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Archive for the ‘FBI’ Category

Recasting Freedom Fighters As Terrorists?

Posted by Christopher Coen on February 4, 2012

A federal grand jury has indicted an Uzbek refugee living in Denver for alleged material support to an Uzbekistan group that the U.S. State Department designates a foreign terrorist organization. But the group is fighting the Uzbekistan dictatorship that U.S. diplomats spoke out against for its indiscriminate use of force after police mowed down hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators in 2005. The regime practices torture of activists and ordinary citizens using electric shock, boiling water and the threat of rape and sexual humiliation, thus radicalizing many Uzbeks. A professor calls the Uzbek dictator one of the world’s worst human-rights violators. (Reminds me of the US government’s help in creating the Iranian Islamic regime via support for the Shah of Iran’s widespread repression and human rights abuses.) Human Rights Watch claims that the material-support law is overbroad and that it’s a problem if our government uses the law improperly against anybody who was not actually involved in terrorism. An article in The Denver Post explains the story:

AURORA — The Uzbek refugee facing terrorism charges in Denver was a merchant turned human-rights activist who tried to defend farmers, opposed Uzbekistan’s dictator after a 2005 massacre, endured a detention that left him bloody, saw his sister arrested on a false murder charge…

The plight of Jamshid Muhtorov, 35, looked so bleak that the United Nations and U.S. government rescued him, along with his wife and two small children. U.S. authorities gave Muhtorov a comfortable new perch in Colorado…

But now the same government that rescued Muhtorov is prosecuting him under a law that prohibits “material support” for terrorists.

FBI agents arrested him in Chicago on Jan. 21 while he was en route to Turkey. A federal grand jury indicted him for allegedly providing material support to the Islamic Jihad Union — which the U.S. State Department has designated a foreign terrorist organization — and attempting to provide material support.

It’s a complicated case that raises questions about the fine line between freedom fighter and terrorist. The portrait of Muhtorov that emerges from State Department reports — including a leaked diplomatic cable, and from interviews with human-rights colleagues — is one of an idealist forced to flee for his life. He — like Libyans, Egyptians and others — remained keenly aware of the continuing repression and fight for freedom back home…

 …A federal affidavit does not reveal much about the substance of his alleged material support...

The law [that prohibits "material support" for terrorists] is controversial.

“Human Rights Watch definitely has concerns that the material-support law is overbroad,” said Laura Pitter, an adviser on counterterrorism for U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, which worked with Muhtorov inside Uzbekistan. “If the material-support law was being used improperly against somebody who was not actually involved in terrorism, then that would be a problem.”…

 …In 2005, U.S. diplomats spoke out publicly against Uzbekistan’s indiscriminate use of force when police mowed down hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators at Andijan, near where Muhtorov was working.

Since then, [Uzbekistan's dictator, Islam Karimov's] repression has intensified and includes torture of activists and ordinary citizens using electric shock, boiling water and the threat of rape and sexual humiliation, said Hugh Williamson, director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division...

“The longstanding dictator of Uzbekistan is one of the worst human-rights violators in the world,” said Nader Hashemi, an assistant professor at the University of Denver who studies Middle East and Islamic affairs.

Ruthless torture and oppression by Karimov “have radicalized a lot of Uzbeks who are seeking a revolutionary change. The IJU emerges out of that political context,” Hashemi said.

While union members have been charged with attacks on U.S. and German targets overseas and could have links to al-Qaeda, “Muhtorov may not have any intention of committing a terrorist act against Americans. It depends on where he was flying to and what the objective of the mission was,” he said.

“My sense is the target of his ire and his angst is back in his native country. If he was targeting Western forces, that would raise serious concerns,” Hashemi said. “But if one wants to be objective, it would be highly irresponsible for someone to render a judgment on this case without bringing it back to Uzbekistan and the political regime there.” Read more here

Posted in Denver, FBI, Human Rights Watch, Islamic, police, security/terrorism, Uzbek | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

The downside of resettling large numbers of refugees in a location in a relatively short period

Posted by Christopher Coen on November 9, 2011

An in-depth article on the events surrounding the December 2009 attack on dozens of Asian refugee children at a south Philadelphia school, that resulted in 13 refugee children taken to the emergency room, reveals the extent that teachers, the principle, security guards and other staff were present and unresponsive as the attacks occurred. Refugee students report that the principle disappeared while walking children home just before vicious beatings took place. Teachers and cafeteria staff called the students “Yo Dragonball” or “Yo Chinese” and even mocked their accents. The School District of Philadelphia also apparently has an ongoing pattern of unresponsiveness to reports of students bullying refugee students, despite an early 2011 settlement with the Justice Department.

The article also points to relatively large number of refugees from Burma/Myanmar that the State Department resettled in a relatively short period, which the school district was not ready to accommodate. These are some of the considerations the State Department needs to make when reading glowing annual resettlement proposals from their private resettlement contractors

We should not underestimate the catastrophic long-term damage to refugees resulting from these brutalities during their formative years. The article points out that bullying can lead to a lifetime of low self-worth, suicide attempt or depression, and that doesn’t even consider the trauma, tumult and deprivation that refugee have already endured before their resettlement. Hyphen Magazine magazine published this article:

On a cold December day in 2009, just weeks before Christmas, 15-year-old Trang Dang was walking home from school with her sister and eight friends, all recent Vietnamese immigrants. Also part of their group: the principal of their school.

Dang, who is 5’9” with a medium build and a dimpled, contagious smile, asked the principal to accompany them because she and the others were terrified by the intense bullying and violence against Asian students that had taken place earlier that day at their school, South Philadelphia High School. Midway through the walk, the principal, LaGreta Brown, disappeared, Dang said. “She walked to the corner with us and then we didn’t see her anymore,” Dang said. They debated whether to stay or continue walking. “Our friends said if we stand here, we’ll get in trouble,” Dang said. So they opted to try to make it home that day on their own.

They never did.

About half a block from school, a mob of at least two dozen students started chasing them. Dang was the first to be caught. She was punched in the face, shattering her glasses. “It was a quick hit and then they ran,” she said. “After I got hit, then my mind just went blank. I was crying. It wasn’t that painful, I think, but I don’t really remember. I think because I’ve tried to forget about that day.” The entire group was cornered, and all were hit. Dang still doesn’t know for sure why the principal seemingly left the group…

…The entire day, roving gangs of high schoolers searched for and attacked Asian teenagers in a nightmarish ordeal. Most of the attacks took place on the premises of this poor school in south Philadelphia while teachers, security guards and other staff were present.

In total, at least 26 Asian immigrant students were physically assaulted in a series of violent conflicts. Thirteen Asian students ended up in the emergency room for injuries ranging from a broken nose to black eyes. One had to have surgery because he could no longer breathe through his nose…

…Some speculate that the ethnic tensions at the school can be attributed to lack of adult intervention, adults modeling bad behavior such as racially charged name calling, stereotypes and an influx of Asian students in a relatively short time period without the school or district adequately addressing the changes…

…In the last five years, there were 534 documented assaults at the school, more than any other in the district…

…In some cases, bullying can lead to thoughts of suicide, according to Eliza Noh, an Asian American studies professor at California State University, Fullerton, who has studied suicide among Asian Americans. “Some Asian American women I interviewed reported being victims of racist bullying when they were young, contributing to their low self-worth, suicide attempt or depression later in life,” Noh said. Liu pointed out bullying victims are essentially trauma victims who experience post-traumatic stress disorder similar to war veterans. He warned that young people may experience psychosomatic symptoms like feeling ill, as well as hypervigilance, heightened startled responses, depression and social withdrawal… Read more here

Posted in abuse, Burma/Myanmar, capacity, children, dangerous neighborhoods, Dept. of Justice, FBI, mental health, Philadelphia, safety, schools, State Department, teenagers | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Government rescreening more than 58,000 Iraqi refugees in U.S.

Posted by Christopher Coen on July 25, 2011

The Los Angeles Times has a recent article about new procedures the federal government has instituted which will rescreen 58,000 Iraqi refugees who have already been resettled to the U.S. The recheck will include a smaller number of refugees from Yemen, Somalia and other countries where terrorist groups are active.

Reporting from Washington— In a far-reaching inquiry, authorities are rescreening more than 58,000 Iraqi refugees living in the United States amid concerns that lapses in immigration security may have allowed former insurgents and potential terrorists to enter the country, U.S. officials said.

The investigation was given added urgency after U.S. intelligence agencies warned that Al Qaeda leaders in Iraq and Yemen had tried to target the U.S. refugee
stream, or exploit other immigration loopholes, in an attempt to infiltrate the country with operatives.

..So far, immigration authorities have given the FBI about 300 names of Iraqi refugees for further investigation. The FBI won’t say whether any have been arrested or pose a potential threat.

The individuals may have only tenuous links to known or suspected terrorists. The names were identified when authorities rechecked phone numbers, email addresses, fingerprints, iris scans and other data in immigration files of Iraqis given asylum since the war began in 2003.

They checked the data against military, law enforcement and intelligence databases that were not available or were not utilized during the initial screening process, or were not searched using sufficient Arabic spelling and name variations.

It addition to the Iraqis, authorities have rescreened a smaller number of refugees from Yemen, Somalia and other countries where terrorist groups are active.

…The enhanced screening procedures have caused a logjam in regular visa admissions from Iraq, even for those who risked their lives to aid American troops and who now fear reprisals as the Obama administration winds down the U.S. military presence… Read more here

Posted in DHS, FBI, government, Iraqi, security/terrorism, SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) immigrants, Somali, The List Project | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Did the FBI successfully thwart its own terrorist plot?

Posted by Christopher Coen on November 28, 2010

The media is flooding the nation with reports about the so-called 19-year-old Somali terrorist in Portland who was planning on blowing up a Christmas tree lighting event. He came to the U.S. at age 3 as a refugee. I’ve been thinking about this story and it bothers me how much time and effort and money the FBI agents used to entice this teenager into the plot. The agents helped him to create the plot which he had no knowledge, ability or means to do on his own. People who knew Mohamed Osman Mohamud report that he was a sweet child who always had a smile on his face. According to an article in The Oregonian as a teenager he was known for being smart, quiet, never violent, and enjoyed playing basketball.    

…”He was a good kid who made good grades,” Stephanie Napier said of Mohamud. The Napiers described him as an intelligent, polite, quiet teen who graduated early from Westview High School and moved to Corvallis for college.

Their impression of Mohamud lines up with that of a wide range of friends and acquaintances who have known the accused would-be bomber from grade school in Portland, high school in Beaverton and college in Corvallis.

While legal documents paint him as someone bent on mass destruction, friends says he is a quiet, smart young man; an avid basketball player; and proud of his Muslim faith.

They say his father was heavily involved in the Somali community but that his family was friendly and had a modern lifestyle.

But none ever saw anything to indicate he might have a radical side.

The Napiers came to know Mohamud and his parents, Mariam and Osman Barre, during the two years the families were neighbors.

They said the couple seemed to have a happy home with three well-behaved children. Mariam and her teenage daughter, Mona, were especially close with Stephanie Napier. In fact, Mona babysat Marcus, the Napier’s now 9-year-old son.

Portland Bombing Suspect Mohamed Osman Mohamud’s Neighbors The Napier family lived across the street from the family of Mohamed Osman Mohamud…

…The Napiers said Mohamud’s family moved away sometime in the summer of 2009, around the time that Mariam Barre and Osman Barre split up, she said.

“He was a quiet kid, but with his folks splitting up, who knows,” Adam Napier said…He speculated that Mohamud may have been recruited into terrorist violence: he said that in training for the Army, he learned terrorist organizations often target loners or those with no family – young kids with nothing to lose…Read more here

So far we don’t know anything about his side of what happened. The media are relying entirely on a FBI affidavit for their breathless and exciting stories, although omitting information that points to a reason why this otherwise well-behaved 19-year-old boy would want to hurt civilians, including children. Glenn Greenwald writing for Salon.com analyzes this further.

The FBI is obviously quite pleased with itself over its arrest of a 19-year-old Somali-American, Mohamed Osman Mohamud, who — with months of encouragement, support and money from the FBI’s own undercover agents — allegedly attempted to detonate a bomb at a crowded Christmas event in Portland, Oregon.  Media accounts are almost uniformly trumpeting this event exactly as the FBI describes it.  Loyalists of both parties are doing the same, with Democratic Party commentators proclaiming that this proves how great and effective Democrats are at stopping The Evil Terrorists, while right-wing polemicists point to this arrest as yet more proof that those menacing Muslims sure are violent and dangerous.

What’s missing from all of these celebrations is an iota of questioning or skepticism… Read more here

What could have gone wrong with this boy? Anger and emotional turmoil of his parent’s divorce? Mental illness? Young people, loners, people alienated from their families, and people mentally ill with depression, psychosis or other are all quite vulnerable, and criminals and terrorists are able to influence them with their ideas. Should we be enticing alienated, misguided, or mentally ill young people into criminal plots or should we be offering them help and treatment? It seems that an incredible amount of manpower and money went into this operation to destroy this young person’s life, when instead we could have used just a fraction of that money to guide him, treat him, help him. What scares me is the number of people we have in our society who fulfill their unseemly urge for power by trying to destroy other people’s lives, including the life of this teenager who had his whole life before him. I don’t think that is what this country should stand for. Call me naïve but I always believed in the U.S. Constitution and the principles for which we stand, even though I have often seen much contradiction in our society.

Posted in FBI, Islamic, mental health, Oregon, Portland, Somali, teenagers | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

 
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