Rnews TV Rochester NY

Monday   March 15, 2004

Group Gathers For Batavia Prisoner
 by Greg Johnston and Jen Porter
 Photo by R News Staff
 Published Mar 13, 2004

Supporters gathered in Batavia Saturday.

A Pakistani man, who has been locked up inside the Batavia Correctional Facility for more than two years, is drawing publicity once again.

Supporters of Ansar Mahmood, 26, gathered in Batavia Saturday to show support for the prisoner.

Mahmood is a legal immigrant from Pakistan. He was taken into custody in February 2002 for taking a photograph near a water reservoir. Authorities later cleared Mahmood, saying the photo had no terrorist connection.

That's when police say they learned Mahmood had financially assisted a Pakistan couple in the United States. Police say the couple was in the county on expired visas and Mahmood was charged with a felony for helping them.

Two years later supporters held their third rally for Mahmood, demanding he be released.

"I went and visited Ansar Thursday and got to talk to him awhile, and went and met a very kind, a gentle man,” said Minister Richard Rose of the First Baptist Church. “It was a very emotional meeting, his eyes swelled up with tears just at the thought that we were going to be here today.”

“I think what you have here is a guy who wants to be a U.S. citizen, wants to do what normal U.S. citizens do and we're not allowing him to do that,” Rose added.

Immigration officials haven't taken up Mahmood's case yet. They say New York appellate judges have to sign off on it before they can consider releasing him.

Chatham Peace