[Ppnews] Lynne Stewart on Democracy Now

[Political Prisoner News]

Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/17/1439229

Civil Rights Attorney Lynne Stewart Sentenced to 28 Months In Jail; 
Remains Free On Bail


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Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart is claiming victory today in a 
case that could have landed her in jail for the rest of her life. On 
Monday, Stewart was sentenced to twenty-eight months in prison. 
She'll remain free on bail while her conviction is appealed. 
[includes rush transcript]

Stewart was facing up to thirty years after being found guilty of 
conspiring to aid terrorists and lying to the government. She was 
convicted of distributing press releases on behalf of her jailed 
client - Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman - also known as the blind sheikh - 
who is serving a life sentence on terror-related charges. Stewart was 
found to have helped Rahman communicate followers in Egypt with 
messages that could have ended a cease-fire there and ignited violence.

U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ruled Stewart is guilty of: 
"extraordinarily severe criminal conduct." But he rejected 
prosecutors' argument she presents a threat to national security, and 
said there is no evidence anyone has been harmed by her actions. 
Judge Koeltl also rejected prosecutors' request for the maximum jail 
term, citing Stewart's years of representing the poor and 
underprivileged. Judge Koeltl wrote: "It is no exaggeration to say 
that Ms. Stewart performed a public service not only to the court but 
to the nation."

Stewart's two co-defendants were also sentenced. Ahmed Sattar, a 
postal worker who acted as a paralegal for Abdel-Rahman, was given 24 
years in prison for conspiring to kill people outside the US. 
Mohammed Yousry, an Arabic translator, was given twenty months for 
aiding the smuggling of Abdel-Rahman's messages.

Shortly after her sentencing, Lynne Stewart stepped outside the 
courtroom to a crowd of cheering supporters.
    * Lynne Stewart
Civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart. She's free now pending an appeal 
of her conviction. Also speaking outside the courtroom was Lynne 
Stewart's husband, Ralph Poynter.
    * Ralph Poynter

AMY GOODMAN: Shortly after her sentencing, Lynne Stewart stepped 
outside the courtroom to a crowd of cheering supporters.

LYNNE STEWART: This is a moment that I share with every supporter 
that came, that called, that sent me a card, that stopped me in the 
street. It's the cab drivers who gave me the thumbs up this morning. 
It's everybody who had some role to play in this. I am very grateful 
to the judge that he gave me time off for good behavior, and he gave 
it to me in advance of the sentence, when he said that my 
extraordinary work meant that I could not get a sentence that the 
government wanted. They were disappointed, but I tell you, he did a 
fair and right thing, and I am grateful to him, but I am more 
grateful to the people -- the people who showed up today, the people 
who have showed up, the people who had the meetings, the people who 
had dinners in their apartments, the people who raised funds, 
whatever it was. The support and love of the people is what has sustained me.
I am standing here with three of my 14 grandchildren. My lawyers 
pointed out to the judge that under new regulations, the government 
could have forbade me to ever see them again. This is how we have 
become in this country. And I hope the government realizes their 
error, because I am back out and I am staying out until after an 
appeal that I hope will vindicate me, that I hope will make me back 
into the lawyer I was.
Any regrets? I don't think anybody would say that going to jail for 
two years is something you look forward to, but as my clients have 
said to me, I can do that standing on my head. No, the circle 
continues. We are going to go on. We have more struggle there. This 
is a time that cries out for renewed resistance to a government that 
is not only overreaching in a case like mine -- I am the point person 
-- but to a government that overreaches into all our lives.
I see the people before me today. We are not torturers. They are 
torturers, and we have to stop the torture. I do hope that we will be 
vindicated on appeal. We are surely going to take a militant and 
timely appeal and that there are plenty of issues, and we hope that 
that will be the result.
But I tell you, it is such a feeling of relief. I had my medications, 
my book. I had a pair of sweatpants to change into, because I was 
prepared for the worst. But like all Irish people, you prepare for 
the worst, something good happens. And something good did happen.

AMY GOODMAN: Civil rights attorney, Lynne Stewart. She is free now, 
pending an appeal of her conviction. Also speaking outside the 
courtroom was Lynne Stewart's husband, Ralph Poynter.

RALPH POYNTER: I can only reiterate what people have already said. 
This is a victory of all of the committees, all of the people who 
supported this struggle. But we happened to be the focus, and I dare 
say that we are the happiest, for tonight we may even sleep. Thank you again.

AMY GOODMAN: Ralph Poynter, the husband of Lynne Stewart, standing 
outside the courtroom. Lynne Stewart was tried in the courtroom where 
the Rosenbergs were tried more than a half a century ago.


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