Feb. 13, 2007

TAMPA — Today is the 23rd day of Dr. Sami Al-Arian’s indefinite hunger strike (water only) to protest government harassment and the prolongation of his imprisonment. He has lost nearly 30 pounds.

Late last week, the respected human rights monitor Amnesty International sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to express “concern about the treatment while in federal custody of Dr. Sami Al-Arian.”

The letter cited the horrendous, inhumane treatment that Dr. Al-Arian has faced in recent months, including being moved in a trip that took him through five states, “during which he had none of his personal possessions and was again held in 23-hour lockdown.” Furthermore, the letter states, Dr. Al-Arian was held in Atlanta Federal Correctional Institute in “unsanitary conditions with exposure to rats.”

Amnesty International considers that his treatment in prison “is in breach of the USA’s obligations under international standards and treaties, including Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which states that ‘all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.’

The letter, which was signed by Susan Lee, program director of the group’s Americas Regional Program, continues: “The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, internationally recognized guiding principles, direct that the prison system shall not aggravate the suffering inherent in the deprivation of liberty.”

The letter continues: “…The conditions under which Dr. Al-Arian has been detained both during his pre-trial detention, and since his sentencing, appear to be unacceptably harsh and punitive, contrary to the standards cited above. International standards discourage the use of prolonged cellular or solitary confinement and provide that prisoners must have access adequate sanitation, clothing, fresh air and exercise. … We are concerned by evidence suggesting that some of the harsh treatment, including alleged abuses by guards, has been based, at least in part, on his political background.

We urge you to investigation these concerns and to take immediate steps to alleviate Dr. Al-Arian’s conditions of confinement so that he receives more out-of-cell time, adequate exercise, and access to the possessions and privileges he would normally be allowed as a convicted prisoner. We also urge you to investigate the allegations of abuse by prison guards.

Finally, lawyers for Dr. Al-Arian have expressed the view to Amnesty International that the decision to call him before a grand jury in Virginia was politically motivated in order to extend his prison term as well as being in breach of the plea bargain agreement. While we are not in a position to reach conclusions on this matter, we are concerned by these allegations in view of the punitive treatment described above. We are disturbed, too, by reports that the prosecutor leading the grand jury case in Virginia expressed anti-Islamic sentiments when discussing a request with Dr. Al-Arian’s lawyer to postpone his transfer to Virginia during Ramadan, a matter which we understand is currently the subject of a complaint before the court. This raises further concern as to whether these proceedings are being taken to punish him for his political profile rather than for legitimate purposes.”

In 2003, Amnesty International sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisoners denouncing Dr. Al-Arian’s detention as “gratuitously punitive.”