Democracy Now! January 10, 2003

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Program Title:
Democracy Now! January 10, 2003
Series Title:
PRA Archive #: 
PZ0517.074
Description: 

Renowned defense attorney Michael Tigar files motion to dismiss John Ashcroft s charges that lawyer Lynne Stewart is supporting terrorists: we talk with the man whose clients have included Angela Davis, Abbie Hoffman and Terry Nichols (of Oklahoma City bombing-fame); Today, on the deadline for all males over 16 from a dozen Muslim countries to register with the INS, a ray of hope: Part Two of Pakistani immigrant Faisal Ulvie s story

9:00-9:01 Billboard 9:01-9:06 Headlines 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 9:07-9:20: Attorneys representing Lynne Stewart filed a motion this morning in federal court to dismiss the Justice Department s indictment of the radical New York attorney. Nine months ago Attorney General John Ashcroft accused Stewart, her translator, and two others of helping terrorists, namely her client Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian religious leader who was convicted of instigating the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Her attorney Michael Tigar in a 100-plus page motion charges the Justice Department has unconstitutionally attempted to strip Stewart of her First and Sixth Amendment rights including the right of free speech and is setting dangerous precedents in its treatment of attorneys. The government claims Stewart broke a federal agreement by helping Rahman deliver messages to his followers in Egypt. Ashcroft claims some of these letters advocated the resumption of "military operations" in Egypt. After Stewart publicly read a comment of Rahman s in 2000, the government obtained a secret warrant through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor her prison visits with the Sheikh and, it now appears, much of her practice beyond this case. When Attorney General John Ashcroft indicted her in April, agents raided her office and seized thousands of personal files between Stewart and her clients. The government first attempted to silence her. Then secretly monitored her. Then took her paperwork. And then charged her with conspiracy and abetting terrorists. Stewart says she was just doing her job, representing a client. At the time of her arrest she said, "They've arrested the lawyer and the interpreter. How much further are they going? Are they going to arrest the lady that cleans the sheik's cell?" Stewart, who is 62 years old, now faces up to 20 years in prison. The defense bar saw Ashcroft s indictment as an unprecedented attack on the legal profession. Representing Stewart is Michael Tigar, one of the nation s most highly regarded defense attorneys. After graduating number one in his class at UC-Berkeley in the early 1960s he was hired to clerk for Supreme Court Justice Brennan. But Tigar hadn t even begun the job before Brennan fired him for his anti-war views. Three years later Tigar would argue his first case before the Supreme Court. He has since represented clients ranging from Mobil and MCA to Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing case to left-wing icons including Angela Davis and Abbie Hoffman. And he has fought against Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet and Henry Kissinger, the accused war criminal and former U.S. Secretary of State. Tigar has consistently taken on issues of civil rights, the draft, free speech, government surveillance, the death penalty, and international human rights. He joins us today in our Firehouse studio. Guest: Michael Tigar, defense attorney representing Lynne Stewart 9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break 9:21-9:35 MICHAEL TIGAR, CONT D 9:35-9:40 Today is the deadline for thousands of men from mostly Muslim countries to undergo 'special registration by the Immigration and Naturalization Service under the controversial new National Security Entry-Exit Registration System. By today, all men over the age of 16 from the following countries must register: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The Washington Post reports the new registration requirement has caused widespread confusion and panic in Muslim immigrant communities across the US. Lines at INS offices have grown so long this week that registrants at some locations have arrived before 5 in the morning to avoid being turned away. Once inside, the men and teenagers are fingerprinted, photographed and questioned. If their visas are expired or if they have otherwise violated U.S. immigration law, they may be detained and deported. Well on this day we bring you a hopeful story. It is the story of Faisal Ulvie, a Pakistani immigrant who came so close to being deported he was on the airport tarmac when INS authorities received a cell phone call from a federal judge ordering them to pull Faisal off the plane. Ulvie traveled to the United States six years ago and applied for political asylum. But after he missed an asylum hearing, he received deportation orders. Ulvie remained in the country and married a US citizen, Nadine Young. He helped raise Nadine s two children. Last year, they had a child of their own named Shaheen. Faisal Ulvie was picked up by the INS in November. Well, yesterday the Ulvie family won a major victory. Federal Immigration Judge Patricia Rohan gave Faisal permission to file a marriage petition with the INS. If the judge had not granted this permission, he would have been deported. Guest: Faisal Ulvie, Pakistani immigrant who is married to a US citizen, but was nearly deported Guest: Elizabeth Ouyang, attorney for the Ulvie family Tape: Nadine Ulvie, US citizen from Brooklyn and wife of Faisal Ulvie, speaking at the press conference outside the Federal Building in Manhattan yesterday. Guest: Rep. Nydia Vel zquez (D-NY) Rep. Vel zquez is the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. She was first elected to Congress in 1992 to represent the 12th district of New York, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. Contact: www.house.gov/velazquez/welcome.htm Guest: Ahsanullah Khan, Director and co-founder of the Coney Island Avenue Project. The organization advocates for the rights of Pakistani immigrants. (He also goes by Bobby.) 9:40-9:41 One Minute Music Break 9:41-9:58 FAISAL ULVIE, CONTD. 9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Ana Nogiera and Alex Wolfe. Mike Di Filippo is our engineer and webmaster.

Date Recorded on: 
January 10, 2003
Date Broadcast on: 
January 10, 2003
Item duration: 
59 min.
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Distributor: 
WBAI; Amy Goodman, host., January 10, 2003
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