Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Wife of Palestinian Activist in US Jail Awaits Husbands Deportation | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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London, Asharq Al-Awsat- A former academic who was imprisoned for assisting a Palestinian group has been moved to another jail, according to his wife.

Dr. Sami al Aryan, a Palestinian former professor at the University of South Florida, received a four years and nine months sentence earlier this month, for allegedly giving aid to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He was ordered to serve 19 months and will be deported after being released, after a deal was reached between the defense and the prosecution in the case.

His wife Nahla told Asharq al Awsat she feared for her husband because of the lack of communication between them. In his last telephone call, al Aryan told his wife, “Everything is easy for the sake of Palestine”. She described him as a “strong man with firm beliefs.” The American prison service had refused her request to arrange an appointment for her to visit her husband, she added.

After the verdict was announced, al Aryan was transferred from a prison in Tampa, where he served 38 months to Tallahassee, five hours by car from where his family currently resides.

Nahal revealed she was currently looking for an Arab country to receive her husband and family after they are deported.

The 48-year-old was detained in February 2003 and charged with providing financial assistance to an organization on the US’s terror list.