Dying man who aided Saddam denied bid for freedom
Mar 2, 2012, 12:44 AM
DETROIT (AP) – A Detroit-area man convicted of helping Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein has failed to persuade a judge to help him go home to die.
Detroit federal Judge Nancy Edmunds said Thursday she has no authority to intervene in a matter that’s up to prison officials. Doctors say Najib Shemami has cancer and less than four months to live.
Officials at a federal prison in Butner, N.C., say Shemami might commit more crimes if released. The warden has declined to approve his release.
The 62-year-old Shemami has served about a year of a 46-month sentence for passing sensitive information to Iraq. He informed about military movements in Turkey before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that overthrew Saddam.
Shemami’s relatives say he’d live with them in Oakland Township if released.
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