Rasmea Odeh

Rasmea Yousef Odeh
Born1947/1948 (age 76–77)[1]
Lifta, British Mandate Palestine[2]
NationalityJordanian
Other namesRasmea Yousef, Rasmieh Steve, Rasmieh Joseph Steve, Rasmieh Odeh, Rasmieh Yousef Odeh
Occupation(s)Associate director of the Arab American Action Network, Chicago, Illinois
Conviction(s)a) Yes (life sentence)
(b) 18 months in federal prison, stripping of US citizenship, and deportation from US to Jordan, once she has served her sentence, conviction was vacated by the appellate court.
Criminal chargea) Involvement in two terrorist bombings in Jerusalem, including a fatal one;
b) Immigration fraud
Details
CountryIsrael
Target(s)Jerusalem supermarket and British Consulate
Killed2
Injured9
WeaponsBombs
Imprisoned atSentenced to life imprisonment, served ten years in Israel
In custody November 10 – December 11, 2014, in Michigan, but freed on bond pending sentencing; sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on March 12, 2015.

Rasmea Yousef Odeh (in Arabic رسمية يوسف عودة; born 1948), also known as Rasmea Yousef, Rasmieh Steve, and Rasmieh Joseph Steve,[3] is a Palestinian Jordanian and former American citizen who was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) convicted by Israeli military courts for involvement in the 1969 Jerusalem supermarket bombing, resulting in the killing of two young civilians. Odeh claimed that the confessions were obtained under torture, and that the charges were political. She was sentenced to life in prison in Israel and spent 10 years in prison before she was released in a prisoner exchange with the PFLP in 1980.[4] After her release to Jordan, she immigrated in 1990 to the United States, became a U.S. citizen, and served as associate director at the Arab American Action Network in Chicago, Illinois.[2][5][6][7][8][9]

In 2014, Odeh was convicted of immigration fraud by a jury in federal court in Detroit for concealing her arrest and conviction by military court in Israel.[10][11] Odeh's counsel maintained she did not receive a "full and fair trial" because the judge ruled as irrelevant her testimony that her 1969 confession in Israel had been extracted by torture.[12][13] In 2015, a federal judge denied Odeh's request to either overturn the conviction or grant a new trial, ruling that her argument lacked legal merit, based on evidence of her fraudulent citizenship application and the fact that the jurors "clearly did not believe [her] explanation", while "the evidence was more than sufficient to support the jury's verdict."[14][15] Odeh was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in March 2015, stripped of her US citizenship, and set for deportation to Jordan after serving her time.[16][17][18][19] Her conviction was vacated by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and sent back to the District Court in February 2016.[20] In April 2017 she pleaded guilty to failing to disclose her previous conviction on her citizenship application. As part of the plea agreement she was deported without serving jail time.[21]

  1. ^ Anna Lekas Miller (November 1, 2013). "Prominent Palestinian-American Community Activist Arrested". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Will Rasmea Odeh Go to Prison Because of a Confession Obtained Through Torture? Archived March 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine by Charlotte Silver, Nov, 4, 2014, The Nation
  3. ^ Jason Meisner (October 22, 2013). "Feds: Woman hid terror conviction to get citizenship". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Warikoo, Niraj (November 11, 2014). "Jury finds Rasmieh Odeh guilty of lying on immigration papers". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Jason Meisner (October 22, 2013). "Feds: Woman hid terror conviction to get citizenship". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  6. ^ "Arab-American activist on trial for allegedly concealing terror role in immigration papers". The Guardian. November 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  7. ^ "Trial set for Jerusalem terror convict who moved to US". The Times of Israel. September 3, 2014. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  8. ^ "Palestinian convicted of two bombings back in U.S. court over immigration fraud". Haaretz. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  9. ^ Sommer, Allison (March 9, 2017). "The Palestinian Woman Convicted of Terror Casting a Shadow Over 'Day Without Women'". Haaretz. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  10. ^ "US activist found guilty of not disclosing conviction in fatal Jerusalem bombing". The Guardian. November 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Serena Maria Daniels (November 10, 2014). "Palestinian activist convicted of immigration fraud in Detroit". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016.
  12. ^ Israel tortures Arab prisoners Archived March 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Published in The Sunday Times (London) on 19 June 1977 (Annex to Letter dated 30 June 1977 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General). UN General Assembly. Security Council. Thirty-second session. Items 30 and 57 of the preliminary list. Question of Palestine. Report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Population of the Occupied Territories
  13. ^ Jacob Meisner (November 10, 2014). "Palestinian activist found guilty of concealing Israeli conviction". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference abcnews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference algemeiner.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Prison & Deportation for Hiding Terror Conviction". Courthouse News Service. March 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  17. ^ "Prosecutors seek up to 7-year term for Chicago-area Palestinian activist". Chicago Tribune. March 12, 2015. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  18. ^ "Chicago Activist Gets Prison Term for Immigration Crime". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  19. ^ Ed White (March 12, 2015). "Chicago Activist Gets Prison Term For Immigration Crime". CBS. Archived from the original on March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  20. ^ Bill Chambers (February 26, 2016). "Rasmea Odeh Case Sent Back to District Court By Appeal Ruling". Chicago Monitor. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  21. ^ "Palestinian Woman Hid Deadly Bombings When Applying for U.S. Citizenship". NBC News. April 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.