WarCriminalsWatch Events

KATHLEEN CHALFANT, WALLACE SHAWN AND THEATERS AGAINST WAR (THAW) ANNOUNCE A NEW THAW
INITIATIVE

RADIO FREE FAHAD: NO GUANTANAMOS AT HOME OR ABROAD!

JOIN US ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 FROM 6-7 PM AND EVERY MONDAY NIGHT FROM 6-7PM
THEREAFTER IN LOWER MANHATTAN

Dear fellow artists and activists and friends of Theaters Against War,

Theaters Against War (THAW) is on the verge of beginning what we think is a crucial
new initiative to expose the current effects of the “war on terror” in eroding human
rights and civil liberties here in the US and we are calling on artists, activists
and people of conscience to join with us.

WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US AND IF YOU ARE AN ACTOR, PLEASE BE IN TOUCH WITH US AS WE
NEED ACTORS TO HELP US BRING TO LIFE DRAMATIC READINGS OF COURT TRANSCRIPTS AND
OTHER TEXTS DURING THE VIGILS!  We will have a special guest from Broadway and
off-Broadway each week too!

The Disturbing Detention of Syed Fahad Hashmi

In April 2009, The Nation published a harrowing article about the arrest and
detention of Syed Fahad Hashmi – you can read the full article at:
http://www.facebook.com/l/0289c;www.thenation.com/doc/20090420/theoharis

Fahad, a US citizen and Brooklyn College graduate, has been held for over two years
in severe solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in
Lower Manhattan, a federal penitentiary that has been mirroring many of the abusive
practices detainees face at Guantanamo.  In 2006 Fahad was arrested in the UK on a
US warrant and charged with having offered material support to terrorism.  The
"centerpiece" of the government's case is that for two weeks Fahad allowed an
acquaintance who had a suitcase full of waterproof socks and ponchos to stay in his
apartment and that this acquaintance allegedly delivered this suitcase to a member
of Al Qaeda and used Hashmi's cell phone to call co-conspirators. From THAW's
perspective, the most insidious aspect of the Hashmi case is actually not this
spurious indictment – Fahad is facing four charges of material support to Al Qaeda –
but the severe and inhumane conditions of his detention at the MCC. These conditions
thr
eaten Fahad’s mental health and his ability to participate in his own defense.

Fahad’s constitutional rights have also been denied in the following ways: no
contact with anyone except his lawyer and his parents; no calls, no letters, no
radio, no newspapers until they are 30 days old and censored by his jailers; no
contact with other prisoners; no group prayer or worship; and for more than 28
months now, no fresh air or sunlight. Fahad’s cell is electronically monitored
inside and out, so he showers and goes to the bathroom in constant view of the
camera. He is allowed only one hour "out" of his cell a day to “exercise” in a
solitary cage that is directly attached to his cell room – a right which he is often
denied by prison guards. Additionally, under the claim of “national security”, much
of the evidence against Fahad has been labeled “classified” which means – in a
horrifying desecration of due process, one of the most basic elements of fair trial
rules respected universally – Fahad won't be allowed to see the evidence against
him.  A fair trial under these circumstances seems impossible and we all wonder how
this could be happening in the United States.

The THAW Vigil Idea

As theater people who believe in the power of our medium, we want to bring attention
to the injustices that an American citizen is facing in a detention center less than
40 blocks from the heart of the American theater world, Broadway. One of the only
things that Fahad has going for him is that rather than being held in a remote
prison somewhere in the Midwest, he is in New York City – a city of 9 million people
who can protest visibly against what is happening. During the initial phase of his
detention, Fahad had a radio. However, one day, as part of the arbitrary rules of
his detention, this radio was taken away from him.  And so, THAW has conceived of an
idea to bring Fahad his own “personal radio program” beneath the windows of the
Metropolitan Correctional Center. The “radio programs” we create will have
individual segments that draw attention to some of the more absurdly arbitrary
elements of Fahad’s detention – for example, we will have a “30-day-old n
ews” segment with all the major news headlines….from one month ago. This “radio
vigil” will be a two-fold performance – it will allow us to bear witness to the
inhumanity of the conditions of Fahad’s detention as well as use public performance
to draw attention to the compromise of civil rights of American citizens and other
detainees that is taking place.  And every week will include special Broadway or
off-Broadway stars taking part in planned performances.

Time, Place and More Information

Beginning on Monday October 19 from 6-7pm, we will hold weekly vigils every Monday
evening from 6-7pm outside the Metropolitan Correctional Center at 150 Park Row  (at
Pearl Street) in lower Manhattan in order to raise awareness about Fahad’s case. The
conditions of Fahad's confinement are not aberrational and are similar to the
conditions faced by other “war on terror” suspects being held across the United
States.  But Fahad is in New York City and people of conscience in New York can help
to make other Americans aware of what is happening NOW!

Let’s show Fahad and fellow Americans that we won’t allow this case to go to trial
without a large public outcry.  Come stand with us and also help THAW to spread the
word to your own networks.  For more information, you can email THAW at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call and leave a message for THAW at 206-312-2201 and
someone will get back to you shortly.

We hope you will join us,
Kathleen Chalfant
Wallace Shawn
and the Theaters Against War

THAW Out for Justice!