Holy Land Five: Palestinian American released to halfway house after two decades in prison

Palestinian American Mufid Abdulqader was released after serving nearly two decades in US prison in a controversial terrorism case known as the Holy Land Five, which civil liberties groups argue highlighted the disproportionate targeting of Muslims post-9/11.

Abdulqader, 64, was released on Thursday to a halfway house, a facility used to transition prisoners and reintegrate them back into society, where he will spend one year, the Coalition for Civil Freedoms told Middle East Eye.

While he was never granted early release and ended up serving his full sentence, the news of Abdulqader being taken out of federal prison was celebrated by Palestinian rights groups and civil liberties organisations.

"We at CCF are very happy that Mufid was given a whole year of halfway house time, which rarely happens in our experience. Now he will be able to be with his family and that is wonderful," Kathy Manley, the legal director for the Coalition for Civil Freedoms (CCF), told Middle East Eye.

"We still need to work hard with everyone concerned about this egregious case to find a way to get Shukri Abu Baker and Ghassan el-Ashi released as well."

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