The evidence supporting this allegation was withheld from Ahmed and his attorneys, and for years he languished in solitary confinement without charge and without the opportunity to examine and challenge the evidence against him. There are some 20 individuals currently being held in jail in the United States without charge and on the basis of secret evidence, almost all immigrants of Arab descent. Ahmed's case once again demonstrates that secret evidence is generally synonymous with weak evidence. On Oct. 20, U.S. District Court Judge William Walls ruled in a similar case that a detainee's rights to due process were denied by his incarceration on secret evidence. But we urge the Justice Department to stop the use of secret evidence which is an unconscionable violation of constitutional and human rights.
Secret evidence has no place in responsible law enforcement.
The Justice Department should stop using secret evidence and stop appealing to ever higher courts when secret evidence is reviewed and rejected by lower court judges. We appeal to the Attorney General to uphold the BIA ruling, release Nasser Ahmed and put an end to his ordeal.