Samar


Jawad

The campaign to free Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh - Palestinian political prisoners being held in British jails.

Samar and Jawad are serving 20 year prison sentences for allegedly conspiring to bomb the Israeli Embassy and Balfour House in London in 1994. They are innocent and were convicted only because they were involved in political activities in support of Palestinians. The British and Israeli governments are covering up vital evidence about who was really behind the bombings.

We need to pressure the authorities to release Samar and Jawad. We can use their case to highlight the bigger picture of the oppression of the Palestinians, and how the usual rules of justice cease to apply when the victims are Palestinian.

Samar and Jawad' appeal started in October 2000 and was adjourned after four days at the request of their defence after the prosecution admitted that the British government and security services are covering up vital intelligence information about a known terrorist organisation that was probably really behind the bombings. It also came to light at the appeal that the British police and prosecution have been withholding further vital evidence about other suspects. All of this contradicts the main plank of the prosecution's case, namely that there had been an 'intelligence vacuum' surrounding the bombings with no information having been received to indicate who had been involved. Hence, according to the prosecution, it must have been a couple of student activitsts like Samar and Jawad.

Hotel a LodzDespite all of this, when the appeal is reconvened in the next couple of months, Samar and Jawad's chances do not look good. To quash their convictions would involve the British courts going against the grain and admitting that the security forces and prosecuting authorities had made mistakes, and the real bombers were still out there. It would also mean antagonising Israel - at least one senior member of the British intelligence services thought that Israel was involved in carrying out the bombings.

The 1994 London bombings had all the hallmarks of a professional operation carried out by a major terrorist organisation or government. The existence of the intelligence information currently being suppressed confirms this. Indeed, the indications are that the bombings were linked to the 'secret war' between Israel and Iran. The bombings were obviously not carried out by a couple of amateur young activists like Samar and Jawad. There is clearly a bigger picture, but freeing Samar and Jawad would mean the British justice system admitting it had failed. Far easier to incarcerate innocent Palestinians than challenge the status quo.
We need to bring sufficient pressure to bear upon the British government and prosecuting authorities to force them to end the cover up and release Samar and Jawad. Pressure also needs to be put on the Arab governments to intervene and speak up for Samar and Jawad in the way that Britain does whenever her citizens are imprisoned in the Arab world. Please help by putting the campaign for Samar and Jawad at the forefront of your activities.

For more information about case and what you can do to help, please go to our website at www.freesaj.org.uk . You can contact us by email at postmaster@freesaj.org.uk or you can telephone Daniel Guedalla on 07958-680-449. Thank you for your help.