The petition
Petition For Stay Of Deportation for Onsy and Fadia Zachary
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED
We, the undersigned urge you to stay the deportation of Onsy and Fadia Zachary. They are an elderly couple who escaped from Egypt in the early 1970’s. Onsy and Fadia are Christian Coptic Orthodox and Onsy was in the Egyptian army where he was imprisoned and tortured when he refused to convert his faith to Islam.
In February 1998, Onsy and Fadia came to live and work here in the US after being granted a work Visa (H-1B) only to discover that they were given incorrect legal advice by the US immigration attorney that filed the H-1 B petition for them. This prevented them from being able to acquire and utilize the rights they were given under that Visa.
Throughout the years, Onsy and Fadia tried every effort to achieve legal status in the US but have been unsuccessful. Through a convoluted and tragic series of events and ruthless actions taken by Onsy’s brother who lives in the US, after a falling out between the two brothers, Onsy was charged with a crime he did not commit. Onsy waited for over three years for his trial to clear his name and allow him to pursue other options that would allow him to stay in the US legally. Onsy’s criminal trial finally took place. The prosecution had no evidence to present; Onsy’s trial was mostly about his immigration status and how he was an Egyptian illegal alien. Onsy was convicted for the crime that he did not commit. Onsy’s trial took place shortly after 9-11.
Onsy, who is confined to a wheel chair, has been incarcerated for the past five years. Onsy is an innocent man and has been a victim of a great miscarriage of justice. Onsy will finish his sentence in September 2007 and if nothing is done, will be deported back to Egypt where he and his wife will be tortured. In addition to fleeing from the army and escaping the country, Onsy and his wife filed asylum here in the US claiming religious persecution. That alone makes them an ”Enemy of the Government” of Egypt. Egypt, according to the US State Department, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other reliable sources, routinely uses torture.
For the past several years, Onsy’s family have been trying to get Onsy’s criminal case to an attorney who can right the injustice done to Onsy and overturn the conviction allowing him to pursue his immigration options. Onsy’s case was recently reviewed and taken by one of Boston’s top criminal defense attorneys. The attorney feels that Onsy has a rather substantial case and a good chance to overturn the conviction and exonerate Onsy. Onsy’s case was also recently sponsored by the National Center for Reason and Justice. They are a national non-profit group who sponsor only a very small number of cases for the wrongfully convicted only when they believe that the person convicted is truly innocent.
Onsy’s criminal case is fervently being worked on and time is all that is required to overturn his conviction and clear his name. This will never give him or his wife back any of the time they lost or the suffering they have endured, but it will open the doors for them through immigration to keep them in the US safe from torture in Egypt.
Onsy and Fadia have already suffered grievous injustice. They are terrified of being sent back to Egypt. This elderly couple are good people, devout Christians who just want to live out the rest of their lives together in peace and safety here in the US. Because of their immigration status, this exceptionally loving couple have not been able to see each other forthe past five years.
They have their own apartment and both were members of the church (Fadia is still
currently), they have many friends who love and support them, and believe in Onsy’s
innocence.
We, the undersigned ask that Onsy and Fadia’s deportation order be stayed and allow Onsy to be free during that time. This will allow for time for Onsy’s attorney to overturn the unjust conviction and allow Onsy the opportunity to be vindicated. This will also allow Onsy and his wife to pursue options to legally stay in the US where they can hopefully rebuild a life, establish a business as they had previously, and fully become part of the community that has already embraced them.
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