Shifa's kidnap and missing report from Bangladesh 

Case against the Gov't of Bangladesh for illegally deporting Shifa  

Wife files case against authorities for kidnapping her husband 

Free Shifa Petition to President Obama from Bangladesh 

Violence ON Shifa at The Prison

Concerns from organizations about Shifa's well being

South Asian American Leading Together, SAALT, Maryland

Desis Rising UP and Moving, DRUM, New York

Council on American Islamic Relations, CAIR, Washington, D

Southern Center for Human Rights, SCHR, Georgia

South Asian American Network, SAN, California 

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, NNIRR

Updates on Conditions of Solitary Confinement                                          

On March 21, prison staff not following routine procedure for rotation of cells moved Shifa to a cell with extreme high temperature. Within 24 hours, he had an asthma attack, suffered from dehydration, suffocation and unable to eat and sleep.  Repeated requests for cell change from Shifa were ignored by prison staff, so he went on hunger strike for 4 days before the staff relocated him to a new cell. 

Background 

On April 17, 2006, 19 year old Ehsanul Sadequee (Shifa), an American born Muslim, was kidnapped  a few days after his wedding from Bangladesh under the direction of the Bush administration and handed over to the US on alleged charges  of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism and currently awaiting trial. Stripped of his clothes and wrapped in clear plastic, the federal authorities abused and tortured him in the aircraft while extraditing to the US.  For three years Shifa has been held at a Federal Prison in solitary confinement, in a very small cell the size of a bathroom with no windows or proper ventilation.  For a long period, Ehsanul was denied access to information on the charges or evidence against him, and still continues to battle the lack of transparency in the government's case against him. In September 2008, Shifa received information that one of his court appointed attorneys was  not working in his best interest and asked the judge to remove her. The request was denied and another inmate and client of the attorney physically assaulted and threatened Shifa in the presence of prison guards

Since October 2008, harassment, threats and physical violence were orchestrated and directed at Shifa inside the prison. He received head injuries from the assault and his request for differential diagnosis for medical treatment was ignored by prison medical staff.  Since the physical violence on Shifa, his health has significantly deteriorated and he lives in fear for his life inside prison. Prolonged solitary confinement, particularly when Shifa has yet to be convicted of even the most minor offense, is torture and cruel and unusual punishment and a violation of his 8^th Amendment Constitutional right.  The denial of medical treatment is a violation of a basic human right. The abuses by the prison, harassment, and threats from both inmates and prison staff continue to this day, and his lawyers are working to improve the harsh conditions of his solitary confinement. 

Shifa has been charged with crimes for exercising his constitutional and human rights to free speech and religious expression. He has been stripped of his rights because he was a religious and spiritual Muslim American.  He is the victim of political and religious profile and discrimination instigated by the government towards Muslim Americans. The post-9/11 policies were implemented to prosecute terrorism-related charges, not against people who had actually committed crimes. At worst, innocent Muslims were targeted. Like the Bush policies of torture, illegal wiretapping and detention at Guantanamo, the “preventive conviction” of innocent Muslims in the US is a blot on the honor of America, a shame to our constitutional and legal traditions, and a continuing injustice to the Muslim Americans who were framed or overcharged, and remain in jail often under dreadful conditions.

From his plane ride return to the United States, through his incarceration, He has been subjected to physical abuse, psychological torture, and health ailments have been ignored and exacerbated by federal prison staff.  While the government’s case relies substantially on innuendo and “guilt by association” Shifa’s First Amendment rights to free speech and practice his Muslim faith, his Fifth Amendment right to due process of law, and his Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment have been violated viciously. 

The Free Shifa Committee demands an investigation into the physical assault, immediate medical treatment, and improvement of the inhumane conditions of Shifa’s confinement. The Committee also requests Obama Administration to investigate the terrorism-related cases against innocent and overcharged Muslim Americans who became the scapegoats of a vengeful Bush Administration’s illegal policies. They deserve justice. Ehsanul Sadequee (Shifa) is an American born US citizen and he also deserves justice.  We need your assistance in putting the pressure on the authorities to ensure the brutal conditions of confinement are alleviated from Shifa and released to his family. 

For more information contact:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 404-641-4921