LOST Blog by Erla Ósk Arnardóttir Lillendahl: http://eggmann.blog.is/blog/eggmann/entry/389611/ (English Translation: Gunnar Tómasson, Certified translator During the last twenty-four hours I have probably experienced the greatest humiliation to which I have ever been subjected. During these last twenty-four hours I have been handcuffed and chained, denied the chance to sleep, been without food and drink and been confined to a place without anyone knowing my whereabouts, imprisoned. Now I am beginning to try to understand all this, rest and review the events which began as innocently as possible. Last Sunday I and a few other girls began our trip to New York. We were going to shop and enjoy the Christmas spirit. We made ourselves comfortable on first class, drank white wine and looked forward to go shopping, eat good food and enjoy life. When we landed at JFK airport the traditional clearance process began. We were screened and went on to passport control. As I waited for them to finish examining my passport I heard an official say that there was something which needed to be looked at more closely and I was directed to the work station of Homeland Security. There I was told that according to their records I had overstayed my visa by 3 weeks in1995. For this reason I would not be admitted to the country and would be sent home on the next flight. I looked at the official in disbelief and told him that I had in fact visited New York after the trip in 1995without encountering any difficulties. A detailed interrogation session ensued. I was photographed and fingerprinted. I was asked questions which I felt had nothing to do with the issue at hand. I was forbidden to contact anyone to advise of my predicament and although I was invited at the outset to contact the Icelandic consul or embassy, that invitation was later withdrawn. I don't know why. I was then made to wait while they sought further information, and sat on a chair before the authority for 5 hours. I saw the officials in this section handle other cases and it was clear that these were men anxious to demonstrate their power. Small kings with megalomania. I was careful to remain completely cooperative, for I did not yet believe that they planned to deport me because of my "crime". When 5 hours had passed and I had been awake for 24 hours, I was told that they were waiting for officials who would take me to a kind of waiting room. There I would be given a bed to rest in, some food and I would be searched. What they thought they might find I cannot possibly imagine. Finally guards appeared who transported me to the new place. I saw the bed as if in a mirage, for I was absolutely exhausted. What turned out was something else. I was taken to another office exactly like the one where I had been before and once again a long wait ensued. In all, it turned out to be 5 hours.At this office all my things were taken from me. I succeeded in sending a single sms to worried relatives and friends when I was granted a bathroom break. After that the cell phone was taken from me. After Ihad been sitting for 5 hours I was told that they were now waiting for guards who would take me to a place where I could rest and eat. Then I was placed in a cubicle which looked like an operating room. Attached to the walls were 4 steel plates, probably intended to serve as bed and a toilet. I was exhausted, tired and hungry. I didn't understand the officials’ conduct, for they were treating me like a very dangerous criminal. Soon thereafter I was removed from the cubicle and two armed guards placed me up against a wall. A chain was fastened around my waist and I was handcuffed to the chain. Then my legs were placed in chains. I asked for permission to make a telephone call but they refused. So secured, I was taken from the airport terminal in full sight of everybody. I have seldom felt so bad, so humiliated and all because I had taken a longer vacation than allowed under the law. They would not tell me where they were taking me. The trip took close to one hour and although I couldn’t see clearly outside the vehicle I knew that we had crossed over into New Jersey. We ended up in front of a jail. I could hardly believe that this was happening. Was I really about to be jailed? I was led inside in the chains and there yet another interrogation session ensued. I was fingerprinted once again and photographed. I was made to undergo a medical examination, I was searched and then I was placed in a jail cell. I was asked absurd questions such as: When did you have your last period? What do you believe in? Have you ever tried to commit suicide? I was completely exhausted, tired and cold. Fourteen hours after I had landed I had something to eat and drink for the first time. I was given porridge and bread. But it did not help much. I was afraid and the attitude of all who handled me was abysmal to say the least. They did not speak to me as much as snap at me. Once again I asked to make a telephone call and this time the answer was positive. I was relieved but the relief was short-lived. For the telephone was set up for collect calls only and it was not possible to make overseas calls. The jail guard held my cell phone in his hand. I explained to him that I could not make a call from the jail telephone and asked to be allowed to make one call from my own phone. That was out of the question. I spent the next 9 hours in a small, dirty cell. The only thing in there was a narrow steel board which extended out from the wall, a sink and toilet. I wish I never experience again in my life the feeling of confinement and helplessness which I experienced there. I was hugely relieved when, at last, I was told that I was to be taken to the airport, that is to say until I was again handcuffed and chained.Then I could take no more and broke down and cried. I begged them at least toleave out the leg chains but my request was ignored. When we arrived at the airport, another jail guard took pity on me and removed the leg chains. Even so I was led through a full airport terminal handcuffed and escorted by armed men. I felt terrible. On seeing this, people must think that there goes a very dangerous criminal. In this condition I was led up into the Icelandair waiting room, and was kept handcuffed until I entered the embarkation corridor. I was completely run down by all this in both body and spirit. Fortunately I could count on good people and both Einar (the captain) and the crew did all which they could to try to assist me. My friend Auður was in close contact with my sister and the consul and embassy had been contacted. However, all had received misleading information and all had been told that I had been detained at the airport terminal, not that I had been put in jail. Now the Foreign Ministry is looking into the matter and I hope to receive some explanation why I was treated this way. From the owner of this blogsite, Mr. Vidar Eggertsson, To English Speeking People: 1. To submit a comment (Icelandic: "Athugasemdir") "...A friend of mine from the US asked me how he could submit a comment here, i.e. he didn’t understand what “Ruslpóstvörn” ment. It means a spam protection, to aviod automatic scam postings, and to verify that the posting is done manually. You need to enter numerically the sum of the figures spelled in Icelandic, e.g. “Hver er summan af tíu og sex?” means “What is the sum of ten and six?” and enter in this case 16 in the empty field. If you hover your mouse over the numbers in Icelandic, you’ll get the English version of them. If you enter a wrong sum, an error message in read will be displayed. Good luck!" 2. NEWS!!! 19th December 2007: "According to news today here in Iceland the Foreign Ministry received a letter from the DHS, where they regret the treatment Erla got, admit it was out of proportion, and that they will review their processes in the light of this incident. We can also thank, Mrs. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, FM of Iceland, and the U.S. Ambassador in Iceland, Mrs.Carol van Voorst, who is a great representative for her nation. Hopefully these three women have started something, that will improve the situation for all of us... It was also mentioned in the news, that several American lawyers have contacted Erla encouraging her and offered their help to sue the US government..." Flokkur: Bloggar | Breytt 20.12.2007 kl. 02:52 Good I hope she can sue the crap out of them even if it is my tax money. The rest of the comments are in Icelandic at this site. A word to the TSA. You are now on the top of the shithead list.
Me thinks that there are some DHS people that need a few and a few taser1 This is so f#%$ing abserd it's not even funny. OGM
jbt bastards. perhaps if they mistreat enough innocent europeans the unversal outrage will build and get some bodies attention at world control HQ.,the hague
I know the prospect of traveling beyond the boarders makes me more than a little uneasy due to the idea of dealing with them upon return. In my late teens LONG before all the HSA crap I was driveing back rom Canada and even then was detained for an hour or so and questioned before they released me and my dad and allowed us back into the states. Neither of us had anything questionable on us or in the truck (beyond a very allowable amount of cigarets and alcohol) and neither of us had any criminal record beyond minor traffic tickets (all resolved before hand) and no questionable affiliations. I could only imagine what they would try to pull with me now that they have all the HSA crap and I am undoubtedly on several lists for expressing unpopular views.
