Ibrahim expressing his appreciation
Ibrahim Parlak
Karita Hummer's Silver Pen Award
http://blog.johnedwards.com/story/2007/10/21/213812/47#commenttop
Cross-posted from John Edwards' Blog
DonVila in Diaries Feed of DonVila's Diary
10/21/2007 at 9:38 PM EST
Folks in the great lakes states are likely to know a bit of the plight of Ibrahim Parlak. A legal immigrant, granted asylum, has faced daunting and ridiculous challenges in his adopted country. But as bad as they have been, I'm sure he'd agree that these pale to the horrors he faced in his native Turkey.
There is no way I can possibly describe the injustice done to this man in a few paragraphs. That said, I'm including a link to the free Ibrahim website, which will give you some idea.
http://freeibrahim.com/Ibrahim_for_citiz en.asp
I certainly am willing to give a few of my impressions, though.
Ibrahim Parlak was a dissident in his native Turkey, and was horribly tortured for that. He was later granted asylum here. Then the PKK (with which he had been associated) was declared a terrorist group. Citing some nondisclosure offense, our Department of Homeland Security declared Mr. Parlak a terrorist threat.
People who live near him characterize him as a gentle man, a wonderful father and a gracious restaurantuer.
Notables such as Roger Ebert, Senator Carl Levin and Representative Fred Upton are determined and vocal in Mr. Parlak's support.
I ask that you put what energy you value (prayer, meditation, your choice) for Ibrahim Parlak.
I'd never met the man before today (though I'd followed his case) and told him so. We embraced, and he thanked me.
Democracy is really, really, really not a spectator sport.
Don Wheeler
South Bend, Indiana
1 comment:
I have known Ibrahim Parlak since he came to our community. My wife and I are both among the group which is supporting him as he seeks justice for himself.
He has been accused of lying to the -then I.N.S. when he applied for political asylum in 1991. A serious charge.
It is a charge that is not true; he did not lie, he was entrapped, though not knowingly by the immigration officer. His English language skills at that time were limited, to put it kindly. When I first met him some months later, it was quite difficult to communicate with him. As many gestures as words.
When he appeared before the immigration officer, he told her about the firefight at the Syria/Turkey border where two Turkish soldiers were killed (not by Ibrahim, a fact which a Turkish court has affirmed).
Ibrahim gave the officer a Turkish newspaper article describing the events at the border. At the interview, the article was translated from Turkish into English by a Turkish businessman, who apparently omitted to mention the two deaths as he translated. That omission is what is now being described as Parlak's lie.
It is not hard to understand that anyone in ill-health (he was recovering from Turkish torture and imprisonment) who had a limited grasp of English, and who gave a document which DID contain the facts could now be accused of lying.
We will continue to work and pray for justice.
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