After four decades in prison our Brother Jalil is coming up for parole and he needs our help…
In 2004 Waverly Jones Jr. – the son of police officer Waverly Jones – who Jamil is accused of killing, spoke up on behalf on Jalil at his parole hearing:
I feel that Herman Bell and Anthony Bottom [Jalil's birth name] were both victims as well of a much larger scheme which got them incarcerated to this day [...] I think that keeping them in prison is only strengthening resentment among grassroots individuals and is producing a greater passion in them to pick up a weapon, and I believe that keeping them prison in their eyes is almost like there is no justice, if you will. I just don’t think that’s a good message to send out, and that’s why I requested to meet with the NYS Parole Board.
Let us join our voices with his in a continued call for justice.
Local authority and police decisions to seize the homes of family members of those charged in connection with the riots or convicted of terrorist offences punish whole families for one member’s wrongdoing.
Evicting Rioters’ Families
In the aftermath of the August riots, Wandsworth Council served an eviction notice on the mother and 8-year-old sister of 18-year-old Daniel Sartain-Clarke when he was charged with burglary and violent disorder in the riots. Many councils, including Greenwich, Barking and Dagenham, Manchester and Salford declared that they would evict rioters, but apart from Wandsworth, only Southwark Council is believed to have sent out letters warning of eviction to tenants with family members suspected of criminal conduct.
Speaking of the eviction notice, Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia said: ‘There is no room on our estates for people who commit violent crimes, who show no consideration for their neighbours or harass, threaten, intimidate or cause disturbance to others.’ But the Council has been heavily criticised for the decision. Neighbours protest that even if Daniel is guilty, which he disputes, his mother Maite de la Calva is a valuable member of the community, volunteering with a charity helping domestic violence survivors, whose eviction will weaken the neighbourhood, not make it stronger. A picket was held outside Wandsworth magistrates’ court on 6 September to protest the proposed eviction, and even the Daily Telegraph said the proposed eviction was ‘an act of political spite‘. Read the rest of this entry »
The Free Babar Ahmad campaign is encouraging supporters to increase the pressure on their MPs in light of the decision of the Backbench Business Committee this week to relegate the debate on the Babar Ahmad e-petition to Westminster Hall.
The Free Babar Ahmad (FBA) Campaign is overwhelmed by the response of the British public to the e-petition to put Babar Ahmad on trial in the UK. In just three months, a record breaking 140,529 individuals had signed the e-petition taking it to the top three on the e-petitions website when it closed.
These 140,529 individuals, irrespective of age, religious denomination and political belief, united in a common cause – to end Babar’s 7 years of pre-charge incarceration and prevent his extradition in favour of a UK prosecution.
In spite of the enormous public support for the matter, the Parliamentary Backbench Business Committee has refused to list this issue for a full debate in the main chamber of the House of Commons where it could be voted on by Members of Parliament; instead the motion has been relegated to form part of a pre-existing discussion on extradition, led by Dominic Raab MP, in Westminster Hall on 24th November 2011.
Whilst the FBA Campaign support Mr Raab’s well-founded concerns over UK extradition policy, over 140,500 individuals did not take the time and trouble to add their names to Babar’s petition only for this matter to be debated outside the Chamber rather than put to a vote, on the floor of the House.
Now they have raised their voices – through the correct channel – the FBA Campaign will not rest until they are properly heard. The FBA Campaign vows to make urgent contact with every MP representing each of these 140,529 signatories, to seek their support in securing proper consideration of Babar’s plight and its causes, in the Chamber of the House of Commons. If time cannot be allotted in the parliamentary schedule pre-Christmas, then we will seek early inclusion in the New Year’s parliamentary scheduling.
The family of Babar Ahmad stated:
“We are deeply moved that, in the midst of a recession, more people have shown Parliament their concern over a British citizen being detained for over seven years without charge or trial, than lowering fuel prices. They deserve nothing less than to have their concerns properly debated and put to a vote.”
“Other e-petitions which have secured over 100,000 signatures have been debated in the main chamber of the House of Commons. The decision to treat this e-petition differently is a slap in the face of over 140,500 people who demanded that Babar be put on trial in the UK.”
“Now that it is clear that the call to put Babar on trial in the UK has not just cross-party backing but also enormous public support, we believe the correct forum for debate is the main chamber of the House of Commons, where the matter can be subjected to a vote.”
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