Rasmieh Odeh Tag

The trial in Detroit federal court of convicted Palestinian supermarket bomber Rasmieh (Rasmea) Odeh, for failing to disclose her conviction and prison time in Israel during the immigration and naturalization process, completed testimony Friday. As detailed before, the defense strategy has been jury nullification -- having the jury render a verdict based on the broader political dispute, while contesting the underlying conviction through claims by Odeh she was tortured into confessing. The Judge cut off the latter approach by ruling that allegations of torture were legally irrelevant since the legal issue was the non-disclosure to immigration officials, not whether the conviction was justified. In fact, there is evidence other than the confession of Odeh's involvement in the bombing, but to reopen the original conviction would have created a trial within a trial. The judge ordered that the defense could not mention the alleged torture. Nonetheless, according to a report from a supporter of Odeh, while testifying on cross-examination, Odeh volunteered to the jury that the was tortured. The Judge struck the testimony, but you can't unring the bell. Via the anti-Israel Electronic Intifada:

Rasmieh (Rasmea) Odeh is a convicted Palestinian terrorist on trial in Detroit for falsely stating on her 1994 visa application that she had not been arrested or convicted of a crime or served time in prison. (Indictment here.) Odeh became a naturalized citizen in 2004, and now faces up to 10 years in prison (she rejected a plea deal that likely would have kept her out of prison) and deportation. Odeh was convicted in Israel in the late 1960s of being a member of a terrorist organization and participating in the planting a bomb in a supermarket and at the British consulate. Odeh served 10 years in prison before being released in a prisoner exchange where 76 prisoners in Israeli jails were exchanged for an Israeli soldier captured in Lebanon. Odeh claims she was tortured into confessing to the crimes leading to her conviction, but there is substantial independent evidence that -- at a minimum -- she was one of the planners of the supermarket bombing. Needless to say, the Palestinian activist community, particularly in Chicago, has turned Odeh into a hero and victim of the long arm of Zionism.

The Judge in the trial of Rasmieh (Rasmea) Odeh has issued a second order addressing protests at the courthouse which may be part of attempts to influence the jury, Supplemental Order Regarding Public Conduct (full embed at bottom of post):

It has come to the attention of the Court that leaflets prepared by Defendant's supporters were passed out to individuals entering the courthouse prior to the hearing on October 28, 2014. Of course, contact with the jurors or prospective jurors is strictly prohibited. See Dkt. No. 110. Moreover, this Court has explicitly stated that no one shall "attempt in any way to influence or intimidate any juror or prospective juror through any means, including ... carrying any clothing, buttons or other items in the Courthouse that may be clearly visible to the jury that carry any message or symbol addressing the issues related to this case." ld. at 2. As such, passing out literature of the type passed out on October 28, 2014 to individuals entering the courthouse is STRICTLY PROHIBITED on November 4, 2014, since Defendant's supporters have no means of knowing whether an individual entering the courthouse on that day is a prospective juror for the trial in this matter.

Odeh is charged with lying on her naturalization application by failing to disclose she had been convicted in an Israeli military court in the late 1960s of planting a bomb in a supermarket on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Odeh claimed she was tortured into confessing, but there is evidence apart from her confession of her involvement in the bombing in question. The issue seems to be whether she planted the bomb (for which she was convicted) or only was involved in planning the bombing. Judge Drain may not be fully aware that, despite his multiple Orders to protect the jury from influence, there is a national effort by a variety of groups to organize street protests and to pack the courtroom. While these activities in themselves may not violate his Orders, there has been some suggestion that the activities are for the purpose of influencing the trial. The Rasmea Defense Committee has opened a Detroit office for the specific purpose of mobilizing:

We reported on the case of convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmieh Odeh (aka Rasmea Yousef), who is charged with falsely filling out her naturalization application by failing to disclose her conviction in Israel in the late 1960s on terrorism charges in connection with a supermarket bombing. Odeh sought to contest that Israeli conviction as part of the current fraud trial, but the court rejected the request finding that whether or not she was justly convicted in Israel would not be relevant to her duty to disclose the conviction. The Judge completely rejected various means by which Odeh sought to introduce her alleged torture and confession, and ruled that Israeli records of the conviction could be introduced, Devastating pre-trial rulings against Rasmieh Odeh in naturalization prosecution. The result of the court's ruling left Odeh with no viable defense. All the prosecution has to do is introduce the Israeli conviction and then her application which doesn't disclose the conviction. While supporters of Odeh are screaming that this is an injustice, the Judge explained the legal authority behind his decisions in great detail. Odeh could have disclosed the conviction when applying for naturalization with the explanation that it (allegedly) was the result of torture, but instead she made a false statement that she had no conviction. That is the sole legal issue, regardless of how much Odeh's supporters claim the long arm of Zionism is persecuting her. The Court just issued its Order with regard to the Final Pretrial Conference (embedded at bottom of post). The Court (i) denied Odeh's request for a postponement, noting that the case originally was scheduled for trial January 2014, and (ii) denied defendant access to Jury Questionnaires based on a local court Rule. The Court also rejected oral motions at the conference on the very issues the Court previously rejected in writing: