Rasmea Odeh, Tortured &Raped in Israeli Jail, On Trial in US

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Political trial for beloved women’s activist Rasmea Odeh set to begin tomorrow, Nov 4th; press conference at 1:15 PM

(DETROIT 10/31/2014) – On Tuesday, November 4th, when American democracy will be practiced at the polls, a federal trial will get underway, whose very premise calls into question American democratic values, including the right to a fair trial. That’s when beloved and longtime women’s rights advocate Rasmea Odeh will face those who accuse her of procuring her citizenship unlawfully by allegedly omitting an answer on her citizenship application 10 years ago. Stakes are high: Odeh faces revocation of her citizenship, 10 years imprisonment and eventual deportation.

Jury selection is set to begin at 9 a.m., Tuesday, November 4th, at the US District Court, 231 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit.

Odeh's lead attorney, Michael Deutsch, will speak at a press conference after the first day's adjournment, at 1:15 PM, across the street from the courthouse on Lafayette Blvd.

For the past year, Odeh’s defense committee has built a nationwide network of supporters who have worked hard to raise awareness about the political and unjust nature of the case. Prosecutors have hit back hard, accusing supporters of “jury tampering,” though no jury has been seated yet, insinuating that the supporters’ actions were “almost criminal” and derogatorily describing them as “mobs” and “hordes.”  Over 100 of these supporters are expected to be in the courtroom Tuesday, including a charter busload traveling from Chicago tonight.

In 1969, the Israeli military arrested Odeh along with 500 others. After weeks of torture and rape (http://truth-out.org/news/item/25910-tortured-and-raped-by-israel-persecuted-by-the-united-states), in direct violation of international law, Odeh confessed to a crime she did not commit and spent 10 years in an Israeli prison. In a ruling that came earlier this week, Judge Gershwin Drain agreed that Odeh’s account of torture was “credible.” Nonetheless, he ruled the torture and the fact her confession was coerced were not admissible, effectively gutting her entire defense and calling into question whether Odeh will receive a fair trial. Meanwhile, Judge Drain is allowing prosecutors to use evidence supplied by Israel from the 45-year-old case.

Odeh’s supporters claim the case is another attempt in a long line of government efforts to disrupt the vibrant Palestinian human rights activist community that has seen more than its share of prosecutions and federal intimidation. In one of the latest cases that have occurred since 2001, federal agents raided the homes of several activists and subpoenaed 23 in 2010, to force them to appear before a grand jury investigating Palestine support work.  All 23 refused to testify.

Odeh’s supporters, coming from throughout the Midwest, plan to pack the courtroom throughout the trial. On Tuesday after adjournment at 1 p.m., they will rally outside the courthouse; and beginning Wednesday, from 8-8:20 a.m. and again after adjournment each day at 1 p.m.  For more information and background on Rasmea Odeh’s case, go to http://www.uspcn.org and http://www.stopfbi.net.