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March 22, 2004 Farouk is finally getting a hearing on the habeas corpus petition he filed 17 months ago to demand his release from detention. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 at 1:30 pm in US District Court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The federal court is located at 228 Walnut Street in Harrisburg, and the judge is Yvette Kane. Farouk's case is simple: he cannot be deported, and therefore the government cannot legally hold him for more than six months. But the government has used stalling tactics and various legal tricks to keep him in prison for almost two years now (we'll be sending a background piece on this in a day or two) and we have no reason to think the immigration authorities won't try more subterfuges at the hearing. This is why we are asking as many people as possible to attend the March 30 hearing--to make sure the government understands that Farouk has witnesses in the courtroom. We know how difficult it is for most people to get to Harrisburg on a weekday; we think that in fact one of the reasons the government had the case moved to central Pennsylvania last year was to make it harder for Farouk's supporters and New York-based media to attend when a hearing was finally scheduled. But we hope that a lot of you will be able to make the sacrifice to help Farouk. Please tell us as soon as possible if you can attend, and where you'll be coming from and how you expect to travel. We expect to rent cars or a van for people from the New York area. This will probably cost $30-40 for each of us; we'll be starting early in the morning and returning late that evening. Please tell us right away if you can commit to coming with us so that we make the reservations. Call us at 212-674-9499 and leave a message, or email freefarouk@yahoo.com with a copy to nicadlw@earthlink.net. If you'll be coming from New Jersey, please contact Greg Pason from the New Jersey Committee to Free Farouk Abdel-Muhti, 201-803-7574 or info@anti-racist.org. Greg will be coordinating rides from New Jersey. Even if you're coming on your own or from other areas, please give us a heads-up so that we'll have a sense of how many of us will be there, and so that we can tell you if there have been any changes in the hearing schedule. Plan to be at the courthouse early, since there will probably be delays for metal detectors, etc. We plan to hold a brief press conference after the hearing so the legal team can give their assessment. David Wilson Committee for the Release of Farouk Abdel-Muhti PS. If you can't come, please consider sending a contribution to help people who can't pay the whole cost of the trip. Make the check payable to "Nicaragua Solidarity Network" and put "Farouk" in the memo line. Also, Monday, April 26 will be the second anniversary of Farouk's arrest. We will update you soon on plans to mark the occasion.
3/23/04: Farouk Abdel-Muhti has now been held for 698 days ========================================================= Committee for the Release of Farouk Abdel-Muhti PO Box 20587, Tompkins Square Station, New York, NY 10009 Phone: 212-674-9499 * Email freefarouk@yahoo.com Websites: www.freefarouk.org * freefarouk.netfirms.com ========================================================= |
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