On Eve of Deportation to Bangladesh District Court Imposes a Temporary Restraining Order Against Homeland Security |
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By: Amnesty International Posted: 2007-06-03 09:25:14 |
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The US District Court Central District of California late Friday night, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against US Department of Homeland Security, forcing them to stay the deportation of Mohiuddin "Din" Ahmed (http://www.freedin.org) a man who is being forced back to his homeland of Bangladesh, where he will face certain death upon his return.
The court will "stay his deportation pending Congress' consideration of a private bill introduced on his behalf" by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA). (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2181). The TRO filed by Ahmed's attorneys stated that "the timing of the ICE deportation suggest that it is trying to circumvent the private bill, which was submitted by the House of Representatives -- Committee on Judiciary by the Honorable Jim McDermott. As such, the Executive Branch is interfering with well-established process and procedures of the Legislative with respect to private bills. The interference is the determent of the Petitioner [Ahmed]." The government of Bangladesh, then led by the daughter of the slain Prime Minister, conducted the trial without any reasonable standard of justice and Ahmed was sentenced to be hanged. U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess ordered a hearing for 9:30 AM on Tuesday, June 5th with attorneys for Mr. Ahmed as well as for the U.S. Government. On Friday, in a letter to Canadian Members of Parliament, Amnesty International (Canada) urged Canada to "to ensure that he is not returned to Bangladesh to face the death penalty." Also today, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (http://www.cccb.ca/site/content/view/2484/1152/lang,eng/) and prominent Ottawa Rabbi, Reuven Bulka, called upon the Government of Canada to grant safe haven in Canada to Mr. Ahmed. Ahmed has the support of Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). There have been a number of bi-partisan appeals from Members of Congress for time to allow the legislative branch to review the matter when the Congress reconvenes on Tuesday. Din Ahmed was scheduled as early as this weekend to be deported from a facility in Southern California back to his homeland in Bangladesh where he is certain to face death. In 1996, the government of Bangladesh tried and convicted Ahmed in absentia in a sham trial, accusing him of participating in a violent coup d'etat that resulted in the death of the Prime Minister and his family. Ahmed, a member of the military at the time, was following orders to man a roadblock over a mile away from where the Prime Minister was killed, and did not know of the plans to assassinate the leader. The government, then led by the daughter of the slain Prime Minister, conducted the trial without any reasonable standard of justice and Ahmed was sentenced to be hanged. On Wednesday, May 23, 2007, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal denied Mr. Ahmed's Petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc, and he was scheduled for deportation on Saturday June 2, 2007 at 11:00 pm where certain death awaited. |
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