Chisun Lee has been writing great articles in the Village Voice about civil liberties violations since September 11. This week he has a poignant article about Mohammed Azmath who was seized on an Amtrak train in Texas on September 12 and detained since then while authorities investigated him for terrorist ties. The investigation ultimately found he had nothing to do with terrorism, but that he had engaged in credit card fraud.

Azimuth pleaded guilty to the credit card fraud and was sentenced to time served, twelve months. Azimuth and his lawyers spoke out at his sentencing. Here is some of what they had to say:

"Azmath's lead counsel, Anthony Ricco, told the judge last week that his client "was housed under the most severe conditions I have ever witnessed. In initial interviews with me, he was shackled, he had [on] manacles, and those interviews were videotaped."

"Ricco told reporters later that Azmath had been abused in such bizarre ways as being taken to the outdoor exercise area on rainy days and locked outside in the cold for hours. In a May letter to Islamic advocate Adem Carroll, Azmath wrote, "They just give once a week a legal call. I didn't make any . . . call to my family in eight months."

"....At the hearing, when he was essentially freed pending deportation by the INS, Azmath spoke publicly for the first time about his detention. Standing, he addressed the court for several minutes, sometimes speaking faster than his limited English would easily allow. "I am singled out on train as a suspect of terrorism," he said. "

"In the three months he did not have a lawyer, he said, a prosecutor named Eric Bruce interrogated him cruelly. "He said to me many times, 'We're going to make your life miserable, your family's life miserable. You're not here for immigration [violations]. You're here for terrorism. You're going to get the death sentence. You're never going to see your wife again.' "

The government lawyer present objected to Azmath's claims, calling them "highly incredible and unlikely." But the Justice Department has told the Voice in the past that investigators are permitted to threaten and even lie in their questioning. Such tactics are not uncommon in more mundane police probes. "

"Legon told the Voice that Azmath's family in India had been "rounded up on several occasions" and questioned by police there, as a result of the U.S. government's investigation. International media have reported that the family faces deportation from India, and Judge Scheindlin cited the crisis as one reason Azmath should be released now....she said, "The sooner he can get home, the more chance he has to save his family."

Chisun Lee wisely concludes his article with this:

"Unlike Azmath, the more recent terrorist suspects in Buffalo and Detroit have received due process, with court hearings and attorneys from the start. Their lawyers have vigorously demanded that prosecutors back up their hype with hard evidence, and courts seem to be proceeding with caution as well. Azmath's case of empty circumstances shows these lawyers and judges are doing the right thing."

Update: Don't miss Skippy the Bush Kangaroo's analysis on Azmath and other arrestees held in secret detention.