Loading ...Tampa holding legal update event on case of Rasmea Odeh
Tampa, FL – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression-Tampa will hold a live stream legal update event on the case of Palestinian activist, Rasmea Odeh, June 11. Activists from around Tampa Bay will gather at 7:30 pm for the national live stream to hear Odeh and her lawyer, Michael Deutsch, speak on the appeal of her November 2014 conviction.
The Rasmea Odeh case began in the fall of 2013, when the Department of Homeland Security showed up at her house and charged her for immigration fraud because of a 20 year old document. Odeh was put through a trial where her legal team was forced to leave out vital evidence. She was convicted in November 2014 and sentenced in March 2015 to 18 months in prison and deportation.
Her arrest was part of a series of political raids, arrests and grand jury subpoenas on active organizers of the people’s movements. She was targeted for her incredible work throughout her lifetime.
Before moving to the U.S., Odeh was active in her native Palestine, where she opposed Israeli occupation and U.S. imperialism. While she lived in Palestine, she was imprisoned and tortured in an Israeli prison for 10 years for simply being Palestinian. That didn’t dissuade her from fighting the injustice wrought on her people when she moved to the U.S.
In the U.S., she continued to organize the Arab and Muslim community in Chicago through the Arab American Action Network. Throughout her years in the U.S. she helped many people and gained many friends.
Jessica Schwartz, a lead organizer with CSFR-Tampa explains it by saying, “It’s important that people know that political repression is a real issue in this country, particularly among the Palestinian community. Arab and Muslim Americans bear the brunt of the U.S. wars here at home.”
Activists and community members in Tampa are ready to continue the fight and stand in solidarity with Odeh. The national live stream event is the first step toward mobilizing for the appeal.
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Source: www.fightbacknews.org