Faheem Lodhi to appeal 20-year jail sentence : Melbourne Indymedia

A Sydney man jailed for up to 20 years for planning a terrorist attack at no time and on Australia's electricity system, somewhere? Will appeal against his conviction and sentence later this year.

Faheem Khalid was sentenced last August after a Supreme Court jury was ordered to push on because they couldn't make up their mind, the jury then found him guilty of three terrorism-related offences.

The assumption of Lodhi’s guilt in some circles can be explained by the need to find a scapegoat.

Lodhi has been convicted on the basis of alleged future intentions. No actual plans for any terrorist act have been uncovered. The evidence of those intentions is weak: openly inquiring about the prices of certain chemicals in an office environment; buying two diagrams of the electricity grid; and possessing recipes for amateur explosives and one for invisible ink copied down years earlier from a juvenile “anarchist” website.

His appeal has been set down for a three-day hearing in November.

Lodhi's lawyer, Philip Boulten SC, told the court fresh evidence had come to light as a result of more recent proceedings, but did not give further detail.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1944963.htm

Related:

Doubtful justice in Lodhi sentencing
In Lodhi’s case, this has meant that the threshold of what constitutes “beyond reasonable doubt” has been lowered to an alarming degree. Justice and civil rights are the victims of this “war on terror” in which the government and security agencies benefit politically from convicting supposed terrorists. It is likely that Lodhi’s conviction and sentencing demonstrates, as in the Thomas case, that terror laws are being used to jail people who are not terrorists.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/21361

Lodhi gets 20 years for thought crime?
But what effect of what bombing attack? Thought crime attacks cause no vicitims or I might add no real threat to anyone! More fear has been created by the authorities baseless charges of crimes that were never committed and by the parrot press screaming out terrorist.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/20387

Jury indicated it could not reach a verdict, but was ordered to push on?
These charges were that he collected maps of the Australian electricity supply system in preparation of a terrorist act (15 years), BUT WITH NO DETAILS ABOUT THE PREPARATION ACCEPT MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THOUGHT CRIME? that he sought information on chemical prices for the use of explosives for a terrorist act (life), BUT NO SOUND EVIDENCE ABOUT WHETHER THE CHEMICALS WERE GOING TO BE PURCHASED OR USED FOR THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES OR A TERRORIST ACT and that he possessed a document with information on the manufacture of poisons and bombs in preparation for a terrorist act (15 years). THAT HE LIKE MANY OTHERS MAY HAVE DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET WHICH IS NOT ILLEGAL USUALLY?
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/06/115129.php

A dangerous precedent: Australian man convicted of “preparing terrorism”
Since 2001, the government has seized upon the “war” declared by US President George Bush for both domestic and international purposes. Under the guise of combating terrorism it has participated in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, diverted attention from mounting economic and social problems at home and legitimised previously unthinkable police state-style measures, including semi-secret trials, “preventative” detention and the ability to impose life sentences without any evidence of an actual terrorist act.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/16401

Faheem Lodhi - another non-terrorist jailed under Australia's 'anti-terror' laws?
Jack Thomas, a non-terrorist, has been jailed under Australia's anti-terror laws. Now Faheem Lodhi has been convicted under the terror laws on flimsy, circumstantial evidence. It is likely he is another non-terrorist jailed for political purposes under the terror laws.
http://adelaide.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/19641

Standardising terrorism in the prison population?
Try giving us hope, access to our communities, a sense of caring by the outside community. And letting us out to make restitution instead of building festering anger.
http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/117580.php