| FREE JOHN WALKER LINDH |
| Innocent! See Feature Story in the Esquire magazine! The American Conservative Agrees (March 2009): John Got Shafted |
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| FOR THE RECORD | |
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John Walker Lindh is in prison for providing aid to the Taliban between May and November of 2001. In May of 2001 the Bush Administration provided $43 million in aid to the Taliban. |
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The
government grossly overstated its case
when JWL was first arrested. Consequently,
the government dismissed nine out of
ten of its original charges. |
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Lindh began to fight the Northern Alliance before the United States became involved in the conflict. |
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The indictment states that Lindh declined the offer to participate in terror operations against Israel and the United States and chose instead to go to the front lines to fight the Northern Alliance. Nevertheless, Attorney General Ashcroft told the nation at his February 5, 2002 press conference that Lindh had dedicated himself to "killing Americans." This was a blatant falsehood, and Mr. Ashcroft, who had just read the Indictment, knew it. The maintstream media almost completely ignored this portion of the Indictment. Most of you will read about it here for the first time. |
There is no evidence that Lindh intended to murder Americans or to assist terrorists in doing so. His sole purpose all along was to prevent the Northern Alliance from regaining control of the country that had given them the boot in 1997.
Lindh was given 20 years in federal prison simply for participating in another country's civil war. Ironically, Americans have a long history of doing just that. Thousands joined the Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish civil war. Thousands have fought in Israel's army and continue to do so. Others fought for Bosnia's Muslim-led government against Serb forces. Some fought with the Contras in Nicaragua. Others have joined the French Foreign Legion.
Why then 20 years for John Walker Lindh? Can it really be doubted that but for our government's impotence in the wake of September 11 Lindh would not have been prosecuted? Americans of all political stripes should be deeply troubled when politics enters the courtroom. As conservative commentator Craig Robert noted in "A Petty Prosecution," rather than rejoicing, "[Americans] would do better to step back and consider that if John Lindh can be coerced into a wrongful plea, so can they."
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Footnote: The government succeeded in placing one highly attenuated reference to terrorism in the plea agreement. The paragraph in question states that "the defendant's supplying services to the Taliban, by fighting in support of the Taliban, constituted a felony that involved, or was intended to promote a federal crime of terrorism within the meaning of U.S.S.G Section 3A1.4, in that the Taliban's control in Afghanistan, and the activities of those individuals fighting in support of the Taliban, provided protection and sanctuary to al Qaida, a designated foreign terrorist organization." Thus the terrorism "hook" on Lindh was the assertion that in fighting the Northern Alliance he was aiding the Taliban, who in turn were providing protection for al Qaida who were terrorists. By this expansive reasoning one could be guilty of supporting terrorism for sending money to orphanages run by the Irish Republican Army.
Write
to John
John is now able to accept mail. If you write to him, please keep it clean. He's taken enough shit as it is over the past few years. You may write to him at:
John Walker Lindh
Reg. No. 45426-083
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808-0033
Reply to a Concerned Reader / Clarifying our position
Minnesota Daily Calls for Reconsideration of Lindh Case (April 2006)
JWL Renews Commutation Petition: Here's Why it Should Be Granted.
Robin Moore's "The Hunt for Bin Laden"— Fact or Fiction? Let's find out.
New Yorker Magazine: Justice lawyer cites unethical prosecution of Lindh
Lindh's Statement to the Sentencing Court
Summary of the Government's Case
Read the Indictment (it's short and easy)
Ashcroft's Vendetta: Lynching John Walker Lindh
Judge Rules State Dept Designation of Terrorists as Unconstitutional
Doubts
Cloud U.S. Taliban Case: A London Observer
Report. (Not reported in mainstream U.S. media.)
Law Dean Assesses Evidence, Concludes Walker Did Nothing Wrong.
Enterprise Journal: "Charley Reese: Charges Against Lindh Overstated"
Contact us: talltree1@aol.com
Footnote 2: We have received numerous requests for Mr. Lindh's contact information and have chosen to provide it.