[Peace-discuss] Post 9-11 detainee to be deported, etc.

[Peter Miller]

The News-Gazette has been paying somewhat more attention to civil 
liberties, lately.  From yesterday's (9/4/02) paper we have:

1) "Researcher tied to anthrax probe fired from LSU" (p. A2)
2) "Post-attack detainee gets deportation and sentence" (p. A2)
3) A political cartoon with Ashcroft scratching out "We" in "We the people" 
and replacing it with "Me".

The latter article says, "[Nabil al-Marabh] was arrested in suburban 
Chicago on Sept. 30, where he was working in a liquor store, and held in 
isolation in a New York prison until May without seeing a lawyer or judge 
until he was charged with immigration law violations."  i.e. he was in 
isolation from Sep. 30 until June.

I'm sure this article is available on-line, but the upshot is that after 
9-11, Canadian authrotieis said he was connected to Bin Laden, and he 
apparently crossed illegally into the US in June 2001.  On 9-30, the US 
arrested him, held him in isolation for 9 months before charging him, and 
then charged him with conspiracy to enter the US.  He pleaded guilty to 
that charge, and on Tuesday was sentenced to 8 months in jail (the maximum) 
and deporation to Syria.  He's being credited with 3.5 months already 
served after he was charged.  He won't be charged for anything 
terrorism-related; the prosecutor said the government has no evidence "of 
any involvement by the defendant in any terrorist organization."

What if that had happened to a US citizen living in the middle east?

-Peter