U.S. man refusing to testify in Hamas funding case jailed for 11 years - Haaretz

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Thu., November 22, 2007 Kislev 12, 5768

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Last update - 23:01 21/11/2007

U.S. man refusing to testify in Hamas funding case jailed for 11 years

By The Associated Press

Tags: terrorism, Hamas, U.S.

A former professor accused of providing money to Hamas terrorists was sentenced Wednesday to more than 11 years in prison and fined $5,000 for refusing to testify before a U.S. federal grand jury.

Abdelhaleem Ashqar, a former associate professor of business at Washington's Howard University, showed no emotion as U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve imposed the sentence. But several relatives wept openly in the courtroom.

Ashqar was convicted earlier this year of criminal contempt and obstruction of justice for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas on June 25, 2003. But he was acquitted of taking part in a racketeering conspiracy aimed at bankrolling the militant group.

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Before being sentenced, Ashqar delivered a nearly two-hour passionate statement describing the suffering of Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation and saying he would rather go to prison than divulge the secrets of Palestinian militants.

"The only option was to become a traitor or collaborator and that is something that I can't do and will never do as long as I live," he told the court.

After sentencing him to 135 months in prison, St. Eve ordered marshals to take Ashqar into custody immediately, saying that it was not clear that he would not flee to avoid serving time.

A co-defendant of Ashqar, Muhammad Salah, was sentenced to 22 months in the same case after being convicted of lying under oath in a legal document. He also was acquitted of racketeering

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1.	Arabs in America	23:15	\|	ottomatik	21/11/07

2.	This makes as much sense as the Saudi rape victims 200 lashes	23:22	\|	POP	21/11/07

3.	Not long enough	23:46	\|	Gina	21/11/07

4.	POP - Dana, feel free to go visit him in prison	23:48	\|	Gina	21/11/07

5.	Who cares? Let him rot.	23:49	\|	Nechama	21/11/07

6.	1.ottomatik & 2.Pop.ottomatik,and most likely thousands more,this	23:55	\|	lakshmi	21/11/07

7.	This man is complicit in terrorist activities	00:29	\|	Pragmatic	22/11/07

8.	Ashqar, a true patriot.	00:33	\|	Sean	22/11/07

9.	There was no choice	00:33	\|	Ralph	22/11/07

10.	Apparently I`m free to support Israel...	01:07	\|	Colin Wright	22/11/07

11.	JEWS	01:13	\|	b	22/11/07

12.	Unusually punitive action	01:24	\|	Steve	22/11/07

13.	Ashqar: America`s Freedom & Friendship Is Not To Be ...	01:28	\|	Lavi	22/11/07

14.	Hamas decided to kill peace process	01:58	\|	Gina	22/11/07

15.	Colin Wright -- Correct	02:00	\|	Gina	22/11/07

16.	Sean	02:04	\|	Gina	22/11/07

17.	12Steve,and did he not also get some sort of pardon or reprieve?	03:04	\|	lakshmi	22/11/07

18.	Sean (how about the IRA murdering children	03:22	\|	John Phee	22/11/07

19.	#1	04:00	\|	SAL	22/11/07

20.	#12	04:50	\|	Moshe	22/11/07

21.	to Colin Wright#10	05:13	\|	Ilya	22/11/07

22.	10 Colin Wright,since 1968 your government has also been breaking	13:04	\|	lakshmi	22/11/07

23.	#21 Ilya	14:50	\|	Advocate4Liberty	22/11/07

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