AP Features, March 7th, 2007
A former university professor on a hunger strike for the past 44 days to protest his imprisonment on terrorism-related charges could soon be force fed, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Sami al-Arian, a Palestinian who taught computer science at the University of South Florida, stopped eating on Jan. 22 to protest a judge's decision to hold him indefinitely after he refused to testify before a Virginia grand jury. In April, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to conspiring to aid Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Nahla al-Arian said her husband has lost more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) on his water-only diet and is so weak that he needs a wheelchair.
"His health is really deteriorating," she said. "We are really worried that there will be permanent damage."
Officials at the Federal Medical Facility in Butner have told al-Arian that they will begin force feeding if his condition worsens, said his lawyer, Peter Erlinder.
"It's an invasive procedure, and there's some danger of injury," Erlinder said. "We're hopeful that that there can be resolution before that. (U.S. Attorney General Alberto) Gonzales could end this all with a stroke of a pen."
Supporters of al-Arian have asked Gonzales to deport al-Arian before his scheduled release from prison in April. Prosecutors and al-Arian had agreed to deportation as a part of the plea deal. Erlinder declined to say where al-Arian would be deported.
During a six-month trial in 2005, prosecutors labeled al-Arian a leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The trial ended in an acquittal on some counts and a hung jury on others.
But in a plea bargain, al-Arian admitted to conspiring to aid Palestinian Islamic Jihad and was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, although al-Arian received credit for the time he had already served.
Al-Arian and his lawyers contend the plea deal also exempts him from testifying before the Alexandria, Virginia grand jury, which is investigating a cluster of Islamic charities in northern Virginia.
U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. of Florida disagreed, finding al-Arian in civil contempt for refusing to testify, a ruling that extends al-Arian's prison sentence for 18 months. A judge will also review al-Arian's status every six months and could continue to extend al-Arian's sentence until he cooperates.
Federal prison officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
