Muhammad Abdullah
27-Jun-2005, 06:41 PM
http://www.cageprisoners.com/prs_images/20050410043210_t.jpg (http://www.cageprisoners.com/prisoners.php?id=1345&PHPSESSID=973bc2e35d4e7981eeca1326d8bc308d#)
Rafil Dhafir
Background:
Rafil Dhafir is a U.S. citizen, and was born on 1 July 1948 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Dhafir graduated with honours from high school in Iraq. At the time, he was ranked among the top ten students in the whole country. He subsequently enrolled in Baghdad Medical School, where he received his medical degree.
In 1972, Dhafir left Iraq for the U.S. He met his wife Priscilla while studying for his oncology certification at the University of Michigan. They have been married for over 30 years.
Dhafir spent the next few years training and working in Internal and Emergency Medicine at the Wayne State University Medical Program. He then pursued 2 years of specialized medical training in oncology at the University of Michigan.
In 1980, Dhafir moved to Syracuse, opening his own clinic as well as working on the staff of Rome Memorial Hospital. He soon rose to prominence within the community, becoming president of the Islamic Society of Central New York, and helping with efforts to build a local mosque.
Dhafir has given many lectures and appeared on local TV stations to talk about cancer and cancer treatment. His goal was to ensure the maximum benefit to all the patients in that community.
On February 26, 2003, Dhafir was arrested by federal officials for violating the US embargo against Iraq, by sending humanitarian assistance to Iraq.
Dhafir applied for bail on several occasions. However, they were all refused. Dhafir remained in detention under severely restrictive conditions which prevented him from maintaining meaningful contact with his attorneys, clearly violating his constitutional rights.
On 20 Feb 2005, Dhafir was found guilty of violating economic sanctions against Iraq by sending funds to Iraq through his charity "Help the Needy".
Dhafir founded Help the Needy in 1996 to send money to Iraqi children. Under economic sanctions imposed on Iraq after the Persian Gulf War, 1 million Iraqi children became chronically malnourished by 1997, according to the United Nations.
Regarding his humanitarian work for Iraq, Dhafir said:
"This may sound naive, but children were dying. I had to do something."
Supporters describe Dhafir as a man who gives tens of thousands of dollars to charity and who often allows poor or working-class patients of all faiths to pay but a portion of their chemotherapy expenses. He has lent employees money to pay off mortgages and to hire lawyers to represent wayward children, and he never asks for repayment.
In a motion filed July 29 2004, Dhafir's lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, requested that all charges against Dhafir be dismissed, based on claims that the federal government targeted Dhafir for "selective prosecution."
Other American citizens who have also violated the embargo against Iraq have not been criminally prosecuted; one such well-known organisation is Voices in the Wilderness. They have only received fines for their numerous and very public violations of the embargo.
When Dhafir was apprehended in February 2003, the then Attorney General John Ashcroft talked about the arrest as part of President Bush's war on terror. But terrorism charges were never bought against him, and instead, he was indicted on 60 charges.
In February 2005, Dhafir was found guilty on 59 of those charges.
Rafil Dhafir is to be sentenced on June 20, 2005. If given the maximum penalty on each count, he will face up to 598 years in prison and fines totalling $23.5 million.
Rafil Dhafir
Background:
Rafil Dhafir is a U.S. citizen, and was born on 1 July 1948 in Baghdad, Iraq.
Dhafir graduated with honours from high school in Iraq. At the time, he was ranked among the top ten students in the whole country. He subsequently enrolled in Baghdad Medical School, where he received his medical degree.
In 1972, Dhafir left Iraq for the U.S. He met his wife Priscilla while studying for his oncology certification at the University of Michigan. They have been married for over 30 years.
Dhafir spent the next few years training and working in Internal and Emergency Medicine at the Wayne State University Medical Program. He then pursued 2 years of specialized medical training in oncology at the University of Michigan.
In 1980, Dhafir moved to Syracuse, opening his own clinic as well as working on the staff of Rome Memorial Hospital. He soon rose to prominence within the community, becoming president of the Islamic Society of Central New York, and helping with efforts to build a local mosque.
Dhafir has given many lectures and appeared on local TV stations to talk about cancer and cancer treatment. His goal was to ensure the maximum benefit to all the patients in that community.
On February 26, 2003, Dhafir was arrested by federal officials for violating the US embargo against Iraq, by sending humanitarian assistance to Iraq.
Dhafir applied for bail on several occasions. However, they were all refused. Dhafir remained in detention under severely restrictive conditions which prevented him from maintaining meaningful contact with his attorneys, clearly violating his constitutional rights.
On 20 Feb 2005, Dhafir was found guilty of violating economic sanctions against Iraq by sending funds to Iraq through his charity "Help the Needy".
Dhafir founded Help the Needy in 1996 to send money to Iraqi children. Under economic sanctions imposed on Iraq after the Persian Gulf War, 1 million Iraqi children became chronically malnourished by 1997, according to the United Nations.
Regarding his humanitarian work for Iraq, Dhafir said:
"This may sound naive, but children were dying. I had to do something."
Supporters describe Dhafir as a man who gives tens of thousands of dollars to charity and who often allows poor or working-class patients of all faiths to pay but a portion of their chemotherapy expenses. He has lent employees money to pay off mortgages and to hire lawyers to represent wayward children, and he never asks for repayment.
In a motion filed July 29 2004, Dhafir's lawyer, Deveraux Cannick, requested that all charges against Dhafir be dismissed, based on claims that the federal government targeted Dhafir for "selective prosecution."
Other American citizens who have also violated the embargo against Iraq have not been criminally prosecuted; one such well-known organisation is Voices in the Wilderness. They have only received fines for their numerous and very public violations of the embargo.
When Dhafir was apprehended in February 2003, the then Attorney General John Ashcroft talked about the arrest as part of President Bush's war on terror. But terrorism charges were never bought against him, and instead, he was indicted on 60 charges.
In February 2005, Dhafir was found guilty on 59 of those charges.
Rafil Dhafir is to be sentenced on June 20, 2005. If given the maximum penalty on each count, he will face up to 598 years in prison and fines totalling $23.5 million.