Press Release: Muhammad Salah's Case

(Chicago, IL 3/3/2006) - As a civil rights organization, our aspiration is to see every American granted his or her full rights under any and all circumstances. Mr. Muhammad Salah, an American citizen, is entitled to the right to a fair trial. This entails the right to public hearings. This right hangs in the balance, while several of his other rights have already been violated. Closed hearings increase the potential of injustice administered in the courtroom and because the circumstances surrounding the charges against Mr. Salah indicate definite constitutional violations, it is imperative he be granted a fair and open hearing.

Mr. Salah’s charge in the United States for involvement in terrorist activity should not be brought to trial in American courts if based primarily on the confession taken in Israel in 1993 under torture in a language he does not understand - Hebrew.

The 4th and 14th amendment of the United States constitution require that the consent acquired in the ascertainment of truth, or a confession, may not be accomplished through any form of coercion. The US Supreme Court has established that the slightest implication of coercion taints the “voluntariness” aspect of the defendant’s statement and is therefore inadmissible as evidence against the accused. Dickerson v. United States 530 U.S. 428;

Lastly, The freezing of Mr. Salah’s bank accounts violate his 14th amendment right because he did not have the opportunity to defend, the property was not forfeitable property. The freezing of his bank accounts puts an undue burden on his wife and children. By freezing Mr. Salah’s accounts, the 14th amendment rights to life and liberty and denied to Mr. Salah’s entire family.

The American people’s interest is not to see a specific outcome for this trial, rather it is to see that it is a fair trial, and to be assured that every citizen’s due process takes its full course in our courts of law.

CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, Director of Communications; (847) 971-3963 communications@cairchicago.org

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