Organize the South

Yesterday, December 14, Eshanul (Shifa) Sadequee and Haris Ahmed were sentenced. Shifa received a 17 year sentence and Haris a 13 year one. Both will have a 30-year probation after serving their time. Shifa represented himself at the hearing and, after hearing a prepared statement by the judge, refused to stand. Although Judge Duffy said during the hearing he would consider certain objections when sentencing, his reading of a prepared statement meant he had already made up his mind before entering the courtroom. Judge Duffy is, at best, disingenuous. Worse, his statement was a white supremacist rant along the lines of Samuel Huffington's "Clash of Civilizations." I will write my impressions of that disgusting display later.

Below is my statement on behalf of Shifa. Shifa refused to allow anyone to speak on his behalf. I can only surmise that spending 3 1/2 years in solitary confinement has had some kind of effect on him. The trauma of that experience must be extreme. My statement begins below. You can read more about the sentencing, including the family statement, at freeshifa.com.

My name is Daniel. I first met Shifa some years ago and a friend of his and his family. In considering his sentence, I would like to tell you about the Shifa I met and know. This Shifa is compassionate, caring, and gentle. The Shifa I know is one who has worked to make Atlanta a better place, a place without violence.

I met Shifa at a national conference to end domestic violence. I met Shifa in the hallway and spoke with him about the conference. He struck me as young but sincere in his desire to create a world without violence. Through Shifa I met his sister and was connected to Raksha, the South Asian anti-domestic violence organization. I was working on a project to bring together crime survivors with family members of formerly and currently incarcerated people in order to address state policy issues. Shifa helped facilitate this project through his introductions. It was through this project I met my wife. It is too strong to say I owe my marriage to Shifa, I do not. However, the path that led me to where I am included meeting Shifa. He helped me along that path. He did it through kindness and gentleness.

Justice would be served by considering the full person before you. Your honor, the only Shifa I know is one who is peaceful. The only Shifa I know is one who loves his family and wants them to live in a violence-free world. I would welcome this Shifa to live in my neighborhood or in my home. As you sentence him today, I ask that you consider this Shifa.

Shifa Sadequee will be sentenced on Monday, December 14. Please come to the hearing and provide support. Gather at 10 am at the Russel Federal Building in Downtown Atlanta.

For more information, look at the Free Shifa website at freeshifa.com.

Below is the synapsis of the case taken from the Free Shifa site.

Ehsanul “Shifa” Sadequee is an American born US citizen kidnapped from Bangladesh at 19 and detained unconstitutionally in solitary confinement since 2006. He has been subjected to a physical assault to his head, denied medical care, and has suffered psychological abuse at the federal prison in Atlanta, GA. Shifa endured punishment and torture for over 1200 days (over 3 years) in solitary confinement before the trial began.

For a long period, Shifa was denied access to information on the charges or evidence against him. The so-called “evidence” used to convict him consisted of on-line chats, visiting & taping tourist sites, and translating and publishing scholarly religious texts from Arabic to English. His First Amendment rights to religious beliefs, translation and publication of scholarly and academic literature, free speech, and debates have been violated.

Shifa Sadequee was convicted on August 12 on four counts of conspiracy and attempt to provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations. The evidence is flimsy and the laws are all based on “pre-emptive prosecution” to convict people before a crime has been committed. This case is part of a larger strategy from the Bush era of targeting Muslims for detention and discrimination – through policies of torture, illegal wiretapping and detentions throughout the U.S. and at Guantanamo. We must work together in this new era of hope to end these unjust policies and to remember individuals like Shifa who are still suffering the consequences.