Story posted Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hope For Willsons?
Moroccan Ambassador Will Review Case Of Imprisoned DP Resident
By TODD WESSELL Journal & Topics Editor
A ray of hope has emerged in a Des Plaines mother and daughter's crusade to bring their husband and father home from the Moroccan prison where he's been confined for the last year.
The Moroccan ambassador assured Jean Willson and her daughter, Marilyn Brief, that he would review the case involving James Willson's forced confinement in the North African nation.
Armed with more than 70 pounds of supporting documents and dozens of individually-prepared packets, Jean and Marilyn visited congressional offices, the U.S. State Department and with Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekoouar's in Washington, D.C., during a five-day whirlwind trip last week. The purpose of the visit was to convince American and Moroccan officials to step in to free Mr. Willson from prison where he has been held against his will since last May.
According to Marilyn, while the meeting with State Department representatives produced only disappointment, the Moroccan ambassador assured them that he would look into the matter.
"The most encouraging thing is that what was to be a five minute meeting became a one hour meeting," said Marilyn during an interview with the Journal & Topics Newspapers Monday. During that meeting, said Mrs. Brief, she explained the plight of her father to Ambassador Mekoouar stating that in recent days he has been subjected to abusive treatment.
James Douglas Willson, 67, was apprehended by Moroccan authorities in early May after a plane he was a passenger in had to make a forced landing following taking off in southern Spain. The pilot ran away after the plane landed in the Moroccan dessert while Willson, a retired commercial pilot, remained with the aircraft, which is what he was trained to do. After being detained for several months, Willson was eventually convicted of illegal entry and drug trafficking and sentenced to a total of eight years in prison. He, his wife, Jean and daughter Marilyn, say the charges are totally untrue.
For the last year, as Mr. Willson pled for his release, his family has mounted a campaign to generate public support for their cause. They assert that the U.S. State Department has done little to help. Some congressmen, such as the office of U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th), have been very helpful, Marilyn said. Early Monday morning, a phone call from James Willson to Jean in Des Plaines revealed disturbing news to the family.
"We found out that this weekend he passed out six times in the prison and that he was carried to the infirmary," said Marilyn, "He was vomiting and had diarrhea. The man who was in charge of the infirmary was smacking Dad in the face. Once they smack him that's torture." Marilyn said she made phone calls to area congressional offices asking that they intervene to stop the mistreatment of her father.
"On the phone he sounded weak and horrible. He has no one to speak to there. No one speaks English," adding that her father continues to suffer from the effects of diabetes and a lack of proper medical treatment.
Another disturbing revelation, the Willson's learned of recently was that their Moroccan lawyer failed to file proper paperwork with the country's Supreme Court in an effort to appeal his conviction.
"He (the lawyer) called the State Department to tell them that he did it verbally, but that doesn't mean anything," said Marilyn. "Now their Supreme Court is basically shut down."
As for Ambassador Mekoouar's promise to look into James Douglas's imprisonment, Marilyn said the only satisfactory resolution is to get him home to Des Plaines and his family.
"I told him that this is a travesty and he needs to get involved," said Marilyn. "I told him about my plea to the king of Morocco for my father's release. I showed him the falsehoods and told him about the torture and said I would be willing to take my dad's place. He kind of laughed and said that won't happen. I reminded him that they already took my dad. Why wouldn't they take me as randomly as they did my father?"
In the meantime, Jean and Marilyn vow to continue their quest and often find themselves asking why other Americans in similar situations have been released, but not their father. They specifically point to the situation involving American journalist Roxana Saberi who was imprisoned in Iran four months before her recent release. The U.S. State Department and American officials became deeply involved in that high profile case, but are unwilling to do anything to help Mr. Willson, claims Marilyn.
On their visit to Washington last week, several U.S. senators agreed to help by writing letters to Moroccan authorities asking that Willson be released for humanitarian medical reasons.
"We won't feel encouraged until we see results," said Marilyn. "We've had so many ups and downs. It's been like a roller coaster." She praised some members of the media for their interest in the plight of her father and keeping his wrongful confinement alive in the minds of the public.
"If it wasn't for certain members of the press like the Journal & Topics, where would we be?" Marilyn asked.
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