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• 11 December 2004: Another Sad Anniversary
  
  
  On 11 December 2004, Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh would have been forced
  to waste 9 years of their young lives in jail since their wrongful
  conviction in 1996 for  a crime they did not commit. This is 2,921 days,
  on top of the 360 and 618 days spent by Samar and Jawad respectively
  just to get to trial! As with our brothers and sisters suffering Israeli
  imprisonment, we don't know whether we are to celebrate their somoud or
  resistance, or to grieve over the fact they have been stuck or masmoudin
  all those long years.
  
  There is no doubt that over the years, the Campaign Freedom & Justice
  for Samar & Jawad has grown un strength and outreach, here and abroad.
  For example, we have secured the support of UNISON, Britain's largest
  trade union with over 1.3 million members. We have reached over75 MPs,
  as well as several MEPs and Lords. Amnesty International continues to
  monitor the case and to repeat its belief that Samar & Jawad's
  convictions were unsafe and that they were denied the right to a fair
  tria. The media now calls Samar & Jawad students, not terrorists, and
  even asked about the feelings of the families during the appeal.
  
  The authorities continue to rebuff any approaches with at times disdain
  for the lives at stake. 10 years on, the Home Secretary was still happy
  to state in parliament that "It was never established where the car
  bombs were assembled or who drove the cars", while making no efforts to
  answer any of the key questions about the July 2004 bombings. 3 years
  after losing the appeal, there are still no efforts to address the
  intelligence failures and the "human errors" that led to the
  intelligence services, police and prosecution to suppress vital evidence
  from the trial judge in 1994, and to everyone else up and until now,
  i.e. for 10 years! In the context of the current "war on terror",
  perhaps it is not so surprising that the intelligence services are
  allowed to act as judge and jury no matter what. People can be deemed
  terrorists and guilty whenever necessary, and so long as political
  motives require it.
  
  10 years on, we cannot accept that justice punishes the innocent and
  leaves the guilty unscathed. And that for dubious political motives,
  including covering up failures by government departments. But the legal
  battle is unlikely to lead to anything before 2006-2007. The application
  to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is in the queue, but we
  have another year or so of waiting. The ECHR has repeatedly ruled
  against the UK government that the failure to disclose vital evidence to
  the trial judge, if not the defence, is a breach of fairness of trial.
  The application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission CCRC, the body
  responsible for referring miscarriages of justices to the Appeal Court,
  is due in winter 2005. A referral by the CCRC to the high court is not
  guaranteed, and even if it happens, the process may take a year or more.
  
  9 years on, Samar and Jawad have moved closer to more open conditions,
  but continue to be faced with blatant racism and discrimination In
  1998-1999, it was said that de-categorising Samar and Jawad might upset
  the Middle East process. Now, it's the "international political
  climate"! So if you are an Arab or Muslim, your rights can be denied and
  you can rot in jail for years on end. The attitude revealed by the
  repeated rejections and reference to the "political climate" imply that
  the two are irredeemable animals who will always be dangerous to the
  public.
  
  One of Samar's pens friend told her: "Years ago your case seemed to be
  an exception…now it seems the rule for treating us in Europe. What's
  more, years ago they suppressed evidence, now they are dispensing with
  evidence and any legal process altogether!". It was sad for us to watch
  the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that prevailed in our community
  back in 1995-1996 spread to most other Arab and Muslim communities. It
  was equally appalling that the presumption of guilt has become the norm.
  
  However, it seems people from all walks of life are waking up and
  standing up to the attacks on civil liberties and the targeting of our
  communities. In particular, the 17 people detained indefinitely in
  Belmarsh and Woodhill are being buried alive in practice, but at least
  this is no longer being done in secret. The wrong-doing has been exposed
  to day light, even if not cured.
  
  It remains important for the Palestinian community to show some
  solidarity with Samar & Jawad. I call on the community to dedicate its
  next Annual dinner to Samar, Jawad, and the other 8000 Palestinian
  political prisoners held by Israel. There are also many simple things
  that people can do individually, including:
  -       signing our petition on
  http://www.petitiononline.com/FreeSaJ/petition.html
  - find out more about the case by visiting our website on
  www.freesaj.org.uk
  there are 3 booklets about the case: "Justice Denied" (covering
  1996-1999), "Cover up Confirmed" (2000-2001), "Infinite Injustice" (July
  2002)
  -       joining the campaign either by going on line to our website on
  www.freesaj.org.uk or by writing to: Freedom & Justice for Samar &
  Jawad, BM Box FOSA, London WC1N 3XX
  -       Making a donation (Cheques payable to FOSA) through our website
  or by mail.
  -       Writing to Samar & Jawad:
  Samar Alami (RL1436), HMP Send, Ripley Road, Woking GU23 7LJ
  Jawad Botmeh (EP3888), Carling Unit, HMP RyeHill, Onley Park,
  Willoughby, Nr Rugby CV23.

Samar Alami

• My land, my spirit
  
  I am a 100 women, 1000s of lives.
  You robbed my land, soiled its fruits
  And bounties, its treasures.
  
  Who do you think you are?
  Stop looking at me like that.
  Stop talking at me like that.
  
  There should have never been any slave.
  My beauty needs to be free.
  Plunder, exploitation, domination,
  Plots and machinations.
  These are your ravages,
  This is no civilization.
  
  My days are yet to come.
  I may spill and shed blood,
  Sweat and tears.
  But seeds of today will grow
  Into the lush, gracious, giving trees
  Of a brighter tomorrow.
  
  Hopes and dreams flyaway as birds.
  No shackle can hold them.
  No blackmail contain them.
  My pains are more than skin deep.
  But nothing on Earth will stop
  My spirit being free.
  
  You can't touch me . . .
  And our world will outlast you. . .
  
  I don't belong to you.
  I owe you nothing
  And you don't own me.
  I'm stripped naked
  But the shame is on you.
  
  Randa Alami