Ali Abdulkarim al-Adeemi wants for government helpA victim of racial discrimination? [Archives:2004/800/Community]
December 20 2004
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Ali studied engineering in USA and came back to Yemen in 1987. He returned to USA in 1993 to a merchant of medicine, infant's milk and other substances.
He then obtained a concession for producing the Yemeni Qamariah (the semicircular Yemeni windows) in the USA in 2000. But then the September 11, 2001 attacks hit, which prevented him from completing his technical and cultural project.
Al-Adeemi was detained in 2002 and he is now in Suncity prison in Ohio. His wife with her six children was put under compulsory residence for four months.
Ahmed explained to us his brother's version of his story his trial and time in prison. Here's an edited copy of an interview with him done by Yemen Times staff.
Q: How were your brother's properties were confiscated?
A: Under accusations such as not paying the taxes and financing terrorists, my brother's money, estimated as US$ 2.5 million, was confiscated by the US authorities. His office and commercial stores were closed. They refused to release him rejecting any guarantees claiming that he will escape from USA: The lawyers left him after earning about US$ 500,000 from him.
Q: Is there any sentence issued against him till now?
A: There is not any sentence against him till now. His staying in prison till now makes us no longer trust American judiciary justice. I wonder where the justice is that President Bush calls for.
Q: What are the accusations your brother is blamed for?
A: My brother was accused of about 63 accusations but not one of them is proven true. Of those accusations was the accusation of financing terrorists. They accused him going to Lebanon to meet with Hassan Nasrallah, though he went to Lebanon to visit my sons. Another accusation was that he supports Social Reform Charitable Society (SRCS) by sending huge sums of money for helping poor people and orphans in Yemen. He also donated some medicine, and Ramadan and Eid gifts for the needy people. That's the source of my brother's misfortunes and miseries. These were the accusations against him.
Q: What do you request the Yemeni government to do in this respect?
A: I demand the Yemeni government to follow the issue of this Yemeni businessman who is now in prison though innocent. If my brother is accused of any civil charges, he would have held responsible for them, but not to be detained according to some political decisions. This is my request to the President, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Immigrants Affairs, appealing to end the unjust arrest of my brother. Is it possible that simply having the telephone numbers of Hameed Al-Hmar and SRCS justify his being detained?
I do trust that the president will cooperate with us. I appeal to him to stop the security cooperation with USA until they release the Yemeni innocent detainees in the American prisons.
The president is responsible for every Yemeni and my brother is a Yemeni businessman whose properties were confiscated and his children are alone there without anyone to care for and help them.
My brother was turned from a famous businessman to a well-known terrorist after the American media presented him so.
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[archive-e:800-v:13-y:2004-d:2004-12-20-p:community]
