[Marxism] Lynne Stewart case summary #2

[Brian Shannon <Brian_Shannon@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The pivotal moment in the case occurred in June 2000, prosecutors said,  
when Stewart spoke with a Reuters correspondent after a meeting with  
Abdel Rahman. She told him of the cleric's decision to withdraw his  
support for the cease-fire.

Tigar conceded that the Special Administration Measures guidelines  
forbade the legal team from bringing in materials that had not been  
screened by federal agents. But he said Stewart had her own "good  
faith" interpretation of the guidelines, and concluded that they did  
not prevent her from bringing in "political messages" from supporters —  
or communicating Abdel Rahman's "political" views after her prison  
meetings with him.

The attorney pointed to previous testimony, suggesting that members of  
the Justice Department, which drew up the guidelines, differed over the  
meaning of the measures.

"If they had different views, what, pray tell, prevents Lynne Stewart  
from having her own view?" Tigar said.

"This isn't an abstract discussion or deconstruction of language,  
folks. This is a felony charge that the government is making here."

As to the notion that his client had encouraged violence or murder,  
Tigar said the government had not produced any evidence to link Stewart  
to such acts.

"She doesn't speak Arabic, and in the [thousands] of wiretapped calls  
introduced in evidence by the government, there is not one suggesting  
she knew there was any kind of a conspiracy … or any move to carry out  
violent acts," Tigar said.

Attorney David Lerner had made closing remarks this week on behalf of  
Yousry, suggesting that he was only an Arabic translator and that he  
had not engaged in acts of terrorism. Attorney Ken Paul summed up the  
arguments for Sattar, saying he was a nonviolent activist who had  
simply acted as a well-intentioned "go-between" among people attempting  
to communicate with Rahman.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na- 
stewart6jan06,0,1950421.story?coll=la-home-nation
OR
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H23162D2A

_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism