March 24, 2008

Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian, a former Florida university professor, was arrested in 2003 by the U.S. government, on charges of funding terrorism. In December of 2005, he was acquitted on 8 of the 17 charges brought against him. In April of 2006, Dr. Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy and had all the other charges dropped. He agreed to be deported. However, Dr. Al-Arian's incarceration was extended thereafter for refusing to testify against former associates.

Despite a lifted civil contempt charge in 2007, the Justice Department subpoenaed Dr. Al-Arian to testify before another grand jury in 2008. As the plea agreement signed with federal prosecutors in April 2006 removed the possibility of cooperation, Dr. Al-Arian has rejected this demand and is currently on his second hunger strike in federal detention.

As a result of the strike, Dr. Al-Arian was recently transferred from his Virginia prison to a medical facility in North Carolina. He has lost nearly 30 pounds and is extremely ill due to severe dehydration.

To date, Dr. Al-Arian has been imprisoned for five years, despite a jury's failure to return a single guilty verdict against him. Demand for preserving the integrity of the judicial process, call for the immediate release of Dr. Al-Arian so that he may leave the country per the plea agreement.

TAKE ACTION

Send letters, emails and faxes urging U.S. Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip to immediately release Dr. Al-Arian. Please include "Attn: Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip - Release Dr. Al-Arian" in the subject header.

Write to:
Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Fax to: 202.307.6777

Email to: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

Letter Template:

Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

[DATE SUBMITTED]

Dear Sir:

In the interest of upholding the integrity of the American judicial system, I ask that you immediately release Dr. Sami Al-Arian for deportation. After five years of federal detention, Dr. Al-Arian remains imprisoned - despite a jury's failure to return a single guilty verdict on the terrorism charges leveled against him.

Despite a 2006 plea agreement for immediate deportation, Dr. Al-Arian continues to be held in U.S. federal custody for refusing to testify against former associates. The plea agreement, signed with federal prosecutors, removed the possibility of cooperation making the threat of continued imprisonment for refusal to testify a miscarriage of justice. In protest of this contravention, Dr. Al-Arian is nearing his third week of a hunger strike. As a result, Dr. Al Arian has lost nearly 30 pounds, and is extremely ill due to severe dehydration.

You have the power to end this injustice; ensure that the Department of Justice honors the promise it made to Dr. Al-Arian in his plea agreement. Please release Dr. Al-Arian for deportation on the day his current sentence ends, April 7th 2008.

Thank you for your consideration of this important request.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]
[ADDRESS, CITY, STATE AND ZIP CODE]