Diplomats complain of secret detainees

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Posted 11:18AM on Tuesday, January 1, 2002

NEW YORK - Foreign diplomats say they are getting scant information from the U.S. government about hundreds of immigrants from their countries who remain in custody nearly four months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ``The light we are seeking does not come as it should,'' said Mohamad Hafeez, Pakistan's consul general in New York. ``As time passes we worry more and more.'' Some of the 460 men rounded up on immigration violations have been behind bars for three months, and diplomats say there have been reports of mistreatment. Diplomats said they have been given little or no indication of when the men will be released. They said they have not even been provided the names of those behind bars - just country of origin and the alleged immigration violation. Diplomats have identified some of the detainees through family members who have come seeking help. The State Department said the government is living up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which requires that the United States notify arrested or detained foreigners of their right to contact their embassy or consulate. But it is up to the individual to make that choice, and some detainees might have chosen not to have their consulates notified, said Christopher Lamora, spokesman for the bureau of consular affairs at the State Department. The painstaking pace of the investigations has also raised questions. The most severe penalty for the immigration violations facing the detainees is deportation; some have agreed to leave the United States. But federal immigration officials said they cannot be released until the FBI completes its investigation into the lead that brought the person to the attention of authorities. Human rights and civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit earlier this month challenging the detentions. ``The most alarming aspect of these cases is the secrecy that's surrounded them,'' said Alistair Hodgett, a spokesman for Amnesty International, one of the plaintiffs. Immigration and Naturalization Service spokesman Russ Bergeron could not say how many detainees have been cleared or released so far. In addition to those held on immigration violations, 77 are in custody on criminal charges such as possessing hazardous materials. The Justice Department officials will not say how many people are being held as material witnesses. ``Very troubling,'' said Sedat Onan, deputy consul general for Turkey, which has 43 citizens being detained. ``Turkey is one of the strongest and most loyal allies of the United States. Our citizens are being treated like common criminals.'' The detentions come as the United States seeks continued support for its war on terrorism from Muslim nations such as Turkey and Pakistan. Pakistan has 208 citizens in custody - more than any other nation - and is especially sensitive, given the political risks it has shouldered in siding with the United States. ``It's helping to sow the seeds of hatred in the Pakistani community against the U.S. government,'' Pakistani vice consul Irfan Ahmed said. One Pakistani man died in custody from heart problems. And Ahmed said the consulate knows nothing about 75 of the detainees, except that they are from Pakistan. Ahmed said a number of Pakistani detainees told him they were encouraged not to contact their consulate, saying it would slow down the process. But State Department spokesman Jo-Anne Prokopowicz said, ``I've never heard of that.'' Canadian officials told a similar tale concerning citizen Shakir Ali Baloch, who has been held since September. After being asked to locate Baloch by his family, Canadian officials said Baloch told them he had been denied contact with his consulate or a lawyer. American officials had trouble even locating Baloch at first, eventually finding him at a lockup in New York City. ``This is a troubling period - we understand that - but basic legal rights cannot be set aside,'' said Reynald Doiron, a spokesman for the Canadian Consulate. While the fate of the detainees is being determined, their families are left anxious and wondering. Uzma Naheed, 39, said her husband and brother have been in jail for about three months and she has not been permitted to visit them. Her Bayonne, N.J., home is barren because she is selling off her possessions to make do. She is behind on the mortgage. ``I am really in a lot of big trouble here,'' Naheed said. She said her husband, Anser Mehmood, has been in the United States since 1989 and had let his visa lapse. On the morning of Sept. 11, Mehmood, a truck driver, was scheduled to make a delivery to the Pentagon. That helped draw the attention of authorities. She said her husband is innocent: ``He always respects the law.''