Army Must Apologize to Yee

Justice for New Americans applauds Army dropping all charges on Guantano Bay Chaplain James Yee but demand an apology to Yee, his family and his communities.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 4, 2004 ---Justice for New Americans (J4NA) applauds the United States Armys announcement that it has dropped all criminal charges against Captain James Yee. What the U.S. Army needs to do next is to apologize to Yee, his family and his communities" said Cecilia L. Chang, President of Justice for New Americans

Justice for New Americans and Captain Yee Defense Committee held a press conference on March 30, 2004 at San Franciscos City Hall to announce Captain Yees victory and demand that the U.S. Government issue a formal apology to him, his family, and his community. J4NA will also be asking for continued public scrutiny on this matter, in particular, demanding a Congressional investigation.

Captain Yee has won," said Eugene R. Fidell, Yees civilian defense attorney, following the announcement made on March 19, 2004. He added, ... [it] represents a long overdue vindication."

U.S. Army Major General Geoffrey D. Miller, the Guantanamo task force commander, dismissed the charges, citing national security concerns that would arise from the release of the evidence. To this, however, Fidell responded, We reject the notion that security concerns played any role in this decision, especially since the government only a few days ago claimed that the classification review had not even been completed and tonight refused to say whether it has been completed even now."

Although J4NA celebrates the Armys decision to drop all criminal charges against Yee, many questions regarding the governments handling of the case remain unanswered. First and foremost, the government has yet to answer for the perception that espionage allegations at the Guantanamo military base have overly relied upon religious and/or ethnic profiling. We cite, in contrast, the handling of allegations against Army Colonel Jackie D. Farr as a case in point.

Furthermore, J4NA demands that the government conduct an investigation into the leaks to the media by military officials who made false or exaggerated statements about Captain Yees engagement at the Guantanamo military base.

J4NA will also continue to demand that the news media hold itself and the government accountable for activity that damages public trust in due process and the promise of fairness and equality for all American citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. There are thousands of Captain Yee being persecuted for their religion and national origin under the pretense of War on Terrorism in the United States" said Chang

Justice for New Americans (J4NA) has led a coalition of civil right organizations since September 2003 to protest against Chaplain Yees secret arrest and treatment through press conferences; interviewed by numerous radio stations and newspaper and actively inform Congress. Since January, 2004 J4NA set up a defense fund to help defray Chaplain Yees legal cost. For more information, see J4NAs website: http://www.j4na.org or www.captainyee.org