Monday
Dec152008
Legal Rights in the "War on Terror": The Case of Seyed Mousavi
Monday, December 15, 2008 at 12:20
Readers have brought to our attention the imprisonment of Seyed Mousavi, a US-Iranian national who has been in detention since August 2007 on charges of "filing false tax returns, omitting group membership on naturalization forms, and violating the U.S. economic embargo against Iran".
Mousavi's home was initially raided by the FBI in July 2006. He was arrested in his mosque 13 months later and was eventually convicted in April 2008 on the charges, which were not contested by his lawyer. He was sentenced in October 2008 to 33 months in prison.
Mousavi in 2000 founded the Hejrat Foundation in Southern California "to educate and aid people: to educate Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam and issues that affect their lives and the world in which they live; to encourage positive social progress; to build unity between all people; and to fill the needs of Muslims and non-Muslims in Southern California". The Foundation in turn works with the Al-Nabi Mosque in West Covina, California on "regular programs...to educate the community in religious, cultural, humanitarian, legal, national, and international issues".
There is no evidence presented in court linking Mousavi's activities to "terrorism"; however, he was denied bail by federal authorities during his eight months of confinement before trial. His sentence also includes "de-naturalisation", stripping him of US citizenship.
Concern has now been raised for because Mousavi is apparently not being allowed to contact family or attorneys. He has been moved to a Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, and there are concerns that he will be moved to a special prison, the "Communications Management Unit", opened in 2006 in Indiana. CMU's prison population is almost exclusively Muslim, and it has faced charges of poor treatment of inmates.
Mousavi's home was initially raided by the FBI in July 2006. He was arrested in his mosque 13 months later and was eventually convicted in April 2008 on the charges, which were not contested by his lawyer. He was sentenced in October 2008 to 33 months in prison.
Mousavi in 2000 founded the Hejrat Foundation in Southern California "to educate and aid people: to educate Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam and issues that affect their lives and the world in which they live; to encourage positive social progress; to build unity between all people; and to fill the needs of Muslims and non-Muslims in Southern California". The Foundation in turn works with the Al-Nabi Mosque in West Covina, California on "regular programs...to educate the community in religious, cultural, humanitarian, legal, national, and international issues".
There is no evidence presented in court linking Mousavi's activities to "terrorism"; however, he was denied bail by federal authorities during his eight months of confinement before trial. His sentence also includes "de-naturalisation", stripping him of US citizenship.
Concern has now been raised for because Mousavi is apparently not being allowed to contact family or attorneys. He has been moved to a Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, and there are concerns that he will be moved to a special prison, the "Communications Management Unit", opened in 2006 in Indiana. CMU's prison population is almost exclusively Muslim, and it has faced charges of poor treatment of inmates.