A chapter closed this week in the case of Syed Fahad Hashmi. As supporters packed the courtroom and two overflow rooms at 500 Pearl Street, Judge Loretta Preska pronounced a sentence of 15 years, the maximum allowed for under the plea bargain accepted by Fahad after nearly 3 years in severe solitary confinement. Referring to [...]
Archive for the ‘Trial Watch’ Category
After 3 Years in Solitary Fahad Takes a Plea
Posted in General Info, Trial Watch, tagged anonymous jury, civil liberties, human rights, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Syed Fahad Hashmi on April 28, 2010 | 2 Comments »
On Tuesday April 27, Fahad Hashmi took a government plea bargain. He pleaded guilty to 1 count of conspiracy for allowing an acquaintance to store waterproof socks, ponchos and raincoats in his apartment. The government dropped the other 3 charges. Fahad made this decision after having served 3 long years in solitary confinement and one [...]
What does the government really want to protect the jury from?
Posted in General Info, Trial Watch, tagged anonymous jury, fair trial, judicial process, media, pre-trial publicity, Sixth Amendment, Syed Fahad Hashmi, United States v. Ross, United States v. Stewart, voir dire on April 27, 2010 | 2 Comments »
As the defense attorneys argued in their brief, to warrant an anonymous jury the government must show a “strong reason to believe the jury needs protection.” That’s because the rights at stake are huge.
What if all this were just legal strategy…
Posted in Trial Watch, tagged Department of Justice, Guantanamo, Judge Preska, national security, SAMs, Special Administrative Measures, Syed Fahad Hashmi on April 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
I fear that Fahad is also a victim to the government’s national security policy, a hostage on a ship that has committed itself to sailing into an iceberg. If Fahad is found guilty, we’ll have to watch the government bungle its way through another mess like Guantánamo. How long will the government impose solitary confinement on individuals who pose no real threat?
Government Attempts to Frighten Jury in Hashmi Trial
Posted in Trial Watch, tagged anonymous jury, Center for Constitutional Rights, Fahad Hashmi, Islamophobia on April 22, 2010 | 1 Comment »
The Center for Constitutional Rights was quick to issue a statement denouncing a recent government attempt to frighten the jury in the upcoming trial of Fahad Hashmi. In a clear attempt to criminalize those supportive of Hashmi and critical of the government’s handling of his case, the government motion filed this week requesting an “anonymous [...]
