DhafirTrial

From The Syracuse Peace Newsletter, Feb. 2005.

THE GOVERNMENT v. DR. RAFIL DHAFIR

Katherine Hughes

I have been attending the trial of Dr. Rafil Dhafir here in Syracuse since it began in October. I knew very little about the case beforehand. I did know that there was some controversy surrounding the case (more…)

Published in The Post-Standard, Jan 9, 2005.

I have been attending the trial of Dr. Rafil Dhafir for two days a week since it started in October.* Before attending this trial I was under the mistaken impression that the newspaper’s job was to inform the public so that people would have a basis for judgment as to the innocence or guilt of a person. My experience of the paper’s reporting on this trial shows me that my belief couldn’t have been further from the truth. (more…)

Letter submitted to Syracuse New Times, January 9th 2005.

I have been regularly attending the trial of Dr. Rafil Dhafir since it started in October. During the course of the trial I have heard stories of Dr. Dhafir’s arrest and of the 85 agents and the helicopter media coverage of the event. I wonder where all the media people are now? I haven’t seen them in court. (more…)

By Katherine Hughes
Sent to the Post-Standard on November 15th, 2004. (Unpublished.)

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

I am attending the trial of Dr. Rafil Dhafir as a court watcher at the invitation of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). I’m writing this editorial to strongly encourage other people to attend the trial and witness the proceedings. This is not a request for people to come to the trial to support Dr. Dhafir’s innocence or guilt, it is a request for people to come to the trial as active citizens in a democracy in order to ensure that another citizen of that same democracy receives due process. The right to be held innocent until proven guilty is a right that is extended to all of us and I believe it is incumbent upon each of us, as citizens of a democracy, to ensure this right for each other. (more…)