ACTION ALERT

For Immediate Release
May 9, 2005

Action Alert: Release Sameeh Hammoudeh!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, calls on its members, supporters and all people of conscience to demand the immediate release of Sameeh Hammoudeh who is being held prisoner at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Bradenton, Florida. On 6 December 2005, a jury found Sameeh, a co-defendant in the Al-Arian case, not guilty of all charges brought against him by the US government. Yet, as of this date, he is still being held prisoner by the ICE.

Sameeh has also accepted and wishes to be deported to Ramallah, his hometown in occupied Palestine. The ICE maintains that his detention is due to refusal to permit his return to Ramallah, a claim which, according to the St. Petersburg Times, has been denied by the Israeli authorities.

Since there is no legal basis for the continued detention of Sameeh Hammoudeh, Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is asking all of its members, supporters and people of conscience to write to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General of the State of Florida Charlie Crist and Florida Governor Jeb Bush demanding Sameeh Hammoudeh's immediate release and his return home.

We also urge publicizing Sameeh's imprisonment by writing op-eds and letters to the media highlighting the injustice he has been subjected to.

Talking Points:

* On 6 December 2005 a jury found Sameeh Hammoudeh not guilty of all charges brought against him. Hence, there is no legal basis for keeping him imprisoned by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service. He should be released forthwith.

* Sameeh Hammoudeh wishes to return to his home in Ramallah, Palestine. By holding him prisoner, the ICE is preventing him from exercising his inalienable, natural and legal right to return to his home.

E-MAIL, CALL and WRITE:

* Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales
E-MAIL: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
PHONE: 202-514-2001 and 202-353-1555
MAIL: U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

* Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Email: jeb.bush@myflorida.com

* Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
Main office telephone numbers
Switchboard: 850-414-3300
Citizens Services: 850-414-3990
Florida Relay/TDD: 800-955-8771
Florida Toll Free: 1-866-966-7226
Fax: 850-410-1630

To obtain contact information for media outlets, go to:
http://newslink.org/

Please cc your correspondence to alerts@al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda.org
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC
are tax-deductible.