Fascinated by the unusual aspects of the case, Levy took on the case of Mohammed Jwer Al-Ammary. Matter of Al-Ammary et al, A76-201-016, Aug. 28, 1997, San Pedro Immigration Court.
In the years since, Public Counsel, assisted by former CIA Chief James Woolsey, won declassification of 90 percent of the secret evidence against the Iraqis. Six of the Iraqis accepted a government deal that released them from jail to live under house arrest in Nebraska.
Dr. Ali Karim, another defendant, refused the deal, and opted for a new trial along with his brother, Mohammad Karim. An immigration judge acquitted the pair last year and granted both political asylum.
Recently, Attorney General Janet Reno, in one of her last actions before leaving office, lifted travel and employment restrictions on five of the men living in Nebraska, allowing them to travel outside the state. The restrictions remain against the sixth.