[WCUSP] Fwd: [ccclr] apparently a big victory in LA 8 case

[Barbara Taft]

Yes, that is truly good news.  Michel Shehadeh is a good friend of
mine, although I haven't seen him in a few years.  He is a really
great person and I can attest to the fact that he is, if anything,
the opposite of a terrorist!  Thanks for letting us know about this,
Libby.

Barb T.

--- Libby or Mort Frank <lmfrank1 at verizon.net> wrote:

> Twenty years -- but some good news.  Libby
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Dennis Dixon 
> To: CAWI ; ccds_midwest at yahoogroups.com ; chiantiwar at yahoogroups.com ;
> chicagoslap at yahoogroups.com ; clppj ; DSA ; GreensTalk Illinois ; kucinichpeople ;
> lpnufp at yahoogroups.com ; mayday ; neighborsforpeace at yahoogroups.com ;
> nosweatinchicago at yahoogroups.com 
> Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 9:08 PM
> Subject: [ccds_midwest] Fwd: [ccclr] apparently a big victory in LA 8 case
> 
> 
> 
> 
> courtesy NLG - NIP sources: 
> 
> NLG - Marc VAn Der Hout
> 
> CCR - David Cole
> 
> South [this part garbled in transmission]
> 
> ======================================================
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE â?" January 30, 2007
> 
> JUDGE THROWS OUT CHARGES IN 20-YEAR OLD PALESTINIAN DEPORTATION CASE
> 
> LOS ANGELES - In a decision received today, Los Angeles Immigration Judge Bruce J. Einhorn
> ordered an end to deportation proceedings against Khader Hamide and Michel Shehadeh, members of
> the â?oLos Angeles Eightâ? (LA8). The two have faced deportation for their alleged political
> associations with a faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization for more than twenty years.
> 
> 
> In his decision, Einhorn said that the proceedings must be terminated because of the
> governmentâ?Ts refusal to disclose evidence favorable to the immigrants in compliance with his
> June 2005 pre-trial order to disclose evidence regarding Hamide and Shehadehâ?Ts alleged support
> for the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine.
> 
> Hamide and Shehadeh have been in deportation proceedings for 20 years and their case has reached
> every level of federal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court. The government has been seeking
> to deport Hamide and Shehadeh since January 1987 based on their alleged support for the PFLP, a
> group within the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The decision comes just after the January
> 26, 2007 20th anniversary of the arrest of the Los Angeles Eight.
> 
> Judge Einhorn wrote in an 11-page opinion that begins with a poem that â?othe attenuation of
> these proceedings is a festering wound on the body of respondents and an embarrassment to the
> rule of law.â? He held that the government violated Hamide and Shehadehâ?Ts right to due
> process by subjecting them to a 20-year deportation proceeding, while at the same time being
> unprepared to prosecute the case. 
> 
> Since 1987, the government has argued that Hamide and Shehadehâ?Ts activities protected by the
> First Amendment like distributing newspapers, participating in demonstrations and organizing
> humanitarian aid fund raisers for Palestinians in the Middle East warrant deportation 
> 
> San Francisco attorney Marc Van Der Hout of the law firm of Van Der Hout, Brigagliano &
> Nightingale, who has been representing the LA8 on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild since the
> case began in 1987 stated:
> 
> -more-
> â?oJudge Einhornâ?Ts decision is important not only for Hamide and Shehadeh but for all
> immigrants in this country who want to be able to express their political views. The decision
> makes clear that the government cannot blatantly refuse to comply with an immigration judgeâ?Ts
> orders and that the government cannot continue to try to deport these permanent residents who
> did nothing but try to advocate for Palestinians right to a homelandâ?"hardly a revolutionary
> belief in the 21st century.�
> 
> David Cole, of Georgetown Law School who has been, along with Van Der Hout, co-lead counsel for
> the LA8, on behalf of the Center for Constitutional Rights, since the case began, stated: 
> 
> â?oFor twenty years the government has been attempting to deport these individuals for political
> activities that would clearly be protected if they were U.S. citizens. We hope that the
> government will now move on and focus its efforts on real terrorists and not political
> activists.�
> 
> Ahilan T. Arulanantham of the ACLU of Southern California, also co-counsel on the case, stated:
> 
> â?oThe message from this decision is clear: The government should spend its resources on genuine
> threats to our national security instead of targeting law-abiding immigrants who have done
> nothing wrong.�
> 
> Leonard Weinglass of Chicago Seven fame, has also been representing the LA 8 since 1987.
> 
> Late last year, Aiad Barakat, another member of the LA8, was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in Los
> Angeles after a similar 20- year battle against the governmentâ?Ts attempts to deport. Three
> other members of the LA8 have also obtained their permanent residency.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------
> Access over 1 million songs - Yahoo! Music Unlimited.
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
> 
> 
> __._,_.___ 
> Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic 
> Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar 
>  
> Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) 
> Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional 
> Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity
>   a..  1New Members
> Visit Your Group 
> SPONSORED LINKS
>   a.. Birthday party 
>   b.. Child party 
>   c.. Party 
>   d.. Ccds 
> Give Back
> Yahoo! for Good
> 
> Get inspired
> 
> by a good cause.
> 
> Y! Toolbar
> Get it Free!
> 
> easy 1-click access
> 
> to your groups.
> 
> Yahoo! Groups
> Start a group
> 
> in 3 easy steps.
> 
> Connect with others.
> . 
> __,_._,___ > _______________________________________________
> Wcusp mailing list
> Wcusp at wilpf.org
> http://wilpf.org/mailman/listinfo/wcusp_wilpf.org
> To post a message to all the list members, send email to Wcusp at wilpf.org.
> To unsubscribe send a message to Wcusp-leave at wilpf.org



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection. 
Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.
http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html