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since Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:04:17.
By Denise Nix
http://www.dailybreeze.com/latestnews/ci_12863371
A former Hawthorne man being held on terrorism-related charges in the United Arab Emirates is scheduled to go on trial Monday.
Naji Hamdan has drawn the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and other groups because it is believed the U.S. government took part in his capture and subsequent torture.
Attorneys from the ACLU and several human rights groups are traveling to the U.A.E. to attend the trial in Abu Dhabi, which is 23 hours ahead of Pacific Time.
Hamdan, a U.S. citizen of Lebanese descent, lived in the Hawthorne area for nearly two decades before he decided to move his family to the U.A.E. in 2006.
In Hawthorne, he owned an auto parts business and helped manage the Islamic Center.
He was arrested Aug. 29 and held for months without communication with the outside world.
The ACLU has sued the U.S. government in federal court, alleging it had U.A.E. security agents working at its behest and violated Hamdan's constitutional rights by holding him and torturing him without charging him.
Information extracted during the alleged torture is expected to be used against him during the proceeding, which could end with a death sentence.
The FBI has declined to comment on the case, except to say it is not unusual for agents to work with foreign counterparts in investigating terrorism matters.
Ahilan Arulanantham, director of immigrants' rights and national security for the ACLU of Southern California, said the central concern in the case is the government's involvement.
"Does the Obama administration want to protect an American citizen who clearly is facing a very serious risk of mistreatment at the hands of a foreign government and, apparently with this government's involvement?" Arulanantham said.
"Does the Obama administration want to alter the practice of the Bush years, or just continue them?" Arulanantham asked.
