The Tragic Case of Omar Ameen Continues
By David Greenwald
Next week’s Everyday Injustice podcast features my interview with Federal Public Defender Rachelle Barbour. We spend a good portion of the time talking about the case of Omar Ameen.
This is a classic case of wrongful prosecution. The evidence against him was an unreliable and biased informer, who claimed he was in Iraq and a member or leader of ISIS.
U.S. authorities arrested him after a probe by the FBI and Homeland Security in August 2018.
During extradition proceedings, the U.S. claimed not only was Omar responsible for the murder, but he was a leader in ISIS in Iraq.
But, a federal magistrate in 2021 found the warrant was “not supported by probable cause because Mr. Ameen had been in Turkey, not Iraq, at the time of the murder,” and that “there was no evidence that Mr. Ameen was an ISIS leader and ordered his immediate release,” according to supporters.
As Barbour pointed out in the interview - this guy is absolutely and provably innocent. But the US is trying to deport him to Iraq where he would face legal charges there.
As our article today notes, “After months of proceedings, the immigration judge late in 2021 ruled the U.S. did not prove Ameen was a terrorist, but refused to bond him out as he continued to fight deportation to Iraq, where his supporters claim he faces sure death.”
“Omar’s bond request was denied by the same agency – the Department of Justice – that has maliciously targeted for him years. Omar deserves a fair hearing in federal court,” said Siobhan Waldron, another ILD attorney.
In the interview, Barbour explained that extradition to a country without a reliable legal system is problematic at best, even under the best of circumstances. She explained that if deported, he would be removed from custody and summarily executed.
All of this for a man, who is provably innocent. And yet, the Biden administration continues to seek extradition.
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