Plight of US Citizens Ignored by Clinton
03 January 2000
Plight of US Citizens Ignored by Clinton
PLIGHT OF US CITIZENS TORTURED AND JAILED IN ISRAEL
IGNORED BY PRESIDENT CLINTON
“President Clinton has failed to take any definitive action to seek the release of US citizens detained and tortured in Israel, while agreeing to pressure for the release of Iranian Jews convicted of espionage in Iran,” states Jerri Bird, President and Founder of Partners for Peace.
The New York Times reports today that President Clinton met with relatives of the ten Iranian Jews whose families are “very concerned about their emotional health, as well as their physical health. We don’t know how long a person can last in those conditions.”
There are many parallels between the Iranian cases, according to press reports, and the American cases in Israel, according to sworn affidavits by the victims. In both cases the victims were “kidnapped” and their families had great difficulty in finding them. They were denied due process, were accused of illegal activities and “confessed” without access to lawyers.
Ten US citizens remain in Israeli prisons accused of security violations. All have been tortured. All are jailed under inhumane conditions. None have been convicted of violent acts. All who have had a day in court were convicted by a military officer who served as both prosecutor and jury. All were initially denied access to a lawyer, their family, or the US consular officials. US consular officials have told these victims that there is nothing they can do for them, even when there is visible evidence of torture.
President Clinton expressed his concern in letters to Partners for Peace but has made no public statement regarding the US reaction to Israeli violations of the human and legal rights of US citizens. “His inaction in the case of American victims, in the face of his willingness to pressure for the release of the Iranian Jews is inexcusable,” states Jerri Bird.
Partners for Peace has written to President Clinton requesting a meeting with American victims and the American relatives of these US citizens. They are also deeply concerned about the emotional and physical health of their sons and brothers. These relatives seek the same access to the President as secured by the relatives of the Iranian Jews.
Anwar Mohamad, one of the American victims has said, “We Americans of Palestinian origin have been abandoned by our country.”
