Solitary confinement is a punishment reserved for convicted inmates and has been determined to be cruel and unusual punishment for more than 60 days. It is a form of psychological torture and violates the 8^th Amendment Constitutional Rights. It is absolutely unconstitutional to hold Shifa, arrested at age 19, for over 1000 days in 23 hour lock down.

Both physical and psychiatric harm can come to people subjected to long-term solitary confinement. Solitary confinement with sensory deprivation is a form of torture. It is more effective than physical torture because it does not leave any visible trace. The conditions under which Shifa is being detained in a federal prison are horrific and are intended to break Shifa's mind, body, and spirit. National and international courts have exposed intimidation and torture techniques to secure a guilty plea. Under these conditions Shifa struggles to retain his sense of self and family.

The ACLU and other human rights activists condemned prolonged prisoner isolation as mental and physical torture, and have filed lawsuits against the practice. President Barack Obama as well as human rights groups have challenged the conditions under which people are detained at Guatanamo Bay Prison. Federal penitentiaries like the one in Atlanta also must be challenged and the conditions brought in line with the US Constitution and basic human rights.

For More Information on the Effect of Solitary Confinement on the Health and Mind. CLICK

Shifa’s health has significantly deteriorated in solitary confinement. Although his weight has significantly dropped in incarceration and physical health continues to decline in total solitary confinement, he has actually never complained about the conditions of his confinement in Special Housing Unit (SHU) in Atlanta, GA until September 2008. Whenever his family inquired about his food, health conditions, and the behavior of the prison staff towards him at the facility, he always replied, "Alhamdulillah," Praise be to God. This certainly did not mean he had no problems at the prison, but he was always humble, calm and composed about the harsh conditions of his confinement. In solitary confinement, he has read many books. Books have been sustaining him in solitary confinement. His family always leaves their visitation with him more inspired, motivated, and encouraged to live and pursue a good life and living. His letters to his family (CLICK To read his letters to family) from prison demonstrate his concerns for the wellbeing of his family, wife and community, giving us advises on how to live a good and pious life. CLICK to get a list of books Shifa has read in confinement and letters to his family.

After a hearing on removing one of his counsels in September 2008, harassments, threats, disturbances, and a physical violence were orchestrated and directed at him at the prison.

Harassments

A prison episode shook up Shifa a little when correctional officers ransacked his cell in January 2007. They tore up his books, the Quran and other packaged goods and items of snacks and food. They threw his books around the cell and kicked them out of his cells. He was very shocked and traumatized by this incidence. He was told it was a “routine” cell shake-down.

In early October 2008, inmates and correctional officers in SHU (Special Housing Unit) began to harass and scare him. They flushed toilets, screamed, and shout at him.  They would scare and disturb him during his daily prayer times. Shifa and the family believe several of these episodes were orchestrated and have been directed at him at the prison to intimidate and silence Shifa from speaking out against his former counsel. These episodes were not normal and regular screams and shouts of inmates which Shifa had been enduring and become accustomed to for last 3 years but appeared more unusual and strange to him. Accordingly, he shared and complained about these unusual incidences to his family and attorneys. These incidences scared and cased him suffering.

Physical Violence and Assault in October 28, 2008

Following a meeting, a dangerous inmate and client of Shifa's (now) former counsel attacked Shifa on the head while he was shackled in feet and hands in the presence of prison guards. The inmate loose free from three guards and ran after and head-butted Shifa on the left temporal. The inmate also threatened Shifa. After the assault, Shifa was afraid to leave his cell and neither his attorneys nor his family could get a visit with him for about a month.  As a result of the assault, his body was trembling and had seizures in parts of his body. This violence against him caused pain and suffering.

Denial of Health and Medical Treatment

As a result of the assault and abuse, Shifa has developed several health symptoms. He had spasms, tingling, and fluttering feelings all over his body. He had strange gastro-intestinal disorder and pain and stinging feelings in his head. Both his family and he have requested for differential medical diagnosis since October 2008 but all requests have been ignored by prison staff. To Read Family’s Letters to the Warden. CLICK

According to Shifa's Family, He Suffered From Externally Induced Psychological Torture as a Result of the Following Incidences at the Prison:

Following the assault, other inmates in SHU screamed, shouted, harassed and scared him saying they would hurt and kill him if he came out of his cell. Correctional officers were beating on his doors. Other inmates thumped and pounded on walls. He could not sleep for days and unable to eat. He was sleeping only for 2 hours and deprived of sleep each day following the assault for a few weeks. Someone was threatening to attack his family. The noises and thumping on the doors and walls kept continuing and he found them unbearable, disorienting and incapacitating. Screams, shouts, intimidation, threats of death and violence directed at him are all sensory assaults and psychological torture inflicted pain and suffering.

Around the same time, the prison staff in SHU was not following routine procedure for cell rotation and switching Shifa between two cells. The routine procedure for rotating cell is that each inmate moves to the next cell over. The temperature in these cells warmed up unusually. In November, the staff rotated him to a cell which had pentagrams and other occult symbols on the walls which Shifa erased upon arriving there. In the next rotation in December, the prison staff took him to a cell which had human phallic and pornographic photographs on the walls. The noises, pounding, and thumping on the walls continued in these cells as well and a prison psychiatrist one day visited him to ask whether Shifa was suicidal to which he replied he was not and does not believe in suicides. As a Muslim, the pictures on the walls were religiously offensive and the violent treatments have caused Shifa much distress.

The prison staff did not rotate Shifa to these cells without a purpose and without permission from their supervisors. The family believes this was a well-planned execution of psychological torture the government induced on him employing his religious/cultural beliefs and phobias to silence, intimidate and/or yield or make him forget the information regarding his former counsel.

For Information on CIA’s Psychological Torture Program CLICK