From: Paul Wright <pwright@prisonlegalnews.org>
Date: Sun, May 30, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Subject: [** MAOIST_REVOLUTION **] Peter Erlinder arrested by Rwandan government, call for his release [2 Attachments]
To: MAOIST_REVOLUTION@yahoogroups.com
For those who do not know, Peter has also represented Dr. Abimael Guzman, chairman of the Communist Party of Peru and currently represents surviving members of the 1992 prison massacres in Lima who are PCP POWs before the interamerican human rights court.
Peter Erlinder is a long time people's attorney and former president of the National Lawyers Guild. In addition to defending political prisoners here and abroad he also represents prisoners and the victims of police misconduct here in the US.
Peter has been arrested by the Rwandan government under that countries' genocide law for defending unpopular defendants. The NLG press release is attached. I am pasting it below in case the attachment is lost. Please take a minute to CALL the numbers below, especially the state department and the white house.
Please disseminate this information.
National Lawyers Guild Demands Immediate Release of Attorney Peter Erlinder
Vigorous Legal Advocate Arrested in Rwanda
For Immediate Release: May 28, 2010
Contact: David Gespass, 205-566-2530
Heidi Boghosian, 917-239-4999
New York—The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) demands the immediate release of its former president, Professor Peter Erlinder, whom Rwandan Police arrested early today on charges of "genocide ideology." He had traveled to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, on May 23, to join the defense team of Rwandan presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza. Erlinder is reportedly being interrogated at the Rwandan Police Force's Kacyiru headquarters.
"Professor Erlinder has been acting in the best tradition of the legal profession and has been a vigorous advocate in his representation of Umuhoza. There can be no justice for anyone if the state can silence lawyers for defendants whom it dislikes and a government that seeks to prevent lawyers from being vigorous advocates for their clients cannot be trusted. The entire National Lawyers Guild is honored by his membership and his courageous advocacy," said David Gespass, the Guild's president.
Erlinder traveled to Kigali after attending the Second International Criminal Defense Lawyers' Conference in Brussels. Since his arrival in Kigali, the state-sponsored Rwandan media has been highly critical of Erlinder.
The Rwandan Parliament adopted the "Law Relating to the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Ideology" (Genocide Ideology Law), on July 23, 2008. It defines genocide ideology broadly, requires no link to any genocidal act, and can be used to include a wide range of legitimate forms of expression, prohibiting speech protected by international conventions such as the Genocide Convention of 1948 and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966.
Sarah Erlinder, Arizona attorney and NLG member said, "My father has made a career defending unpopular people and unpopular speech—and is now being held because of his representation of unpopular clients and analysis of an historical narrative that the Kagame regime considers inconvenient. We can help defend his rights now by drawing U.S. government and media attention to his situation and holding the Rwandan government accountable for his well-being."
Before leaving for Brussels and then Kigali, Professor Erlinder notified the U.S. State Department, his Minnesota Congressional Representative Betty McCullom, Representative Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Senators Al Franken and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Professor Erlinder is a professor of law at the William Mitchell College of Law. He is a frequent litigator and consultant, often pro bono, in cases involving the death penalty, civil rights, claims of government and police misconduct, and criminal defense of political activists. He is also a frequent news commentator. Erlinder was president of the National Lawyers Guild from 1993-1997, and is a current board member of the NLG Foundation. He has been a defense attorney at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda since 2003.
The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, is the oldest and largest public interest/human rights bar organization in the United States. Its headquarters are in New York and it has chapters in every state.
Call and demand the immediate release of Professor Peter Erlinder:
Senator Al Franken
(202) 224-5641
Or send an email at http://franken.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Amy Klobuchar
202-224-3244
Fax: 202-228-2186
Or send an email at http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm?contactForm=emailamy&submit=Go
Representative Keith Ellison
202-225-4755
Or send an email at http://forms.house.gov/ellison/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Representative Betty McCullom
(202) 225-6631
Fax: (202) 225-1968
Or send an email at http://forms.house.gov/mccollum/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Paul Wright, Editor
Prison Legal News
P.O. Box 2420
West Brattleboro, VT 05303
Phone: 802 579-1309
Fax: 866 735-7136
Effective March 5, 2010 our Seattle office is closed. All mail and calls should go to the above address.
From: KMJX@aol.com [mailto:KMJX@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 11:30
To: pwright@prisonlegalnews.org
Cc: mltf@nationallawyersguild.org
Subject: [MLTF] Fwd: [necdiscussion] Free Peter Erlinder--Keep the PressureOn!
Friends,
This is immediate and critical. Peter is in serious jeopardy in a Rwandan jail. The embassy and State Department insist all they can do is provide consular services and they cannot interfere in Rwanda's internal affairs. We cannot and must not allow them to slide on this nonsense. They have already been flooded with calls from NLG members and we need to keep it up. My apologies if you have already seen this, but it warrants being reminded.
David Gespass
From: director@nlg.org
To: KMJX@aol.com
CC: necdiscussion@nationallawyersguild.org
Sent: 5/29/2010 9:47:43 A.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: [necdiscussion] Free Peter Erlinder--Keep the Pressure On!
*The U.S. Embassy has **initially indicated that the case of Peter Erlinder,
former NLG president who was arrested this morning in Rwanda, is a "local
matter."*
We do not believe that this is an intractable position!
It is critical that we mobilize a large number of people to call and fax
urging Peter Erlinder's release. We know nothing about the conditions under
which he is being held.*
Please contact your local representatives* and (urge them to) demand they apply
pressure to the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda to release Peter immediately.
*Call the White House*:
202-456-1414
*Call Secretary of State Hillary Clinton*
Secy of State Hillary Clinton
(202) 647-9572
State Department Main Switchboard
202-647-4000
TTY:1-800-877-8339 (Federal Relay Service)
OTHER NUMBERS TO CALL:
Senator Al Franken: (202) 224-5641
Email http://franken.senate.gov/contact/
Senator Amy Klobuchar: 202-224-3244
Fax: 202-228-2186
Email at
http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm?contactForm=emailamy&submit=Go
Representative Keith Ellison: 202-225-4755
Email at http://forms.house.gov/ellison/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Representative Betty McCullom: (202) 225-6631
Fax: (202) 225-1968
Email at http://forms.house.gov/mccollum/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm
Hotline for American Travelers:
1-888-407-4747
Public Communication Division:
202-647-6575
Bureau of African affairs
202-647-4440
Main fax number for bureau of African affairs: Fax: 202-647-6301
Johnny Carson – Africa foreign relations committee
Phone: 202-647-2530
Fax: 202-647-0838
Rwanda embassy (NY):
Telephone: +1 212 679 9010 or 1 212 679 9023
Fax: +1 212 679 9133
Stephen J. Rapp war crimes ambassador
Phone: 202-647-6051
Fax: 202-736-4495
Susan Rice, US AMB to the UN
Accredited Journalists: 212-415-4050
Opinion & Comment line: 212-415-4062
Fax: 212-415-4053
Rwanda Mission to the UN in USA:
phone: +1 212 679 9010 or 1 212 679 9023
Fax: +1 212 679 9133
Amb. James Kimonyo
1714 New Hampshire NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: 202-232-2882
Fax: 202-232-4544
_________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
http://lists.nationallawyersguild.org/mailman/options/necdiscussion--1/kmjx%40aol.com
Attachment(s) from Paul Wright
2 of 2 File(s)
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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