Petitioning Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari 2 Free Matt and Grace: Innocent Americans Imprisoned in Qatar. Joanne Chin My sister and her husband, Grace and Matt Huang, are an American couple from Los Angeles who are being wrongfully imprisoned by the judicial system of Qatar in the Middle East. In 2012, Matt relocated to Qatar, with his wife and their three adopted children, to work on a 2022 World Cup infrastructure project for his American engineering firm. On January 15, 2013, my 8-year-old niece, Gloria, tragically and unexpectedly died. Matt and Grace were almost immediately imprisoned by Qatari officials under suspicion of human trafficking and intentionally starving Gloria to death. My two nephews were taken into custody and forced to live in a government orphanage. Due to a poorly done autopsy by the Qatari government, the actual cause of Glorias death remains unknown. However, racial bias and the lack of understanding of the challenges associated with high-needs adopted children led officials to charge Matt and Grace with murdering Gloria. The prosecutor told the judge, “The adoption process consists of searching for children who are good-looking and well-behaved, and who have hereditary features that are similar to those of the parents. But the children connected to this incident are all from Africa and most of the families there are indigent.” They tried to convince the judge that the murder may have been done in order to harvest her organs or to conduct medical experiments on her. Needless to say, all of these claims are completely false. Matt and Grace truly believe in the purpose and need of adoption. They had even specifically requested placement with high-needs children, who often have difficulty finding families. In the case of each adoption, Matt and Grace utilized a respected adoption agency and obtained all the proper visas and the kids were given U.S. Passports. They also received specialized training on adoption and how to care for high-needs children. They saw living in Qatar as an opportunity for their children to have an enriching cross-cultural experience. In court, defense witnesses testified how exceptionally Matt and Grace cared for all their children. Additionally, expert testimony explained that it was scientifically and medically impossible that Gloria died of starvation. Not one single piece of evidence was presented showing that my sister and her husband harmed Gloria in any way. After a 9 months of tireless effort, my nephews were finally released from the orphanage and allowed to return to the U.S., under the custody of my mom. One month later, Matt and Grace were released from prison on their own recognizance, but banned from traveling outside the country. On March 27, 2014, Matt and Grace were sentenced by the court to three years in prison despite overwhelming evidence that they are innocent of the accusations against them. Inexplicably, the court did not render a verdict of any kind; it did not declare Matt and Grace guilty or not guilty of murder or any other crimes. They remain banned from leaving the country. The imprisonment of Matt and Grace is only half of the injustice. There are also two children, their sons, who were ripped away from their parents. By placing them in an orphanage, Qatari officials demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding about international adoption and the needs of adopted children. Upon returning to the U.S., my nephews were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of being re-institutionalized and having their parents taken from them. Matt and Grace are innocent, and their continued detention in Qatar is a gross violation of their basic human rights. There is growing international support for Matt and Grace. Innocents experts like The California Innocence Project and The David House Agency are working on their behalf. Even the United Nations has called for the travel ban to be lifted. Enough is enough. Please sign this petition for Matt and Grace to IMMEDIATELY be allowed to be reunited with their sons in the U.S. so that they can finally mourn the loss of Gloria and begin rebuilding their lives. For more information and to donate for their freedom, please visit: freemattandgrace To: Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari, Ambassador of the State of Qatar Susan L. Ziadeh, U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar John Kerry (Secretary of State), Secretary of State Compel Qatar to drop this case of injustice and wrongful imprisonment against Matt and Grace Huang. Matt and Grace need to be allowed to travel back to the U.S. and re-united with their sons. Sincerely, [Your name] Recent signatures Donation Matching for November Joanne Chin by Joanne Chin Petition Organizer We are half-way through November, and we have raised a little over $5,000 for the month. Can you help us get to $40,000 to maximize the gift-matching opportunity? Remember, everything you donate right now is being matched dollar-for-dollar, effectively doubling each gift. Also, we have been hearing from many of you who have been able to get additional matching assistance from your employers. If you can do so, please look into whether or not your company matches donations given to Allegro Organizational Solutions. Please consider supporting freedom today with a pledge to Support Freedom for the next three month, or a one-time donation that will be matched for November. Matt, Grace, their sons that their families thank you for your love and generosity. We would not be able to continue to fight for their freedom without your faithful support. freemattandgrace/donate Matt & Grace speak to Katie Couric by Joanne Chin Petition Organizer news.yahoo/video/american-couple-held-qatar-speaks-205638421.html SUPPORT FREEDOM by Joanne Chin Petition Organizer Donate TODAY: FreeMattandGrace/donate As we approach the time of the vigil along with the next court appeal date, will you please make a gift of financial support to Matt and Grace? If you have given previously, thank you! Matt and Grace desperately need your help. They have sold their home, emptied their bank accounts; their families have liquidated assets and retirement savings in order to cover the tremendous costs of this on-going legal battle and injustice to their lives. Though none of us ever imagined that Matt and Grace would still be in Qatar, separated from their family and their children, the cruel reality is they remain kidnapped by a system that has shown little interest in truth or justice. Your financial support is critical to helping us continue this fight of injustice. We want to bring Matt and Grace home, reunite them with their family and make them whole. Your generosity will help make this possible. Will you give $5.00 to SUPPORT FREEDOM? $25.00 to SUPPORT FREEDOM, $50.00 to SUPPORT FREEDOM? #FiveForFreedom #FreeMattAndGrace To make a donation: FreeMattandGrace/Donate Whatever you can give, we greatly appreciate your generosity. And from Matt and Grace..... thank you! freemattandgrace/ Candlelight Vigil for Matt & Grace - September 18 by Joanne Chin Petition Organizer The judicial system in Qatar has shown again and again throughout Matt & Graces case that it has no interest in truth or justice. The US Government MUST step in and intervene. We need to State Department and White House to do more to bring Matt & Grace home. Come SUPPORT FREEDOM. CANDLELIGHT VIGIL at LOS ANGELES CITY HALL PLEASE SHARE AND RSVP. https://facebook/events/796321423752655/ Candlelight Vigil to Support Freedom for Matt & Grace | Facebook Candlelight Vigil to Support Freedom for Matt & Grace | Facebook State Department asks Qatar to allow Matt and Grace to return home. I want to give you an update about Matt & Grace. Yesterday, the U.S. State Department called on Qatar to lift the travel ban forcing them to stay in the country and asked for the Qatari government’s “assistance in providing a fair and expeditious conclusion to the proceedings.” Read more from the New York Times: nytimes/2014/08/01/world/middleeast/us-seeks-couples-release-in-qatar-creating-tensions-with-a-crucial-arab-ally.html?_r=0 Their next court hearing is in October. Ill be sure to keep you updated and let you know other ways you can help. Thank you for your continued support, Joanne U.S. Seeks Couples Release in Qatar, Creating Tensions With a Crucial Arab Ally The United States on Thursday called on Qatar, the tiny gulf emirate and important Arab ally, to lift a travel ban on an American couple held there for more than 19 months on a criminal prosecution over the death of their adopted African daughter, a case that critics contend is riddled with irregularities, racial prejudice and cultural misunderstandings. Video: Free Matt and Grace by Joanne Chin Petition Organizer https://youtube/watch?v=OKIWXgD-8N8 Matt and Grace Huang: Americans Institutionally Kidnapped in the Middle East For more information on how you can help Matt and Grace, visit freemattandgrace This video has been featured on The New York Times nyti.ms/1j9NR7o Reached 150,000 signatures Supporters Reasons for signing John Jun An Chen SAN DIEGO, CA It is important to me because peoples rights have been violated. It is tragedy to see that good people are suffering through the mindless prosecution. elizabeth mcgrath LA, CA They are innocent. Sarah Su SAN FRANCISCO, CA I believe in justice. Heather Yates ST. JOSEPH, MO This is a horrible injustice which needs to be made right by our government, immediately! As a USA citizen, I am embarrassed by the treatment from Matts employer and by the length of time that there has been little to no intervention on their behalf by appointed or elected officials. Something needs to be done to bring them home and stop this craziness now! Jessie Yang SUGAR LAND, TX I do not believe they are killer More Reasons 2 N qatar criminal justice wrongful convictions wrongful conviction Request API access About Change.org ·Blog ·Careers ·Guides ·Help ·Press ·Advertise ·Developers Privacy ·Terms ·Legal ·Ad Guidelines ·© 2014, Change.org Inc.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 21:43:13 +0000
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