Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Dec. 21 statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Dec. 21 statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee.

Minneapolis, MN – Jan. 10 is the date set for the new trial of Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh. The new trial comes after a successful appeal to Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and legal wrangling before Judge Drain of Detroit’s federal court.

After cancelling a November 29 Daubert hearing last week, Eastern District of Michigan Federal Judge Gershwin Drain reviewed written arguments, and ruled today that Palestinian American community organizer Rasmea Odeh will be granted a new trial.

Tampa, FL – The Tampa Anti-War Committee (TAWC) held a sign-waving for Rasmea Odeh on the day of her scheduled hearing, Nov. 29. The Daubert hearing, which would have been to discuss the use of expert testimony regarding the torture of Odeh during her time in an Israeli prison, was canceled the day before , but TAWC followed through with the action to demand #Justice4Rasmea on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.

New York, NY -On Nov. 28, several dozen activists gathered at Zuccotti Park behind a Palestinian flag and a banner reading “Justice for Rasmea Odeh” to rally and march in solidarity with the Chicago Palestinian American leader.

Houston, TX – Activists protested in front of the Mickey Leland Federal Building, Nov. 26, to demand justice for Rasmea Odeh. Odeh, a hero of the Palestinian people, is being attacked by the U.S. government in an attempt to silence her for her political activism. They have trumped-up charges against her and are doing everything to lock her up and deport her.

Cambridge, MA – Harvard students held an event in honor of Palestinian freedom fighter Rasmea Odeh, Nov. 11. The event, titled “Justice for Rasmea Odeh!” was well attended and featured comments by Suzanne Adely of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG).

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee

All out for November 29th federal court hearing – most important of the case – in Detroit! If you're not in the Midwest and can't make it to Detroit, organize a solidarity event in your city!

New York, NY – The struggle is building to get justice for long time Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh as her defense attorneys and supports push back against new legal attacks.Odeh’s case began on Oct. 17, 2013 when federal agents arrested her on a trumped-up immigration charge, alleging she failed to disclose her arrest 40-plus years ago in Israel. When Odeh and her defense team headed to trial in November 2014, they presented the presiding federal judge, Gershwin A. Drain, with solid evidence that Odeh didn’t disclose her arrest on the 20-year-old immigration form because she was suffering from PTSD as a direct result of torture by the hands of the Israeli military. However, Judge Drain deemed the evidence inadmissible and Odeh was convicted on these charges.Odeh and her legal team didn’t give up. They pushed for an appeal and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Judge Drain should have accepted the expert testimony concerning Odeh’s mental state.This Nov. 29, Judge Drain will assess arguments on whether Dr. Mary Fabri’s expert testimony is valid and scientifically sound to accept for the case. Dr. Fabri is a renowned psychologist who has worked closely with torture survivors.Prosecutors are making motions to “examine” Odeh before the Nov. 29 hearing. This move is an attempt to intimidate Odeh. A statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee notes, “Such an examination is irrelevant as to whether Dr. Fabri’s testimony is reliable and applicable. Nothing asked of Rasmea would change Dr. Fabri’s credentials as an internationally recognized expert on PTSD, or her ability to opine on how Rasmea’s PTSD affected her mental state during any of the dates in question.”The Rasmea Defense Committee is carrying out a major mobilization for the Nov. 29 hearing which will take place at the courthouse at 231 W. Lafayette Boulevard, in downtown Detroit, Michigan,