This seems a little excessive. I'm not familiar with the case, but I received an e-mail asking to help raise public consciousness on it, and given the draconian penalties, ask you all to take a look and see what you think. Trial is set for September 27. More information is available at this Free Dhafir website.

On February 26, 2003 Dr. Rafil Dhafir of Manlius (a suburb of Syracuse) New York and 3 individuals involved with the charity Help the Needy were arrested and charged with breaking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Iraqi Sanctions), and with 12 counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. For that very same act of compassion (providing humanitarian aid to Iraq) Dr. Dhafir was placed on Saddam's Hit list, marked for death should he ever go back to Iraq. .... Dr.Dhafir is the only person to be arrested for breaking the sanctions.

In the interest of justice, we demand that the government drop immediately the original charges of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and various money laundering charges against Dr. Rafil Dhafir. It is our contention that these charges are prompted by his humanitarian aid to Iraq, which does not constitute a threat to the security of the United States of America. We demand that the government makes every effort to help him re-constitute his life and medical practice. We demand that the government issue an apology to Dr. Dhafir and to the 150 predominantly Muslim families that were inappropriately interrogated on February 26th 2003."