The
New York Times
"For Post 9/11 Material Witness, It Is a Terror of a Different Kind --Adam Liptak April 19, 2004
Describes the ordeal of Lavoni T. Kidd, who had his life turned upside down after being held as a Material Witness for a case in which the accused was acquitted by an Idaho jury.
Perhaps it doesn't matter to the bigots and blowhards of the Right, but it should matter to the rest of us that Mr. Kidd lost a post graduate scholarship, his marriage, and his livelihood--just for being a potential witness.
Details from the article below the fold.
New York Times:
Mr.(Lavoni T.) Kidd, who described himself as "anti-bin Laden, anti-Taliban, anti-suicide bombing, anti-terrorism," was never charged with a crime and never asked to testify as a witness. In June, 16 months after his arrest, the court said he was free to resume his life.
...He lost his scholarship, he now moves furniture for a living, and his marriage has fallen apart. About 60 other men have been held in terrorism investigations under the federal material witness law since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a coming report by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union. Such laws, meant to ensure that people with important information do not disappear before testifying, have been used to hold people briefly since the early days of the republic.
..."Material witnesses have, ironically, fewer protections than people charged with a crime," Ms. Fellner said. For instance, she said, people arrested as material witnesses are not given Miranda warnings and do not always have prompt access to lawyers.