FC: Why is Intel programmer Mike Hawash in solitary confinement?

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

See also:

http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,58382,00.html
>Intel programmer Mike Hawash, detained as a witness by federal authorities
>in what appears to be a terrorism probe, will be held until at least the
>end of April, according to a court order released on Monday afternoon.

And:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134671013_detained08m.html
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=17518

-Declan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2003 05:48:58 -0700
From: Thomas Leavitt <thomasleavitt@hotmail.com>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject: Fw: Why is Mike Hawash in solitary confinement?

The Patriot Act in action?

Habeus corpus is truly dead?

Thomas

-- 
[...]

>
> >www.freemikehawash.org
> >
> >
> >On Thursday, March 20, 2003, our friend and colleague Maher (Mike)
> >Hawash was arrested ("detained") as a "material witness" by the FBI
> >and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in the parking lot of Intel
> >Corp's Hawthorne Farms parking lot.  Simultaneously, FBI agents in
> >bulletproof vests and carrying assault rifles awoke Mike's wife Lisa
> >and their three children in the home, which they proceeded to
> >search.  Since then, Mike has been held in the Federal Prison at
> >Sheridan, OR.Here are some facts:
> >
> >*    Mike is a U.S. citizen, is held without being charged with any
crime;
> >
> >*    Mike is being held in solitary confinement, with limited access
> >to his lawyers and wife, and no access to his children;
> >
>
> >*    Mike is being held as a material witness, but he has not been
> >interrogated by the federal authorities;
> >
>
> >*    Mike has been a U.S. citizen and resident for 14 years.  He is
> >an Arab-American.  His wife Lisa was born and raised in Roseburg,
> >OR, and stepchild and children were born and raised in the Hillboro,
> >OR, where they live;
> >
> >*    The warrants and subpoenas in Mike's case are all secret,
> >sealed by the court at the U.S. government's request;
> >
> >*    Mike has a job, a home, a family, and deep roots in his
> >community.  Historically, "material witness" arrests were solely for
> >grand-jury or trial witnesses who were either a "flight risk" or
> >represented a "danger" to the community.    The U.S. has held other
> >middle-eastern men for as long as 15 months without charge as
> >"material witnesses";
> >
> >  As citizen ourselves, Mike's friends and colleagues are outraged
> >that Mike can be held indefinitely and without charge, that he can
> >be ripped away from his job, his wife, and his children by federal
> >agents.
> >We feel that Mike's due-process civil rights are being denied
> >him.What you can do:
> >
> >
> >*    Write your Congressmen!  Write to your U.S. Senators and
> >Representative.  Most have webmail forms on their congressional
> >websites, and all have their postal addresses on their sites.  Here
> >is one letter that has been sent.
> >
> >Go to www.senate.gov to find your Senators, and www.house.gov to
> >find your U.S. Representatives.  If you live in Oregon, your
> >Senators are Senator Wyden and Senator Smith.  Your U.S.
> >Represenative may be one of: Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Darlene
> >Hooley, Gregory Walden, and David Wu.
> >
> >*    Donate to Mike and Lisa's Legal Defense Fund!  We're in the
> >process of setting up a way of making online donations.  In the
> >meantime, you can mail a check to:
> >
> >
> >Free Mike Hawash
> >c/o S. McGeady
> >2229 NE Thompson St.
> >Portland, OR  97212
> >
> >Any donations not needed will be returned.  No donations will be
> >used for anything other than Mike and Lisa's legal defense.
>
> [to check on legitimacy of this, go to www.freemikehawash.org]
>
> >
> >
> >*    Tell your Friends!  Encourage others who may not know Mike to
> >think about what this means to them, their families, and their civil
> >liberties.
> >
> >
>





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