New Trend Magazine commentary
(Voice of the Oppressed Masses)
For the First Time:The Story of Ramzi Ahmed Yousef
Torture and Serious Violations of Human Rights and International Law
We urge investigation by the new Regime in Pakistan
"Beware of the outcry of the oppressed. He seeks his right from
Allah and Allah does not reject the right of the wronged."
Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, Hadith
from Ali
(ra)
First a word to our immigrant and faint hearted readers: Do not
be
afraid. It is not illegal for you to read or distribute the information
we
are providing. Also, you are within your rights to discuss this and
similar
issues, and no one will bother you if you organize to protest against
wrongs
being done to Ramzi Yousef and other Islamic prisoners.
If you are a Muslim, you should not be afraid in any case because
you
are a servant of Allah. Unless you take political action and work for
socio-political change, such great evil will persist. Do what little
you can.
The Prophet (pbuh) has already given you the three aspects of behavior
when
confronted with evil beyond which you enter the area of unbelief.
On January 8, 1998 a U.S. judge named Duffy sentenced Ramzi
Yousef as
the mastermind of the World Trade Center bombing to: 240 years plus
life in
prison, plus a restitution order of $250,000,000 and allowed the
Attorney
General to confine Yousef to a sound proof prison meant only for him
where he
would be cut off from the rest of the world.
The U.S. is satisfied that Yousef is a terrorist and got what he
deserved. However, an unusual attorney named Klienman got interested in
Ramzi's case, spent a lot of his own resources, and filed a voluminous
appeal
on Ramzi's behalf, which we have obtained.
Ramzi Yousef's conviction was largely based on his alleged
'confession' to his 'crime' which the FBI claimed he had made. The
media kept
away from the public how this 'confession' came about. The following is
from
Ramzi's Affidavit on how his confession came about:
"In November 1994, Yousef, his twin brother, his older brother,
and two
nephews, ages six and eight, were kidnapped from Quetta, Pakistan, by
seven
armed and masked men. The armed men then blindfolded Yousef and his
family,
administered them sedatives, and transported them to an unknown
location.
Upon regaining consciousness, Yousef found himself in a sealed,
windowless
room. A light was on day and light, preventing Yousef from ascertaining
whether it was day or night, or how much time had passed."
"While at this unknown location, Yousef was both physically and
mentally
tortured. Specifically, he was tied in a small chair, with his hands
bound
behind his back and his feet tied together against his chest and close
to
his chin. His mouth was taped and his eyes covered, and Yousef was
deprived
of food, water, and rest. For days, Yousef was subjected to listening
to the
"continuous screams" of his twin brother as his brother was tortured to
death. Subsequently, when Yousef inquired about the fate of his twin
brother,
his answer came later that day when two men threw the mutilated corpse
of his
twin brother towards him. His twin brother's body was mangled, with an
eye
gouged out and holes surrounded by eroded flesh covering his face and
body."
"Here Yousef encountered a man called "no.3," who conducted most
of the
torture on Yousef and his family. No. 3 spoke in Arabc using a broken
Palestinian dialect, but occasionally used some English words, and wore
a bag
over his head to prevent identification. No.3 first threatened Yousef
that he
would be tortured if he did not cooperate, and taunted Yousef with the
details of his impending torture. But when Yousef dismissed these
warnings,
No. 3 had Yousef's two young nephews dragged into his cell by their
hair, and
subsequently threatened: 'You won't be the only person to be tortured.
You
will expose many others to torture, but you are free to choose."
Thereafter,
Yousef agreed to cooperate with No.3 in return for release of his
nephews and
confirmation of their safe arrival. Some time later, Yousef was
permitted to
listen to a phone call by a man identifying himself as an official of
the
Pakistani intelligence service supposedly confirming the safety of
Yousef's
nephews."
"As a condition of Yousef's cooperation, his captors forced him
to
place his fingerprints on various items, including books, maps, and
watches.
He was also required to write notes in the pages of a chemical
dictionary,
rewrite letters, and make phone calls. Furthermore, to continue
Yousef's
'cooperation', No. 3 threatened Yousef's relatives, at one point
holding his
brother at knife point to compel Yousef to place a phone call. Yousef's
captors also applied enough pressure on his fingers to cause permanent
disfigurement of his fingernails."
"After some time, Yousuf was again blindfolded, drugged and
transported
to a second location - a police station in a remote village in the
Pakistani
desert. Upon his arrival, Yousef was placed in a small cell and guarded
by
men wearing the official uniforms of the Pakistani police. No other
prisoners
were present, and No.3 continued to force Yousef to 'cooperate',
administering Yousef drugs to keep him awake and only permitting him to
rest
during meals."
" Approximately three weeks later, Yousef was taken to a third
location.
Thereafter, Yousef was placed in a room and interrogated by an
English-speaking Pakistani man and a man who identified himself as an
agent
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Several hours after this
initial interrogation, a second English-speaking Pakistani advised
Yousef
that he was his appointed attorney. However, when Yousef fully
disclosed the
torture he had endured during his captivity, the 'lawyer' began beating
Yousef and slamming his head against a table."
"Following Yousef's meeting with his alleged attorney, he was
delivered
to a different room where he encountered No.3 with Yousef's badly
beaten
cousin. Again, Yousef was ordered to place his fingerprints on various
objects. No.3 then informed Yousef that he was going to be turned over
to
Pakistani authorities, and, once more, Yousef was drugged and
blindfolded."
"When Yousef regained consciousness, he was told that he was in
Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Yousef was then transferred to a
police
station, where he was detained for 15 days and then transferred to a
different building. Here, a Pakistani officer entered the room with FBI
officials and one agent identified Yousef, stating: 'It is he.' "
"Yousef was then chained up in a different room where he was
visited by
several persons identifying themselves as FBI agents and Pakistani
security
officers. An FBI agent began questioning Yousef, at which time a second
FBI
agent wrote out a Miranda warning and ordered Yousef to sign it. After
demanding Yousef's signature, the FBI agents questioned him for several
hours. During this interrogation, Yousef recognized the voice of one of
the
agents as the same man with No.3 in the Pakistani desert who (now)
identified
himself as an FBI agent. Yousef was then turned over to Pakistani
intelligence officers who videotaped their interrogation of Yousef. At
some
point during this interrogation, Yousef informed the Pakistani
officials that
he wanted an attorney, and he was told that 'it was not a matter for
them to
decide.' "
"Later that evening, Yousef met with a man identifying himself as
a
judicial officer appointed by the Pakistani Minister of the Interior.
The
judicial officer read to Yousef the charges pending against him in the
United
States. Following each charge, the officer asked Yousef if he had
committed
the named offense, to which Yousef responded 'No' or 'That is not
true.'
Yousef was then informed that due to his Pakistani citizenship, he
would
first stand trial in Pakistan,and if the validity of the charges were
confirmed, he would be turned over to the custody of the United
States.' "
Later still Yousef was taken to a military base and put on
board a
plane with FBI agents. During this trip, he was interrogated and the
FBI
claims he "confessed."
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Ramzy Yousef is being held in a sound proof room in Florence, Colorado.
Your
help is needed to set up a committee to educate the public about this
great
injustice. At the least, we can help to ameliorate his prison
conditions.
Contact us by email.
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Videotapes and audio tapes of our work for the rights of high profile
Islamic
prisoners are available. Join this legal and just struggle.
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2001-05-10 Thu 06:39ct