Summary
A University of South Florida professor charged in 2003 with providing material support to a terrorist organization, in a case the Palestine Legal/CCR Report says relied almost entirely on his First Amendment activities (The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack in the US, PDF p.41).
Details
- The case relied almost entirely on his speeches, writings, wiretapped phone conversations and other advocacy (PDF p.41).
- He was acquitted of the most serious charges after a lengthy trial and years in solitary confinement at a maximum security prison, then charged with civil and criminal contempt for refusing to testify at a grand jury hearing after pleading guilty to lesser charges to avoid further jail time (PDF p.41).
- Prosecutors dismissed the charges in June 2014, after he spent five years under house arrest while they remained unresolved, clearing the way for his deportation under the terms of his plea agreement; the US deported him to Turkey in February 2015 (PDF p.41).
Related pages
The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack in the US, Freedom of Expression