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Jordanian Student Acquitted in 9/11 Perjury Case Recounts
FBI Intimidation and Mistreatment
UCLA Police Repeatedly Taser Handcuffed Student For Refusal
to Show ID, University Orders Outside Probe
Dr. Mike Alcalay 1941 - 2006: Doctor Who Lived With AIDS
for Over 20 Years Dies of Leukemia
Jordanian Student Acquitted in 9/11 Perjury Case
Recounts FBI Intimidation and Mistreatment
Jordanian immigrant Osama Awadallah was acquitted of federal
charges Friday that he lied to a grand jury investigating
the September 11th attacks. In a Democracy Now! exclusive,
Awadallah joins us live in our firehouse studio to talk about
his arrest, detention and much more. We also discuss the specifics
of the case with his attorney, Sarah Kunstler.[includes rush
transcript]
On Friday, Jordanian immigrant Osama Awadallah was acquitted
of federal charges that he lied to a grand jury investigating
the September 11th attacks. Ten days after the attacks, Awadallah
- who was then a student at Grossmont College outside of San
Diego - was taken into custody and held as a material witness.
Agents detained Awadallah after they found a scrap of paper
with his name and telephone number in a car at Dulles National
Airport in Washington D.C. The car belonged to Nawaf al-Hazmi
- one of the 9/11 hijackers.
Awadallah spent much of the next 20 days in solitary confinement
where he was treated as a high security risk. He was released
on bail in November of 2001 as he awaited trial.
Awadallah's case was thrown out once, reinstated by a federal
appeals court, then delayed for almost a year while prosecutors
tried unsuccessfully to have the judge removed because of
claims of bias. When the case finally reached trial earlier
this year, the jury ended in a deadlock. Until Friday, Awadallah
faced the possibility of ten years in prison and deportation.
Osama Awadallah joins us in our firehouse studio - along
with Sarah Kunstler -- an attorney on the case:
- Osama Awadallah, Jordanian student acquitted of federal
charges that he lied to a grand jury investigating the September
11th attacks.
- Sarah Kunstler, attorney for Osama Awadallah.
UCLA Police Repeatedly Taser Handcuffed Student For
Refusal to Show ID, University Orders Outside Probe
Officials at the University of California in Los Angeles
are launching an independent investigation into campus police
officers' repeated shocking of an Iranian-American student
with a Taser stun gun. The student was handcuffed the entire
time. The incident was captured on video has and sparked outrage
across his campus and the country. [rush transcript
included]
Officials at the University of California in Los Angeles
are launching an independent investigation into campus police
officers" repeated shocking of an Iranian-American student
with a Taser stun gun.
The incident took place last Tuesday evening in a UCLA library
filled with students studying for their midterm exams. The
student, Mostafa Tabatabainejad - a 23-year old senior - was
in the library's computer lab. Campus police ordered him to
leave after he failed to produce a student ID.
Police then handcuffed Mostafa and shocked him with a Taser
gun at least five times. The entire incident was captured
on video by another student and has been widely seen on local
TV news and the website YouTube. In the video Mostafa can
be heard screaming "I said I would leave" after
police repeatedly shock him with the Taser gun.
Mostafa"s attorney, Stephen Yagman, said he plans to
file a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing the UCLA police
of "brutal excessive force," as well as false arrest.
He said Mostafa initially refused to show his ID because he
thought he was being singled out because of his Middle Eastern
appearance. Mostafa is of Iranian descent but is a U.S. citizen
by birth and a resident of Los Angeles.
Meanwhile more than 200 UCLA students marched to the university
police station on Friday calling for an independent investigation
and the suspension of the officers involved. Hours later,
the university announced that a veteran LA law enforcement
watchdog would head up the probe. Merrick Bobb served as staff
attorney for the Christopher Commission, which was formed
to examine allegations of excessive force in the Los Angeles
Police Department after the Rodney King beating in the early
"90s.
We speak with the Southern California Council on American
Islamic Relations which has also called for an independent
investigation into the case.
- Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California
Council on American Islamic Relations.
Dr. Mike Alcalay 1941 - 2006: Doctor Who Lived With
AIDS for Over 20 Years Dies of Leukemia
Dr. Mike Alcalay, a longtime AIDS activist, died Saturday
in Oakland California of leukemia. He was the medical director
of a free medical marijuana clinic in Oakland. Alcalay lived
with AIDS for over 20 years and was a medical marijuana patient
himself. He was also a pediatrician and Vietnam veteran. We
speak with his brother, Glenn. [rush transcript
included]
Longtime advocate and activist, Dr. Mike Alcalay died Saturday
in Oakland California. He was the medical director of the
Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative - a free medical marijuana
clinic under Proposition 215. Prop. 215 legalizes medical
marijuana in California.
Dr. Alcalay lived with AIDS and was a medical marijuana patient
himself. He was also a pediatrician and Vietnam veteran. Mike
Alcalay was the founder of a migrant farm workers clinic in
Watsonville, CA, and had used his medical skills all over
the world -- including England, Germany, Kenya, Mexico and
Nicaragua.
- Dr. Mike Alcalay, interviewed in 2004 for the "Steppin'
Out of Babylon" radio series.
- Glenn Alcalay, brother of Mike Alcalay. He joins us in
our firehouse studio.
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.
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