Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Mon., Nov. 28, 2005
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 11-28-05
PRSS Channel: A67.7
American Citizen Jailed in Saudi Arabia for 20 Months Convicted
in U.S. Court of Joining al-Qaeda and Plotting to Assassinate
Bush
Torture and Survival in a Saudi Prison: William Sampson Recounts
his 2 1/2 Year Ordeal, Calls Torture "Morally Wrong,
a Political Mistake" and Useless for Intelligence Gathering
American Citizen Jailed in Saudi Arabia for 20 Months
Convicted in U.S. Court of Joining al-Qaeda and Plotting to
Assassinate Bush
A 24-year old Arab-American was convicted Tuesday of joining
al-Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush. Houston
native Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was tried after spending nearly
two years in a Saudi Arabian prison, where he says was tortured
into making a confession. We speak with his attorney. [includes
rush
transcript]
A 24-year old Arab-American was convicted Tuesday of joining
al-Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush. Houston
native Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was tried after spending nearly
two years in a Saudi Arabian prison, where he says was tortured
into making a confession. Two doctors who examined him corroborated
his claim. Abu Ali moved to Saudi Arabia to study Islam in
the year 2000. He was arrested three years later while taking
final exams at the Islamic University of Medina. He'll be
sentenced on February 17, and faces life in prison.
- Ashraf Nubani, Attorney and Managing Partner of The Nubani
Law Firm. Lawyer for Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, the Virginia resident
convicted of terrorism charges last week. He joins us on
the line from Virginia.
Torture and Survival in a Saudi Prison: William Sampson
Recounts his 2 1/2 Year Ordeal, Calls Torture "Morally
Wrong, a Political Mistake" and Useless for Intelligence
Gathering
We speak with William Sampson, a Canadian citizen who was
jailed for over two and a half years in Saudi Arabia where
he was accused of being a British spy. He was never tried,
only tortured - including being beaten, raped and deprived
of sleep. Under mounting international pressure, the Saudi
government released Sampson in August 2003. He has written
a book about his ordeal titled "Confessions of an Innocent
Man: Torture and Survival in a Saudi Prison." [includes
rush
transcript]
Five years ago this month, car bombings in Saudi Arabia
killed two British nationals and wounded two others. Most
of the targeted were working as foreign engineers in the country.
The bombings set off another nightmare for several of their
colleagues, who were accused by the Saudi government of carrying
out the attacks.
One of them was William Sampson. Sampson, a Canadian citizen,
was working as a consultant in the Saudi Arabian pharmaceutical
industry. Within weeks of the bombings, he was imprisoned
along with seven others and placed in solitary confinement.
Sampson remained in jail for over two and a half years, where
he says he was tortured, beaten, and sexually assaulted. Medical
tests subsequently backed up his claims.
In February 2001, after weeks of torture, Sampson appeared
on Saudi Arabian television and confessed to the bombings.
He later claimed he had endured torture so painful in prior
weeks he had begged his captors to let him confess.
The televised confession elicited a world-wide campaign to
secure his release. Sampson's case was taken up by the Association
In Defense of the Wrongfully Convicted, and championed by
prominent advocates such as the late attorney Johnnie Cochran
and wrongfully imprisoned former boxer Rubin "Hurricane"
Carter. Under mounting international pressure, the Saudi government
granted him clemency. In August 2003, Sampson and five others
were set free.
Since his release, Sampson has initiated legal proceedings
against the Saudi government. He's also written a book about
his ordeal -- "Confessions of an Innocent Man: Torture
and Survival in a Saudi Prison."
- William Sampson, arrested and held in a Saudi jail for
almost 3 years where he was tortured into confessing to
crimes he did not commit. He is the author of the new book
"Confessions of an Innocent Man: Torture and Survival
in a Saudi Prison."
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
whole
show
