Michel Shehadeh
Michel Shehadeh | |
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Born | |
Nationality | Palestinian-American |
Education | California State University, Long Beach |
Occupation(s) | Director, community leader |
Michel Shehadeh born in 1956, in Amman, Jordan, to a Palestinian Christian family, is the Palestinian-American executive director of the Arab Film Festival and the former western regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (1996–2003).
Raised in Palestine, Shehadeh relocated to the United States for college in 1975. He holds a BA in Journalism and a Master's in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach.
On January 26, 1987, Shehadeh and seven other Los Angeles residents (dubbed the 'Los Angeles Eight') were arrested under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 on the basis of alleged support for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (designated a terrorist group by the US in 1997).[1][2][3] After the government refused to disclose exculpatory evidence, in 2007 the judge in the case dismissed the charges against Shehadeh and another member of the LA8. The judge called the prolonged proceedings an "embarrassment to the rule of law".[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Freedom File: 'L.A. 8' Arrests Launch 'Embarrassing' Two-Decade Case". ACLU of Southern California. January 31, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "The Case of the LA8: U.S. Drops Twenty-Year Effort to Deport Arab Americans for Supporting Palestinian National Rights". Democracy Now. November 2, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
- ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- ^ "Judge Throws Out Charges in 'Los Angeles Eight' Case". Center for Constitutional Rights. October 23, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2024.