the call. We did get that order, and the only time that was implemented was when there were worldwide demonstrations – at those times there were calls. But since filing the appeal they have kept Aafia completely incommunicado,” stated her sister.
Mauri Saalakhan of the Peace and Justice Foundation comments, “While Malala Yousafzai is being celebrated for her accomplishments and yet unfulfilled future potential, Aafia Siddique is wasting away in a maximum security prison cell on a military base in the land of ‘liberty and justice for all!’”
Aafia received her university training in America, graduating with honors from MIT and the Jewish university Brandeis, where she was active in Muslim student groups. She was quoted in the Boston Globe as saying that if Americans would know more about the beauty of Islam, they would all want to become Muslims. This innocent statement of youthful idealism caught the attention of the local Zionist organizations.
Soon later, in 2003, Aafia was wanted by the FBI for questioning for possible ties to al Qaeda because she made a debit card purchase at a US army surplus store. She and her children were kidnapped by Pakistani authorities while awaiting a train. Aafia was placed into one black car and the crying children into another. They were handed over to US agents and held incommunicado in Afghanistan for five years. Aafia’s baby was never seen again. The two older children were rescued from Bagram prison some years later as a result of intervention from the UK and are now living with relatives.
Instead of receiving an apology, this tiny woman, who never did anything more radical than collecting boots to donate to Bosnia, has been named as one of the FBI’s most wanted “terrorists.” Her isolation covers up some dark secrets, the government hopes.
Instead of receiving an apology, this tiny woman, who never did anything more radical than collecting boots to donate to Bosnia, has been named as one of the FBI’s most wanted “terrorists.” Her isolation covers up some dark secrets, the government hopes.
Siddiqui was never even charged with links to terrorism. The FBI agents, US soldiers and interpreters said that as they were about to interrogate her at an Afghan police compound in Ghazni, Afghanistan, she supposedly grabbed a rifle and began shooting at them. None of them were wounded, but she was shot in the abdomen when they “returned fire.” At her trial, Aafia’s lawyer argued that there was no evidence the rifle had been fired.
Aafia approached the US soldiers because she thought they were there to save her from her Afghani captors! Aafia was being raped and tortured at the US military’s Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Instead of helping her, the US government committed her to life at Carswell, where she has reportedly been forced to walk on the Quran in addition to other humiliations.
What has been done to this innocent Pakistani woman and her children in the name of the US War on Terror is so sick and so awful that it would turn the stomaches of every citizen of the United States if they knew about it. Popular opinion would instantly turn dead against this criminal use of the American government.
“Had Aafia’s appeal reached its logical end, many hidden facts would have come to light, and many important people unmasked. This just proves Aafia is a victim of international power politics and her captives have a lot to hide and will revert to any length to keep her behind bars,” Fowzia told reporters.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Government Pays $66K for Testimony Against Tsarnaev Friend
TMO
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Stephen Silva, 21, seen after his November arrest on drug charges, was arrested again in July on federal charges of heroin trafficking and possession of a handgun with an obliterated serial number.
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Stephen Silva, 21, an immigrant from Cape Verde and childhood friend associate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was arrested with marijuana in November 2013 but not charged until July 15, 2014 when a Federal Grand Jury suddenly alleged that in February 2013, he “knowingly received and possessed a firearm, to wit: a Ruger model P95 9mm pistol, which had the importer’s and manufacturer’s serial number removed, obliterated and altered and had previously been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce.”
“He has not been charged with anything related to the bombing,” stressed Silva’s attorney Jonathan Shapiro.
The court document filed On July 15, 2014 actually says nothing about the gun being given or sold to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed after a shoot-out with police. Since Tamerlan’s gun was recovered at the scene, and was never found in Silva’s possession, where is the evidence that Silva ever had a gun?
Jane24 commented on firedoglake that “the narrative promoted, in the most part, by the mainstream media, claims that the firearm alleged to have been in Silva’s possession, a Ruger P95 9mm pistol, was the weapon used in the murder of MIT Officer Sean Collier on the night of 18th April, 2013. The mainstream media, as has become common in all cases related to the bombing of the Boston marathon, credit their “additional information” to that most credible source, the “anonymous law enforcement official.”
His friends are shocked by the allegations, because although Silva was known to smoke marijuana, he was not known to deal heroin or possess a gun. Silva was studying political science and planned to go to law school and become a public defender.
“He does not belong in federal prison,” said the 20-year-old woman who knew Silva at Cambridge Rindge and Latin and at UMass-Boston and described him as a “fun-loving, open person.”
Silva’s long time girlfriend Aisha told TMO that “all of these charges against him ARE RIDICULOUS and untrue. He should not be punished just because him and Jahar went to the same high school. They are individuals and should take responsibility for their own actions. THERE SHOULD NOT BE GUILT BY ASSOCIATION. I know for a fact what the media is reporting is UNTRUE and not the real Stephen. Therefore, I will stand by Stephen’s side through this,” she insisted.
Silva’s long time girlfriend Aisha told TMO that “all of these charges against him ARE RIDICULOUS and untrue. He should not be punished just because him and Jahar went to the same high school. They are individuals and should take responsibility for their own actions. THERE SHOULD NOT BE GUILT BY ASSOCIATION. I know for a fact what the media is reporting is UNTRUE and not the real Stephen. Therefore, I will stand by Stephen’s side through this,” she insisted.
“Silva was identified by MBTA police then as a ‘street-level’ drug dealer, which is at the bottom of any drug-dealing enterprise,” reports Patricial Wen in the Boston Globe. So why is he being targeted with federal charges? Why is he so important?
“As far as we are aware, the FBI has seemingly little evidence to tie either of the Tsarnaev brothers to the murder of Officer Collier. Could it be that they need a witness for the prosecution in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev? If this was the case, how far would the FBI be prepared to go in order to attain that witness?” asks jane24.
The court document filed Wednesday, September 10, 2014 demonstrates how far they would go. An unnamed cooperating witness “CW-1,” who is said to have purchased drugs from Silva, and who himself was facing charges, will testify against Silva in exchange for his freedom, $66,025 and various other favors. The document reads:
“CW-1 was at one time a member of a violent street gang. At the time CW-1 started cooperating, CW-1’s relative was facing federal drug and firearm charges. CW-1’s relative, who has also cooperated with the government, has pled guilty to those charges pursuant to a standard cooperation agreement with the US Attorney’s office.”
“The witness has received approximately $66,000 from the government for the witness’s involvement in the Silva case and other investigations. The total includes payments for services, expenses, and relocation costs, as well as vehicle fines,” Milton Valencia reports in the Globe.
“When the witness first began cooperating, he was pulled over for speeding in New Hampshire and had a suspended driver’s license. A state trooper assigned to an FBI task force advised the New Hampshire officer of the witness’s cooperation. Authorities in New Hampshire towed the witness’s car but did not cite him. The FBI task force subsequently helped the witness obtain a license allowing him to drive at certain times.
“At one point, the FBI paid an outstanding fine that the witness had with a prior landlord, so that the witness could obtain Section 8 housing.
“During the time the witness was cooperating with the FBI, he was arrested for failing to pay a civil fine for child support. A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent called a state Department of Revenue attorney asking for the witness’s release, but the department refused.
“The government has also helped the witness and his family relocate, and has indicated it will provide further assistance to ensure the safety of the witness and his family. The government has refused to identify the witness at this time out of fear that it would “put [the witness’s] safety and the safety of its family in jeopardy.”
According to the September 10, 2014 court document Silva, who is being held without bail in a secret location, was called before “a federal grand jury over a year ago in connection with another matter and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.”
Could it be that yet another young immigrant has been targeted with federal incarceration because he had previously failed to cooperate with the FBI?
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