150 of Rasmea’s closest supporters join her at plea hearing
VIDEO: Rally summary by Tom Callahan
On Tuesday, April 25, Palestinian American icon Rasmea Odeh was joined
in Detroit by close to 150 supporters from across the Midwest, at a
federal court plea hearing based on an agreement
reached last month. Sentencing will be formally imposed on August 17
in Detroit, but its terms were discussed and approved by Judge Gershwin
Drain at this hearing. Rasmea will be stripped of her citizenship, and
have to leave the United States permanently. She will not be sentenced
to any further prison time (Drain jailed Rasmea for five weeks in
November and December of 2014 after her conviction at trial), and she
will “voluntarily” depart the country without being detained by
immigration authorities.
The courtroom was packed, leaving many supporters to watch the fairly
straightforward proceedings from an overflow room. The government
summarized the terms of the plea agreement, and Rasmea’s lead attorney,
Michael Deutsch, added a few points. While the government was not asking
for more prison time or a fine if the plea was approved, Drain informed
Rasmea that he would determine the sentence, which normally would carry
a maximum of 10 years imprisonment plus a $200,000 penalty. But, later
in the hearing, he clarified that he intended to honor the terms of the
agreement.
After a few other clarifications, Drain asked Rasmea if she agreed to
the “factual basis” of the plea agreement. After a long pause, and some
quiet exchanges with Deutsch, Rasmea said, “I signed.” This was not
enough for Drain, who asked several times for Rasmea to say she was
guilty. Each time, she  answered,
“Yes, I signed it.” Once more, he insisted that she must admit guilt.
Rasmea paused again, then answered, “I signed this; it says I’m guilty.”
It was clear that this was as far as Rasmea was willing to go, so Drain
relented, and approved the plea agreement.
It is important to note that this agreement did not include the last
minute submissions by zionist Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel,
who attempted to put on the record that Rasmea had committed “terrorist”
acts and was a member of a “designated terrorist organization.” One
final time, Tukel was denied the opportunity to use the case against
Rasmea as a platform to grandstand for Israel.
Surprisingly, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade—who brought the
original indictment against Rasmea but resigned after being asked to by
Trump’s new Attorney General Jeff Sessions—was sitting in the first row
of the courtroom.
“For years, she had claimed that this was not a political case, and that
Rasmea was not being targeted for being Palestinian,” said Nesreen
Hasan of the Rasmea Defense Committee, “but McQuade was so invested in
this plea that she showed up when it’s not even her job anymore!”
Rasmea’s supporters were so incensed that they chanted “Shame on you”
and “You’re a phony” to McQuade while filing out of the courtroom.
Everyone then rallied for a program on the steps outside the courthouse.
Deutsch spoke first, explaining that because the government was
prosecuting this simple  immigration case as one related to terrorism, it was doubtful that Rasmea could receive a fair trial.
Hatem Abudayyeh, of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN),
said, “We’re going to lose Rasmea, she’s going to leave [us]. We know
that. But we also know that for three and a half years, we put Israel on
trial in the United States. We put their treatment of Palestinians in
1948 Palestine, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Jerusalem, in all the
refugee camps on trial. We put their treatment of our political
prisoners on trial. We put their military courts on trial. We put their
torture on trial. We did incredibly valuable and valiant work.
“And because of her bravery, because she said from day one, ‘I’m not
going to allow anyone to criminalize my people,’ we built support from
the most important social justice movements in the country …
anti-torture, women’s rights, sexual assault survivors, immigrant
rights, Movement for Black Lives, anti-war… [they all] came out in
support of Rasmea, and in support of Palestine, because of the brave
woman who’s standing here today.”
Abudayyeh praised some of the individuals and groups that played a
critical role in defending Rasmea over the years—her legal team
(Deutsch, Jim Fennerty, Dennis Cunningham, Bill Goodman, and Huwaida
Arraf); Arab, Black, and Latinx youth from the Arab American Action
Network; members of the Arab Women’s Committee established by Rasmea
back in 2004; organizers from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and
Political Repression (CAARPR) and the Anti-War Committees of Chicago and
Minnesota; Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) activists; and
leaders of the national organizations that anchored the political
defense, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) and USPCN.
Frank Chapman (below) of CAARPR then took the mic. “This is a sad moment
for me, but we gotta measure up. The Palestinian movement for
liberation is not lost and is not losing, and it’s because we have
comrades, sisters like Rasmea Odeh. It’s been a proud moment for me to
stand with  this movement, to stand with this comrade, because united in struggle I know we can’t lose.”
Jess Sundin of CSFR was introduced next, and said, “We are absolutely
committed to continuing to stand with you. At the end of day, we don’t
run these courtrooms. We don’t make these laws, we don’t write these
plea agreements… but we can always fight back. We can always resist. We
can be sure that Rasmea’s work, wherever she is, will continue to make a
huge difference in advancing the struggle for the liberation of
Palestine, and the liberation of all of us.”
Black4Palestine’s Kristian Bailey added, “Angela Davis said two years
ago in Chicago, she knew that when the government went after her it
wasn’t because she as an individual was a criminal. They were trying to
target and dismantle an entire movement. She said the same thing is true
in Rasmea’s case. And we’re not going to let them dismantle the
wonderful movement we built in Chicago; we’re not going to back down.
Now is the time to unite and fight and win!”
Veteran organizer Elaine Rumman of USPCN's Detroit chapter thanked
Rasmea for her work and commitment and said, "[Rasmea] is our star; she
is our success!"
Lorena Buni of Anakbayan, a Filipino youth organization, criticized the
unjust system that attacked Rasmea: “The reality is, they are the ones
who are afraid of us, for them to go to this extent to criminalize such a
strong woman and organizer. And we will not let the struggle die. We
will continue the fight. Rasmea did not lose today, because everyone
that’s gathered here today stands in solidarity with her and with
Palestine.”
An alumnus of National SJP, Leila Abdelrazaq, recalled a lesson shared
by Rasmea to an SJP conference years prior: “She told us young
Palestinians that we shouldn’t feel that the Palestine movement is
separate from us, or that what’s happening in Palestine is separate from
us. Rasmea has proven she fights for Palestinians all over the world.
She came to the U.S. and dedicated her life to our community here, just
like she did back home. … Rasmea’s dedication to that fight makes us
also fight for her, and fight for each other.”
Brant Rosen of Jewish Voice for Peace wrapped up the solidarity
messages, praising Rasmea and addressing her directly: “The best
teachers don’t teach by what they say or what they write, but by what
they are. What I take away today is the image of you standing before the
judge, who was demanding that you say to him and the world that you are
guilty, and you refused, because you are not guilty. Your strength and
your courage and your kindness and your compassion really teaches all of
us how to be in this world.”
After a number of already emotional moments, Rasmea stepped forward to
thank her supporters, speaking first in Arabic and then in English. “I
believe my case is Palestine’s case,” she began, her voice cracking. “We
have to continue our struggle to get our freedom and to have our
Palestine [be free] and to go back. We have to go back to our villages.
There is no choice. No choices. Like today in court, they gave me no
other choice – [either] prison and then [get sent] back. Or
[deportation] without jail.
“I think to continue my struggle, I chose this [even] if it’s hard. I
don’t want to leave! This is my second country. But they want me to
leave because they want to destroy us, to destroy our struggle. So we
have to continue our struggle. Thank you for your support… your support
is very important to me… to Palestine… to all countries struggling for
freedom and justice.” 
Watch the full video here. And continue to help us with our expenses at justice4rasmea.org/donate, or by purchasing our brand new t-shirt here.
Supporters will return to Detroit with Rasmea on August 17 for the
formal sentencing. Before that, a massive sendoff for her will be
organized in Chicago. Look for an announcement soon, as we hope people
from all across the country will attend—to say farewell, and to honor
Rasmea’s lifetime of work for Palestinian liberation.
Rasmea Defense Committee, led by USPCN and CSFR
Friday, April 28, 2017 - #Justice4Rasmea
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