A while back the United States Congress passed a special law that permits the authorities to hold "material witnesses" without charging them for the purposes of detaining flight risks who will be compelled to give important testimony. This designation allows them to hold you indefinitely without charging you. This law was coincidentally passed in, you guessed it, 1984.
Thus far its hasn't been abused, but since 9.11, John Ashcroft's Justice Department has made great use of it to detain people for extended periods of time without charging them, an action that typically violates our right of due process. In extreme cases, US civilians have been classified as "enemy combatants" which is even worse, as it qualifies one for a special secret tribunal that appears to be in violation of due process (see the pattern). In case you forgot, these laws are being applied to American Citizens.
Like this guy, Mike Hawash for example. Two weeks ago, as he's getting out of his car at the parking lot at Intel for work, the Feds swoop in and arrest him. They showed up at his house in combat gear as well to take away his computer and other stuff from his wife and two children. Mike wasn't born an American, but became a citizen in 1988 (maybe he isn't grandfathered in the civil rights coverage that the rest of us get?). His wife and two daughters are though.
So now he's been held without being charged for 2 weeks with only limited contact with his family and lawyer. He hasn't been interrogated by the authorities and has no idea why he is being held. Perhaps its because of the money he gave to a charity a few years ago that builds mosques in the US or perhaps its because he's Arabic and the gov't thinks he knows something. No one knows yet.
Check out the Free Mike Hawash page for information about this case as well as information about how to donate to his legal fund and his family's living fund. There are also articles at the New York Times and Wired as well as discussion at Slashdot if you're interested.
This is real, people. The US Gov't is locking people up with telling us or them why. There isn't much we can do about it right now, perhaps, but keep this in mind in November of next year.
Posted by Nutrimentia at April 6, 2003 06:49 PM | TrackBack