WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 7, 2008) — U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and U.S. Representative Peter King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, today announced the introduction of the Free Speech Protection Act of 2008. This bill would protect American journalists from libel suits brought in foreign courts that do not have the same protections for free speech that are found in the U.S. constitution. It mirrors H.R. 5814, legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative King.

Act for America, Petition: Support the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act" February 1, 2008

Help Us Stop "Libel Terrorism"     http://www.actforamerica.org

Add your name to the group of 1,535 people who have already signed using the Internet! The "Libel Terrorism Protection Act" has been introduced in the New York Assembly and Senate. Its objective is as important as it is simple — protect New York authors and publishers from lawsuits filed in foreign court jurisdictions that are intended to intimidate and silence exposure of terrorism and enablers of terrorism.

People like Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim bin Mahfouz are using courts in foreign jurisdictions, where free press and speech rights do not have the same protection as they do in the United States, to win libel lawsuits against American authors and publishers. Bin Mahfouz has filed dozens of such lawsuits, and in the face of those suits, numerous American authors and publishers have chosen to apologize, issue retractions and pull books from the market, rather than spend millions in legal fees fighting the suits.

Our cherished rights of free speech and press are under assault. If libel terrorism is not stopped, more and more American authors and publishers will be afraid to write and publish works that expose terrorism and its enablers — and that will undermine our national security.

Please fill out the form below to add your name to our petition calling on the New York Assembly and Senate to pass the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act" and protect our First Amendment rights — and our nation. Then, forward this petition to your friends and family.


Please Pass the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act"

We the undersigned call on the New York Assembly and Senate to proceed with all due speed to pass the "Libel Terrorism Protection Act," bill number A9652/S6687.
This bill is necessary to protect the First Amendment rights of New York authors and publishers from libel suits filed in foreign jurisdictions. Foreign courts do not provide the standard of legal protection afforded authors in America under the First Amendment. That this protection is necessary is illustrated by the fact that one plaintiff alone has used threats and filed dozens of lawsuits in British courts, successfully intimidating American authors and publishers who chose to apologize, retract, pay fines and pull books from the market, instead of spending millions of dollars in legal fees in the notoriously plaintiff-friendly British court.

Without the protection afforded by the Libel Terrorism Protection Act, increasing numbers of authors and publishers will be subject to "libel terrorism" intended to silence their exposure of activities related to and individuals who are enablers of terrorism. This cannot be allowed to happen.

New York is the publishing "capital" of America. Therefore, the Libel Terrorism Protection Act has national implications for the rights of free speech and free press. If these precious First Amendment rights are allowed to be undermined through "libel terrorism" actions, the very bedrock of America's freedom will be undermined. This cannot be allowed to happen.

The Libel Terrorism Protection Act also has implications for America's national security. If plaintiffs are allowed to intimidate into silence New York authors and publishers, crucial information concerning the threat of terrorism will not be published. This cannot be allowed to happen.

The Libel Terrorism Protection Act would update New York "long arm" statutes to protect the rights of New Yorkers and Americans, setting an example for other states, and providing a template for a powerful potential U.S. federal statute. It would protect citizens' rights to education by a free press and enable journalists to expose terror funding without fear. We commend the New York legislators for authoring the Libel Terrorism Protection Act, and we the undersigned urge the New York Assembly and Senate to pass the Act as soon as is practicable.

Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld, a U.S. Citizen, is suing Saudi billionaire Sheik Khalid Salim bin Mahfouz, the former banker of the Saudi royal family who is has been widely reported to fund terrorist organizations such as HAMAS and al-Qaeda. She is suing Mahfouz in the United States to protect her First Amendment right after he sued her for libel in the UK in an attempt to silence her from reporting about his activities and reported links to Islamist terrorists.

On June 8, 2007, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals breathed vitality into my case against Saudi billionaire Khaled bin Mahfouz--handing my extraordinary lawyer, Daniel Kornstein (and associates) an important victory--and establishing a legal precedent that henceforward affects every American writer and publisher.

In suing Mahfouz, I asked the Federal Court to declare the default judgment against me obtained by bin Mahfouz in England's High Court---concerning details of his terror financing in my U.S.-published book, Funding Evil-- as unenforceable in the U.S., and contrary to the free speech protections Americans enjoy.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals overruled the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in requesting that New York’s highest state court determine whether Mahfouz should personally be subject to New York jurisdiction.

The Second Circuit’s decision went further, ruling that my claim is “ripe,”--and therefore can be brought before a U.S. court. Thus, every American writer and publisher, finding themselves in a similar situation, can now seek a U.S. court decision.

On December 20, 2007 New York State Court of Appeals failed to protect American authors from libel judgments awarded by foreign courts. The court’s decision demands immediate legislative action to change the law regarding “personal jurisdiction,” granting legal protection to all N.Y. writers and publishers. ---Stay tuned.