Ashraf Al-Jailani is a Yemeni-born permanent legal resident of the United States. Al-Jailani married Michele Swensen, an American, in February 1996. They have three children, now ages 3 (Sami, who will be 4 on June 17), 5 (Layla,), and 7 (Amina). On October 23, 2002, Al-Jailani was arrested at his job, the Akron-based GOJO Industries' Cuyahoga Falls "soap-manufacturing plant where he'd worked as a quality-control chemist for more than two years" (Tiffani Helberg/Ohio News Network, "Wife Still Fights for Muslim Man's Justice," Columbus Dispatch, February 25, 2004, p. C5), on the pretext that "the appeal of a deportation order stemming from a domestic violence incident almost three years earlier had been denied," using the 1996 Immigration Act, even though "al-Jailani had been pardoned by Ohio Gov. Robert Taft in 2001 (Lauri Lebo, "Yemeni Man Still in York Jail; For Second Time, Judge Orders Man Out on Bail; Appeal Pending," York Dispatch, December 10, 2003). Five minutes later, six FBI agents showed up at Al-Jailani and Swensen's house to search it, saying that they found Al-Jailani's business card in the wallet of a suspected Al-Qaeda money launderer.
Al-Jailani has been imprisoned without charges ever since. The
NewStandard reports that "Al-Jailani's FBI file, obtained through a
Freedom of Information Act request, revealed that the government has
no record of having investigated him" ("FOI Request Reveals FBI Never
Investigated Yemeni for Terror Ties," June 2, 2004).First in March 2003 and again in December 2003, U.S. Immigration Court Judge Walt Durling ordered Al-Jailani freed on bond, finding the government's "evidence" inadequate: "'If one steps back a moment and examines the government's theory, there is no direct evidence linking respondent to terrorism, only certain indirect 'links' to others known or suspected of being associated with terrorists.' Durling expressed surprise that the FBI has not interrogated Al-Jailani since his arrest in October 2002. When asked why, Charnesky said the bureau assumed Al-Jailani would simply lie. The judge found this answer strange" (Karen R. Long, "Judge Orders Kent Man Freed; U.S. Blocks Order," Plain Dealer, December 5, 2003, p. B1). By now, "Durling has ordered on three occasions that Al-Jailani be released on a $1,500 bond, but the federal government has blocked his release, appealing each decision" (Stephen Dyer, "Detainee, Children Still Apart: U.S. Refuses to Let Jailed Former Kent Man Go to Portage Custody Hearing," Akron Beacon Journal, April 16, 2004). Judge "Durling issued his third order releasing Al-Jailani on March 23: (Dyer, April 16, 2004).
The government's detention of Al-Jailani has taken a heavy toll on his family: "Swensen said Al-Jailani is limited to one phone call every other week. Because he was the family's sole breadwinner, she's now scraping by on government assistance and can't afford to visit him in prison. . . . Swensen said she has battled depression since her husband's arrest. One of the lowest points, she said, came last summer when her condition worsened and she had to spend two months in the hospital. Because of her absence, she lost custody of the children" (Helberg, February 25, 2004). Her nightmare has not come to an end . . .
What can you do to help? Go to <http://montages.blogspot.com/2004/06/free-ashraf-al-jailani-support-michele.html>, with links to a petition, contact information, etc. -- Yoshie
* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/> * Bring Them Home Now! <http://www.bringthemhomenow.org/> * Calendars of Events in Columbus: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/calendar.html>, <http://www.freepress.org/calendar.php>, & <http://www.cpanews.org/> * Student International Forum: <http://sif.org.ohio-state.edu/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://www.solidarity-us.org/>
