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December 21, 2003
Sami Al-arian: Christmas in Coleman
Melva Underbakke, Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace
On Christmas Day, the Al-Arian family usually spends the day together relaxing over breakfast and watching the Christmas parades. This year will be different. Sami Al-Arian will spend most of the day shivering in his very cold cell, one of two people at the federal prison at Coleman who do
not have jackets. (The other is cellmate Sameeh Hamoudeh.) The guards all wear wool jackets, but the inmates also have jackets except for Sami and Sameeh. They are also the only two inmates who have not been convicted of anything.
While Sami waits in his cell, his wife and five children will begin the hour and a half drive from Tampa to Coleman. When they arrive at the prison, they are put in a very small room to wait for Sami. The room is approximately 4 by 5 feet, and only has room for two chairs. The room is
crowded, and the family takes turns sitting down. After a wait of one to one and a half hours, Sami is finally brought to the visiting area. The family's first view of him will be when he enters the room, shackled and with his hands cuffed behind him. Once he is in the room, the guards remove the handcuffs and lock the door behind him.
The children will not be hugging their father because there is a glass window between them. They also won't be talking to him right away, because the only way to talk to him is over a telephone. There is only one telephone, so Nahla and the five children take turns talking to Sami. While one person is talking to him, the rest cannot hear what he is saying…
These visits are difficult, but they are very important, because these are the only visits Sami is allowed. The convicted prisoners can be visited by anyone, but Sami is only allowed to see his immediate family. Friends and other relatives are not allowed to see him. The visits are also important because Sami is only allowed one phone call a month.
If you would like to send a letter to Sami, his address is:
Sami Al-Arian
#40939-018
Coleman Federal Complex-USP
P.O. Box 1033
Coleman, FL.33521
If you would like to write to the judge concerning his conditions, the names and addresses are:
Honorable Thomas B. McCoun III
Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse
801 N. Florida Ave., #223
Tampa, Florida 33602-3800
Honorable James Moody
Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse
801 N. Florida Ave.
Tampa, FL 33602-3800
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