CAIR-CA: FOIA Request Filed Over Lodi ‘Harassment'

The civil rights groups are seeking expedited processing of the FOIA request because of the widespread media attention on the FBI activities in Lodi and the fact that the records sought relate "to the loss of substantial due process rights." In specific, directly to the possible violations of individuals' rights to have access to attorneys, translators, medical attention and the right to be free from inappropriate government surveillance. Expedited processing means that the FBI would have ten calendar days to respond to the FOIA request. "The climate of fear is alienating the very people whose assistance the government seeks," said Shirin Sinnar, an attorney with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. "In light of reports that people have been denied access to counsel, pressured into interviews despite their requests to contact a lawyer, and otherwise discouraged from exercising their legal rights, we are asking the FBI to clarify its policies." In addition, the civil rights groups are concerned about the FBI surveillance of a Town Hall meeting in Stockton on June 11, 2005.The "Know Your Rights" event was sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We appreciate and respect the need of the FBI to conduct investigations of possible criminal activity; however any investigation needs to be done in a way that respects individual's rights," said Mark Schlosberg, Police Practices Policy Director of the ACLU-NC.

"Heavy handed law enforcement activities that do not respect people's rights engender distrust of the community and are ultimately counterproductive." "We are extremely troubled by reports that Muslims in the Lodi community are being advised by FBI officials that they are not entitled to legal representation and should not seek it," said Marwa Elzankaly, President of the Bay Area Muslim Association of Muslim Lawyers. "We are also troubled that attorneys have been prevented from access to their clients. As a result, BAAML is continuously working to ensure that members of the Muslim community are fully informed of their legal rights and responsibilities and to ensure that they have adequate legal resources available to them." The FOIA request is being sent to the US Attorney for the Eastern District of California, the Sacramento Headquarters of the FBI, other local FBI offices in the central valley, and federal offices in Washington D.C. For a copy of the FOIA request visit http://www.aclunc.org PRESS CONTACTS: Basim Elkarra, CAIR-Sacramento Valley 916-441-6269, Shirin Sinnar, LCCR 415-543-9444 Stella Richardson, ACLU-NC 415-621-2493

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