Sri Lanka's Debt and China’s Money

Faced with difficult choices, Sri Lanka has to hope China’s Belt and Road can bring prosperity.

Container ships are pictured docked at the Colombo South Harbor, funded by China, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 26, 2016.-Image Credit: REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

By Umesh Moramudali-August 16, 2017

Recently, the Sri Lankan government signed a concessionary agreement for a joint venture between the China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CMPort), China’s state-owned port company and the Hambantota port, which is the second largest port in Sri Lanka. According to the agreement, 70 percent of the Hambantota port will be owned by the Chinese company while the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) owns the remaining shares.

The port deal, which has led to many controversies, was not the most favorable choice for the government but it was perhaps the only choice.

By now, Sri Lanka’s situation in terms of managing the external debt is quite distressing. As Sri Lanka was upgraded to a middle income country, most of its concessionary debt was cut off and this scenario forced the government to obtain commercial debt. In addition to the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) loans taken at a higher interest, funds were raised through sovereign bonds at commercial interest rates.

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As a result, over the last decade the composition of the country’s external debt has changed dramatically, with a shift toward costlier, non-concessional debt from previously available concessionary debt. Accordingly, in 2006, only 6 percent of external debt was commercial debt, but by 2012 it exceeded 50 percent of the external debt. This has resulted in a drastic surge in interest paid on external debt, leaving the country rather vulnerable to an economic crisis.

Back in 2006, Sri Lanka’s external debt stock was only $10.6 billion. Within the last decade, it has increased by nearly 140 percent.

By the end of 2016, Sri Lanka’s external debt stock soared to $25.3 billion, which amounts to 34 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Out of this massive debt stock, about 13 percent — which amounts to $3.3 billion — is owed to China; most of the debt to China was obtained over the last decade.

The former Sri Lankan regime led by then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa is in part responsible for China’s growing ownership of Sri Lankan debt. Rajapaksa was not a popular leader amongst Western countries, but was a close ally of China, and was not hesitant to borrow from Beijing and invest in infrastructure projects. As the saying goes, “When money comes your way, do not ask questions.”

Rajapaksa didn’t; the questions came later.

The Hambantota port, a major portion of which was leased to China for 99 years, was one such infrastructure project financed by China and constructed during the Rajapaksa regime. It was not originally meant to be leased to Beijing, although it was constructed using debt obtained from China. However, as time went on, Sri Lanka found it difficult to pay back the loans taken from China’s ExIm Bank at the commercial interest rate for the port’s construction. There was not much return on investment from the port, similar to the fate of the Mattala airport located nearby. The low return on the projects combined with the high interest rate to be paid to the Chinese has ensnared Sri Lanka in a debt trap. The government had no option but to share the asset with the Chinese.

Most importantly, these Chinese debts were invested in developing strategic locations of the country, giving some control of those areas to China. Beijing’s strategy — establish power in the South Asian region through economic diplomacy — was closely observed by India. New Delhi’s strategic concerns had placed the Sri Lankan government between a rock and a hard place.

China’s economic dominance in Sri Lanka was not in terms of debt, but also investments. In 2005, the annual foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows from China were just under $1 million, but 2014 that figure had soared to over $400 million. These massive FDI inflows went into the controversial Colombo Port City project, later termed as the Colombo International Financial Center. The center raised concerns about Sri Lanka’s sovereignty since the filled-in land in Colombo would be leased out to the Chinese for 99 years with the expectation of a separate law being applied to the filled-in land. During the last decade, $1.1 billion in FDI was received from China and during the same period only $400 million in FDI was received from the United States.

The Belt and Road Initiative and the Way Forward

Given the poor performance of Sri Lanka’s external sector and slowed growth in the West, Sri Lanka, in fact, had no option but to reach out to China for money. To put it simply, China is where the money is.

As Sri Lanka fails to increase its export revenue in light of the soaring external debt servicing payments, the country has to look to other options to raise funds, which seem to come through debt and investments from China. Yet, it remains an open question whether Chinese money has made the situation go from bad to worse due to the high interest on loans and the possible geopolitical consequences of Chinese influence.

It is with that backdrop that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) presents offers to the countries across the region. Given the economic crisis that the country has faced, Sri Lanka is not in a position to refuse these offers. Sri Lanka does not have many options left while China has many options to pick from. China has already invested heavily on the Gwadar port in Pakistan and is investing heavily in Bangladesh as well. In this context, Sri Lanka will have to take the Chinese offers to rescue itself from a possible economic downturn. Yet again, the concern is how well these Chinese deals are negotiated and on what conditions Chinese debt is obtained. Given India’s approach of staying away from the BRI, the geopolitical implications that Sri Lanka has to face will be inevitable. Yet, if the Chinese bring good economic prospects through the BRI, adverse geopolitical consequences would not be a bad compromise given that many countries in the region are part of China’s initiative despite India’s objections.

However, diplomacy, like debt, can be flammable if not handled with care. Thus far, debt obtained without farsightedness has put Sri Lanka smack in the middle of the devil and the deep blue sea — meaning Sri Lanka is faced with difficult choices and has only risky options to chose from. It will be a challenging task for Sri Lanka to balance and battle through, making compromises where needed and striving to ensure the national interest where necessary.

Umesh Moramudali is an economic columnist and holds a BA in economics. He has conducted extensive research on international trade in Sri Lanka.

Police media spokesman trying to whitewash IGP ‘s egregious crimes founders on the rocks ! -Rajitha says IGP liable to charges of torture and cruelty! (Video)

 

I Saved Daham And His Veyangoda Underworld, President Won’t Touch Me: IGP Pujith Jayasundara

(Lanka-e-News - 17.Aug.2017, 7.30PM) The police media spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera who attempted to give answers  before the journalists in connection with  the Lanka e news ‘I-G-P- Mee Ma’ video footage foundered on the rocks like a sinking boat . The ‘I. G .P. Mee Ma ‘ video exposed the torture and cruelty inflicted on the police staff by IGP Poojitha Jayasundara who insisted upon the staff  that the unlawful rule he  introduced in violation of the very basic and fundamental laws of the country   shall be abided by.  

It is very unfortunate , the Police media spokesman tripped and fell most humiliatingly when trying to give answers at yesterday’s (16)  cabinet media briefing. 

The Police media spokesman in his eagerness  to  rescue the IGP outran his sureness  . He lamented , the Lanka e news report and  video footage had vilified the IGP and published falsehoods , and hence  a defamatory case is  to be filed.  While Ruwan Gunasekera was desperately trying to gloss over the disgraceful conduct of the IGP alias Imbecile general of Police , the Cabinet media spokesman Rajitha Senaratne on the other hand , giving an answer in English to a question posed  by a journalist disclosed  , the IGP has indeed rendered himself  liable  to criminal charges for inflicting  torture and cruelty on individuals. 

Following   the 16 th meeting  , it is being doubted whether Ruwan Gunasekera who claims he is a lawyer is in fact a lawyer. This is because even a black coated shark in the ocean   would know better law than black coated Ruwan Gunasekera in the court .  He  only betrayed his abysmal ignorance of the law  by making irresponsible and utterly rash utterances .

In any event  we are duty bound to give answers to Ruwan Gunasekera’s  allegations that Lanka e news is revealing  untruths. He claims that the IGP did not say ‘I shall rape you’ to the woman Police officer. But the stark truth is, the IGP threatened her in Sinhalese language using the words  ‘Balaganing , mama  thotath kelinawa’ . When a man threatens a  woman using the word  ’kelinawa’ in Sinhalese , it means , ‘I shall rape you’ and  nothing else. Ruwan Gunasekera’s ignorance of the Sinhala language and the law despite being a lawyer  are  his handicap , not anybody else’s . Hence , there is nothing that we can do about  it .

Next, he says Lanka e news has vilified the IGP via the video footage . But what were  depicted in the video footage were  the villainous and illegal activities of the IGP .If Gunasekera the lawyer is thinking because of such activities of the IGP his reputation is being enhanced  among society , it is best if Gunasekera asks his own mother what is  ‘Guna’ (virtue) of the Gunasekeras and corrects himself , in order  to rid himself of his own vices.
 
There is a whole series  of decisions delivered by the Supreme court (SC) during the last several decades which ensure no laws shall be enacted which are contradictory to the basic laws of the country . Therefore  the laws relating to an Establishment shall also be introduced  accordingly. 

Under  section 14 (c) of the constitution , every citizen of the country is guaranteed  the freedom and right to practice his own religion . Hence Poojitha has no right or powers to give orders that all police personnel shall carry out meditation. Much worse , he has no right under any circumstances  to assault or inflict torture on  those who did not carry out that illegal order.

It is a pity Ruwan Gunasekera despite being a lawyer instead of explaining ,  underlining  and pronouncing those sacrosanct laws , only  demonstrated what  a most abominable  liar   he is to the whole world by making despicable   and desperate efforts to whitewash the gross misconduct and  atrocities of the IGP .

Poor Ruwan Gunasekera therefore based on his silly and stupid  utterances at the media briefing on the 16 th ,only proved beyond any trace of doubt he is not only stone blind but a ‘bloody fool’ when he denied the truth that the IGP assaulted the lift operator Banda after  watching  the video which clearly  reveals the assault. 

None is so blind as those who refuse to see. Hence Ruwan Gunasekera must be sent first to a school for the blind  to cure his blindness and pretense.  May be this bloke had seen the video in slow motion to serve  his  own purposes.  In slow motion biting looks like kissing , barking like coughing, and scolding in filth like  endearing romantic whispers .

Gunasekera while saying  none of the victims had complained pointed out ,the video footage in the possession of Lanka e news was the one that was with the CID. Doesn’t that revelation mean somebody has lodged a complaint with the CID , and the latter had thereafter gathered the    evidence available on  the CCTV cameras  ? Gunasekera wittingly or unwittingly betrayed his own Institution thereby  before the media. Irrespective of  what Gunasekera blabbers to hide the facts , Lanka e news in any case  did not obtain the video footage from the CID. 

Police media spokesman by claiming nobody made a complaint and therefore no  investigations were  conducted has once again demonstrated what a stupid lawyer he  is - not only blind but also  pathetically ignorant of the basic laws – a complaint is not necessary to initiate investigations.

In conclusion might we emphatically state, nothing good can result to a most important Institution (Police)   or the country simply by whitewashing  the egregious wrongs committed by the  highest in the hierarchy in the police . Even a dog in the house when it does a wrong has the ‘decency’ to walk out thrusting its tail between the legs in shame. It does not even  bark or  bite . Hence these scoundrels are worse than even dogs .These scoundrels    haven’t that ‘dog decency’ or sense of shame. 

At least at this belated stage these villains and rascals   will be well advised if they abandon their  despicable and most deplorable habit of maligning  others while they are  drowned in the worst vices and sins  themselves. They should instead learn first to acknowledge and accept their  faults  as well as try to rectify them . If not,  please for god’s sake  leave and go, so that all patriotic citizens can heave a sigh of relief and say in one voice ..  G R O B R –Good riddance of bad rubbish. Why not they try to spend the time and energy dissipated on filing  meaningless contempt charges , on  more worthy tasks instead. 

Connected reports …
IGP who inflicted torture now slinks like a crook ! -People’s Forum to complain to HRC 

Is this IGP alias Imbecile General of Police worthy of his position ? Historic video footage exposes ….

Poojitha to be arrested on charges of inflicting cruelty and torture ?

World record ! Subordinates complain against IGP (Imbecile General of Police) – two charges leveled including sexual harassment !!

Watch video footage below 

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by     (2017-08-17 14:20:26)

Namal threatens SI in FCID

 

 

August 17, 2017

FCID has begun an inquiry regarding an incident in which Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa is said to have threatened a Sub-Inspector attached to the FCID.

The incident has happened yesterday when Mr Namal Rajapaksa accompanied his brother Yoshitha Rajapaksa to the FCID who arrived at the FCID to be questioned regarding a defender vehicle that is said to have been used in the murder of popular rugby player Wasim Thajudeen.

The police officer, who is said to have been threatened by Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, is Sub-Inspector Shantha Lalith, who is an efficient officer in the FCID say police sources. The investigations being carried out against Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa in connection with the multi-million dollar Krrish deal are handled by Sub-Inspector Shantha Lalith.

The US$ 650 million Krrish Tower project which was initiated during former President Rajapaksa’s period has been marred with controversy with allegations of secret payoffs to several VIPs in the country at that time. Mr Namal Rajapaksa is accused of pocketing between Rs. 70 to 100 million from the deal.

‘Govt. Corruption : Rajapaksas being hauled to CID to divert attention’

2017-08-17 

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa said in the wake of the ‘yamapalana’ government's fraud and corruption coming to light in dramatic and unexpected ways, the government is engaged in a desperate attempt to divert attention by hauling his family members to the CID and the FCID.

In a statement issued today, he said three members of his family including his wife Shiranthi and their sons Yoshitha and Rohitha were questioned by the CID and FCID this week.

“For the first time, my youngest son Rohitha was also hauled before the FCID on Tuesday. What the people saw this week is a part of the 'yamapalana' propaganda offensive against me, my family and the entire opposition,” Mr. Rajapaksa said.

His statement is as follows:

"Three members of my family – my wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa and our younger sons Yoshitha and Rohitha were questioned by the CID and FCID this week. My wife was asked why the colour of a jeep that had been made available by the Red Cross to her charity Siriliya Saviya in 2011 and used by the Presidential Secretariat had been changed. International NGOs make their vehicles available to local charities once their projects are over. My wife had told the CID that she knows nothing about the maintenance or repair of vehicles used by the Presidential Secretariat. On Wednesday, the CID obtained a statement from my son Yoshitha on the same matter. He had been asked whether he had given instructions to anyone to change the colour of this vehicle. To this Yohitha had replied in the negative and explained that the transport division of the presidential secretariat maintains the vehicles and gets them painted if necessary. He had been asked whether he had used this jeep as his back up vehicle to which he had replied that it is the PSD that assigns any available vehicle for his back up team and that he had no role in the matter.

For the first time, my youngest son Rohitha was also hauled before the FCID on Tuesday. He was asked whether he was a shareholder of ‘Supreme Sat’ which was the first Sri Lankan company to be involved in the launch of a communications satellite. Rohitha had explained that he does not hold any shares in Supreme Sat directly or indirectly and that he was a paid employee of that company with the designation of Technical Director from July 2012 to July 2014 after which he left to concentrate on higher studies. The FCID had thereupon wanted to know whether he had helped Supreme Sat to get their licences. Rohitha had explained that by the time he joined Supreme Sat in 2012, they had already acquired their licence and that he had been introduced to Supreme Sat by a Chinese businessman who had come to South Hampton University in England to recruit new graduates for his company.

South Hampton is the only University in Britain running a course in Space Systems Engineering. Seven students graduated in 2012 one of whom was Rohitha. The satellite that was launched in 2012 is owned by the Chinese government and Supreme Sat which is a Sri Lankan private sector entity has leased six of the 36 transponders on the satellite with a view to providing satellite communication services to Sri Lankan customers. I have been informed that the main investor in this company is a prominent Singaporean businessman.

What the people saw this week is a part of the yamapalana propaganda offensive against me, my family and the entire opposition. Members of my family are told to appear before various police units and the police plant the story in the media that this is to obtain statements about the Tajudeen matter. What is important to the yamapalana government are the media reports generated – not the contents of the statements obtained. When my youngest son Rohitha was summoned by the FCID, pro-yamapalana websites claimed falsely that hundreds of millions of rupees of government money had been spent on sending a satellite into orbit. In actual fact, there was no involvement of the Sri Lankan government in this satellite services company at all. The CID and the FCID are with the government in this propaganda offensive. Last Wednesday, within minutes of Yoshitha having given his statement to the CID, a pro-yamapalana website posted a story about the questions that he is supposed to have been asked.

As the corruption of the yamapalana government comes to light in dramatic and unexpected ways, they are engaged in a desperate attempt to deflect public attention by hauling members of my family to the CID and FCID. The extent of the panic in the yamapalana government is evident in the shrill announcement that special courts will be established to hear cases involving the Rajapaksas. This is in complete violation of the constitutional provisions relating to the equality of all persons before the law and the presumption of innocence. Even if such a special court is set up, what is the evidence that can be placed before this court? The government claims that properties worth Rs. five billion belonging to members of my family had been seized by the state or courts of law. This is a complete falsehood.

No property belonging to any member of my family has been seized by the state or any court of law. What the government has been trying to do is to claim that properties belonging to other people actually belong to us, and in the process they have caused terrible harassment to certain individuals. No member of my family has been found to be in possession of liquid or fixed assets, the provenance of which cannot be explained. Every member of the public knows that the same cannot be said about Ministers of the yamapalana government. No previous government has harassed the families of opposition politicians in the manner of the present yamapalana government.

Why Not Finish Wimal Weerawansa?

AUGUST 18, 2017

There is much speculation amongst the public, who voted in droves, to change the ugly and downward spiralling political dynasty of former numero uno Mahinda Rajapaksa as to the delay in bringing the plunderers to Court. The longer it takes to do so, the greater is the chance of obfuscating the issue with patriotism or some such nonsense.

Weerwansa

Here are some of the theories that abound. President Maithripala Sirisena is being pilloried by the SLFP MP’s who want him to run for President the next time. Their fortunes lay in forming an SLFP led government on the back of a Maithripala victory at the next Presidential elections.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wishes to be the President himself and therefore will not want the Presidency abolished. For the incumbent Prime Minister to be President he would want the SLFP divided. To keep the SLFP divided the Rajapaksa’s have to be free and politicking.

If this is the simple logic Sri Lanka has no chance in hell of ever giving her people a better and brighter future. It tantamount to treason. 6.2 millions of people voted on the facts presented to them at the last Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The civil society that rallied around the call for Good Governance must be relentless in holding on to what was promised.

The Attorney General’s Department is under fire. So is the FCID and the CID. Purely due to the delay in bringing the murderers and plunderers to book. Many a reason is thrust upon a gullible public given a penchant for amnesiac behaviour.

Consider two such open and shut cases. That loud mouthed Wimal Weerawansa and his wife were accused of altering their dates of birth in obtaining two passports.The news media was awash with these allegations sometime ago. What is the fate of these two cases?

To us laymen it’s a simple investigation. Obtain the two Passport applications. Ascertain the hand writing and signatures. Confiscate the two Passports in question. Check if they have been used. Record their statements. File action for tendering as genuine a forged document. End of case. Even such a simple investigation has not been concluded.

It is no small wonder that people, who are sovereign or supposed to be so in this thrice blessed land are agitated. It is no small wonder that the AG’s Department and the varying arms of the Police are under fire. It is no small wonder that there is suspicion that someone or more are vacillating. Who? Is it President Sirisena or Premier Wickremesinghe? It has to be one of the two or both. No one else will gain by this.

Read More

Sri Lanka: GMOA —Look back, re-think

Politicians have different views, muffled by their personal agendas, and exploited for their personal gain. But, an elite organization such as the GMOA should be above this level of mediocre thinking. Unfortunately, despite your daily media justifications, current politicisation of the GMOA as an organisation is too obvious. This is because your actions neither serve the interests of the public nor that of your members.

by Chula Goonasekara- Aug 16, 2017

( August 16, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Despite 70 years of independence, as a developing country, Sri Lanka remains poor, lagging far behind countries that were on par with us such as Singapore, and Malaysia. As a trade union representing an elite section of this nation, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), should shoulder a significant social responsibility to ensure that our country is travelling in the right direction towards economic and social development. In recent times, unfortunately, the actions of the GMOA do not seem to be much nation friendly. Instead, it has propagated a downhill drive towards poverty, chaos, inequality and corruption.

Sri Lanka GMOA —Look back, re-think.docx by Thavam on Scribd

Israel uses Caterpillar equipment in revenge demolition

The ruins of the Hamed family house in the occupied West Bank village of Silwad, one of several Palestinian homes destroyed by Israeli forces in recent days as collective punishment.

 Iyad HadadB’Tselem

Ali Abunimah- 16 August 2017

Israel carried out the revenge demolition of the family home of Omar al-Abed, 19, who is accused of killing three Israelis in the occupied West Bank settlement of Halamish last month.

Wednesday’s was the latest in a spate of such demolitions – collective punishments that are illegal under international law.

In keeping with the apartheid character of Israeli rule, Israel exclusively uses this method of punishment against Palestinians and never against Jews.

Al-Abed, who was shot and injured, is in Israeli custody, but has not been convicted or sentenced in any kind of legal process. Yet members of his family are already paying a steep price.

Local residents told the Ma’an News Agency that a large Israeli force stormed the West Bank village of al-Kobar early on Wednesday and surrounded the al-Abed family home while construction equipment was used to destroy most of the house.

Al-Kobar has been sealed by Israeli occupation forces, another form of collective punishment, since the 21 July stabbing attack in Halamish.

Palestinian youths confronted Israeli forces during the assault Wednesday morning. Twelve Palestinians, including a journalist, were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets, according to medical services.

Israel has also been taking direct revenge on members of al-Abed’s family: occupation forces have already detained his mother, father, two of his brothers and an uncle.

Illegal and morally repugnant

Israel’s B’Tselem human rights group said that punitive demolitions are “morally repugnant and prohibited under international law.” But Israel’s high court has “repeatedly allowed the state to use this extreme measure.”

On 10 August, Israel demolished the homes of three Palestinian families and sealed the home of another, in Silwad and Deir Abu Mashal villages, near Ramallah.

B’Tselem said the collective punishments were implemented because members of those households were accused of car-ramming and shooting attacks in April and June of this year.

“The demolitions and sealing by the military have rendered 18 people homeless, seven of them minors, who were neither suspected nor accused of any wrongdoing,” B’Tselem said.

“Meaningless”

On paper, families targeted for collective revenge have a right to appeal the decision to destroy their house. But according to B’Tselem, the Israeli high court has in practice “rendered judicial review meaningless and has become an active player in a procedural formality designed to lend a semblance of legal propriety to an illegal and immoral action.”

The Fourth Geneva Convention, which the UN Security Council has repeatedly affirmed applies to Israel’s military occupation, states that no person “may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed” and that “Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”

Yet according to Ma’an, “Israeli soldiers posted leaflets in the streets of al-Kobar threatening residents with similar punishment should they attempt to carry out attacks against Israelis.”

In July, Israel’s high court rejected a petition from the family of Muhammad Abu Khudair, the Palestinian teenager kidnapped and murdered in 2014, to demolish the family homes of his Israeli Jewish killers.

The court justified the blatantly discriminatory ruling by claiming that the demolitions are not punitive but designed to deter attacks, and that Jews, unlike Palestinians, do not require such deterrence.

The Israeli military determined in 2005 that the demolitions have no deterrent value and suspended the practice. The Israeli government revived it in 2014 on the pretext of “deterrence.”

Caterpillar equipment used in another war crime

Israel uses militarized version of Caterpillar’s E349 Hydraulic Excavactor for a punitive demolition — a war crime — in Kobar village, in the occupied West Bank, 16 August.

Ma’an News Agency

A photo published by Ma’an News Agency shows Israeli forces using a militarized excavator to carry out the al-Kobar demolition. It is the same model previously identified by The Electronic Intifada as manufactured by the US firm Caterpillar.

The machine in the photo is a Bagger E-349, a militarized version of Caterpillar’s model 349E Hydraulic Excavator.

As The Electronic Intifada reported, the same model was used during an apparent extrajudicial execution of Palestinian Muhammad al-Faqih in the village of Surif a year ago.

The machine is also visible in Israeli army footage of the al-Kobar demolition.

Caterpillar, based in Peoria, Illinois, has long been the focus of boycott and divestment campaigns for selling equipment Israel uses in human rights abuses and war crimes, including the demolitions of homes and construction of settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

Collective punishment is a war crime under international law.

'Palestine was on trial': Rasmea Odeh defiant in final court appearance

Odeh will leave US but serve no jail time after four-year legal battle over immigration case that her supporters say was political

Odeh addressing supporters in Detroit on Thursday (MEE/Natalie Gallagher)

Ali Harb- Friday 18 August 2017 

DETROIT, United States - At the doorsteps of a US federal court, Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh vowed on Thursday to continue organising for Palestine after a judge ordered her removal from the United States.

Odeh had entered a plea agreement that will see her leave the country but serve no jail time. She was indicted on immigration fraud charges in 2013 for failing to disclose on her US citizenship form that she was arrested in Israel.

“We will continue to struggle for our cause. We will liberate our Palestine,” Odeh, draped in a kufiye over a blue suit, told supporters after a tense sentencing hearing.

They come after us for a reason. They come after us because we’re doing important, impactful work.

-Hatem Abudayyeh, the Rasmea Defense Committee

It was the finale of a four-year legal battle, which turned into a relentless cause for Palestinian activism in the US.

On Thursday, Odeh, 70, took the stand to narrate the history of what she described as Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian American activist had spent 10 years in Israeli prison after being convicted of involvement in a bomb in Jerusalem in 1969.

She was tried by an Israeli military court. Odeh says the conviction was based on a forced confession obtained by torture, including sexual assault by Israeli interrogators.

Odeh was convicted in the US of unlawful procurement of citizenship in November 2014 and spent five weeks in jail, mostly in solitary confinement, before being released on bail.

In 2015, she was sentenced to 18 months, which she did not serve because she remained free on bail pending appeal.

Her defence attorneys had planned to argue that Odeh misinterpreted the question on whether she had ever been arrested because she suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the torture she endured in Israel.

But US District Judge Gershwin Drain excluded evidence relating to torture. A court of appeals ruled in 2016 that the district judge had erred, tossing the conviction and sending the case back to Detroit.

Earlier this year, Odeh agreed to a plea bargain that allows her to avoid jail time in exchange for leaving the country.

Throughout the ordeal, Odeh rallied support from Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and leftist groups. Prominent African American intellectuals and civil rights leaders, including Angela Davis and Marc Lamont Hill, spoke in her defence.

Her supporters have always maintained that the legal case was a pretext of a wider crackdown on Palestinian activism.

This was a political case. Palestine was on trial.

-Kristian Bailey, activist

At the sentencing hearing, Odeh framed her case within the context of Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.

“Why are the Palestinians prohibited from struggling for our rights?” she asked, listing what she called Israel’s crimes against Palestinians, including military occupation, jailing activists and demolishing homes.

She also highlighted the US government’s role in supporting these violations.

Judge Drain interrupted Odeh twice, telling her that the case is about immigration fraud, not Palestine. But she carried on with her statement, noting that the lead prosecutor on the case had stressed the terrorism aspect indictment minutes before she took the stand.

Drain, however, finally ordered Odeh to stop, threatening to lock her up for being in contempt of court.

Odeh had been active in the Palestinian community in Chicago for two decades since her arrival to the US.

Before handing the sentence, which had been agreed upon by the defence and the prosecution, Drain called Odeh a “smart lady” for accepting the plea agreement.

He also recognised her contributions to the community in Chicago. Still, he imposed a $1,000 fine on her to be a “deterrent” for people who may think about defrauding US immigration services.

In his statement, defence attorney Michael Deutsch said that given Odeh's age and positive role in her community, the prosecution should not have pursued the charges against her.

At a media conference after the hearing, he stressed the political nature of the trial, criticising Drain for not allowing Odeh to tell her story.

Hatem Abudayyeh, a leading activist on the Rasmea Defense Committee, described Odeh as an “icon” and a “legend”.

READ MORE ►

Jerusalem for sale: Christians fight church land transfer to settlers

Abudayyeh said Odeh embodied the Palestinian struggle by not backing down.

“They come after us for a reason. They come after us because we’re doing important, impactful work,” Abudayyeh told Middle East Eye.

“They come after us because we’re winning - Boycott Divestment and Sanctions is winning; the resistance is winning. And Israel, even in the United States is being seen as the pariah, criminal state that it is.”

He added that Odeh was able to inspire a coalition of support from oppressed communities with her defiance.

“She said, ‘I am going to fight this case, and I’m going to trial, and I’m going to put Israel on trial’. That’s what her attorneys did. That’s what we did in the streets,” he continued.

Odeh had been offered a plea bargain early in 2014; she turned it down.

Abudayyeh said if the US government had aimed to deter activism by targeting Odeh, it failed.

Throughout legal hearings over the past four years, dozens of Odeh’s supporter have demonstrated outside the courthouse in Detroit. Thursday was no different. Speakers from a wide range of organisations lauded the Palestinian activist after her sentencing.

Kristian Bailey, a Detroit-based African American writer who is an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, said prosecuting Odeh was not about immigration fraud.

"This was a political case," he said. "Palestine was on trial... But Rasmea put Israel on trial."