UA student lobbies Congress to free jailed dad
Bailey McBride
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: News
Margaret Downs, like many other UA freshmen, is preparing for her first Spring Break in college. But her trip will be a little different than most. Downs will travel to Washington D.C. next week to lobby government officials on behalf of her father, a UA alum, who is currently serving a life sentence for espionage in Qatar.
In 2005, John Downs sent an e-mail to the Iranian Embassy, offering to sell them obsolete files regarding Qatari oil wells that were 20 to 30 years old. He received an e-mail eight weeks later suggesting Iran wanted the information he had offered. He did not know specifically what they were interested in, and he e-mailed back to find out.
In late August 2005, John received an e-mail telling him to go to a deserted location to receive money for the information he would provide. When he arrived at the location, he was arrested by the Qatari police, and he and his car and home were searched for the secret information he planned to sell to Iran. The Qatari State Security, an organization like the CIA in the United States, had sent the e-mail responses, setting up a sting operation.
Though John was treated relatively well in prison, he was brought before a judge and charged with gathering information for a foreign government - specifically, "possession of confidential economic information," which is punishable by life in prison or death. John didn't meet with his lawyer until a week before the trial, and he lost his case and first appeal, which both the attorney and the Downs family attribute to the intervention of the Qatari government, and specifically the Qatari oil minister, who testified against John at the trial.
Almost exactly one year ago, John lost his final appeal and was sentenced to life in prison.
Margaret and members of her family are traveling to Washington D.C. next week to meet with Arkansas Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor; Timothy Ponce, former American ambassador to Qatar; Matthew Blong, regional desk officer; William Fritzlen, Overseas Citizens Services attorney; and Arkansas Congressman John Boozman. The family also is seeking to meet with the ambassador from Qatar.
The Downs family is encouraging these officials to pressure the Qatari government to re-open the case in light of recent resignations of judges because of the politically motivated decisions they were forced to make. Both Arkansas senators already have sent letters to the Amir of Qatar, requesting John's freedom.
The Downs also are encouraging both governments to consider a prisoner exchange, as there is a Qatari prisoner being held in the United States who could possibly be traded to bring John back.
"It's just a really slow, monotonous process," Margaret said. "We're trying to get as much attention to his case as possible, because since Qatar is so heavily influenced by the West, they seem to really react to bad press in the United States."
John graduated with a master's in geology from the UA in 1982 with what is still the university's highest recorded score on the GeoSAT. Though Margaret and her two brothers were born in Houston, the Downs family moved to Qatar in 1997 when John took a job with Qatar Petroleum, the state oil company, working as a geologist and database administrator.
Though John had disputes with his superiors almost constantly, he stayed because he thought his family was happy in Qatar.
"It was awesome - it was my home," Margaret said of Qatar, a state extending off Saudi Arabia into the Persian Gulf. "The culture isn't really anything you can describe - for the most part, people were very open-minded and more liberal than most people would assume."
Margaret described the country where she lived for about eight years as very Western, a place with a diverse range of people and things to do, where "camel-crossing" signs were not out of place and her evenings often were spent smoking hookah beside the water.
"It seems like life in prison is a farce to them," Margaret said. "We heard a story about a man who was insulted by his sister and shot her in the head, and when he went to trial was only given a seven-year sentence and was allowed to appeal after three."
By August, John will have served four years in prison for attempting to distribute information that is openly accessible to the public in the United States. Since her father's arrest and imprisonment, Margaret has returned to Qatar to visit him twice, and she stayed in Qatar the last two summers to teach English, living with a friend and visiting her father when possible.
During his time in prison, John has written more than 100 short stories and is working on his second novel. Downs also wrote for The Arkansas Traveler during his time as an undergraduate at the UA.
More than anything, the Downs family asked that students send letters of support to officials in Qatar and the United States. Pictures, blog posts, sample letters of support and more are available on the family's Web site at Johnwdowns.com.
"Did I make mistakes? Absolutely," John said on his Web site. "I deserve jail, too, for my foolish activity. The country is right to be angry at my behavior. But life in prison?"
In 2005, John Downs sent an e-mail to the Iranian Embassy, offering to sell them obsolete files regarding Qatari oil wells that were 20 to 30 years old. He received an e-mail eight weeks later suggesting Iran wanted the information he had offered. He did not know specifically what they were interested in, and he e-mailed back to find out.
In late August 2005, John received an e-mail telling him to go to a deserted location to receive money for the information he would provide. When he arrived at the location, he was arrested by the Qatari police, and he and his car and home were searched for the secret information he planned to sell to Iran. The Qatari State Security, an organization like the CIA in the United States, had sent the e-mail responses, setting up a sting operation.
Though John was treated relatively well in prison, he was brought before a judge and charged with gathering information for a foreign government - specifically, "possession of confidential economic information," which is punishable by life in prison or death. John didn't meet with his lawyer until a week before the trial, and he lost his case and first appeal, which both the attorney and the Downs family attribute to the intervention of the Qatari government, and specifically the Qatari oil minister, who testified against John at the trial.
Almost exactly one year ago, John lost his final appeal and was sentenced to life in prison.
Margaret and members of her family are traveling to Washington D.C. next week to meet with Arkansas Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor; Timothy Ponce, former American ambassador to Qatar; Matthew Blong, regional desk officer; William Fritzlen, Overseas Citizens Services attorney; and Arkansas Congressman John Boozman. The family also is seeking to meet with the ambassador from Qatar.
The Downs family is encouraging these officials to pressure the Qatari government to re-open the case in light of recent resignations of judges because of the politically motivated decisions they were forced to make. Both Arkansas senators already have sent letters to the Amir of Qatar, requesting John's freedom.
The Downs also are encouraging both governments to consider a prisoner exchange, as there is a Qatari prisoner being held in the United States who could possibly be traded to bring John back.
"It's just a really slow, monotonous process," Margaret said. "We're trying to get as much attention to his case as possible, because since Qatar is so heavily influenced by the West, they seem to really react to bad press in the United States."
John graduated with a master's in geology from the UA in 1982 with what is still the university's highest recorded score on the GeoSAT. Though Margaret and her two brothers were born in Houston, the Downs family moved to Qatar in 1997 when John took a job with Qatar Petroleum, the state oil company, working as a geologist and database administrator.
Though John had disputes with his superiors almost constantly, he stayed because he thought his family was happy in Qatar.
"It was awesome - it was my home," Margaret said of Qatar, a state extending off Saudi Arabia into the Persian Gulf. "The culture isn't really anything you can describe - for the most part, people were very open-minded and more liberal than most people would assume."
Margaret described the country where she lived for about eight years as very Western, a place with a diverse range of people and things to do, where "camel-crossing" signs were not out of place and her evenings often were spent smoking hookah beside the water.
"It seems like life in prison is a farce to them," Margaret said. "We heard a story about a man who was insulted by his sister and shot her in the head, and when he went to trial was only given a seven-year sentence and was allowed to appeal after three."
By August, John will have served four years in prison for attempting to distribute information that is openly accessible to the public in the United States. Since her father's arrest and imprisonment, Margaret has returned to Qatar to visit him twice, and she stayed in Qatar the last two summers to teach English, living with a friend and visiting her father when possible.
During his time in prison, John has written more than 100 short stories and is working on his second novel. Downs also wrote for The Arkansas Traveler during his time as an undergraduate at the UA.
More than anything, the Downs family asked that students send letters of support to officials in Qatar and the United States. Pictures, blog posts, sample letters of support and more are available on the family's Web site at Johnwdowns.com.
"Did I make mistakes? Absolutely," John said on his Web site. "I deserve jail, too, for my foolish activity. The country is right to be angry at my behavior. But life in prison?"
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