Xu Yan, wife of detained rights lawyer Yu Wensheng: We learnt that a court in Jiangsu has put Yu Wensheng on a secret trial on May 9. Neither his family nor his lawyers were notified of the trial. The court didn’t post any public notice. It’s unlawful, unacceptable. @ChuBailiang
#XuYan, wife of detained lawyer #YuWensheng, recently restricted from leaving house. Govt-hired lawyers for Yu Wensheng refuse to provide info to Xu Yan and authorities refuse to let her see her husband, who was detained over a year ago https://t.co/hDpDCEM9GUpic.twitter.com/3ve6xtYYlX
A Solemn Statement on the Secret Trial of Lawyer Yu Wensheng,
By Xu Yan, wife of Yu,
11 May 2019
It is now known that lawyer Yu Wensheng was secretly tried by the Xuzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Jiangsu province on 9 May.
The Xuzhou Intermediate People’s Court did not inform me, or publicise on its website any information, about the trial of Yu Wensheng’s case. Lawyers Chang Boyang and Xie Yang, whom I have hired as the defence counsels, were also not notified about it.
At 9 am on 9 May, Yu was tried in a secret hearing.
A trial like this does not protect my right as a wife to attend the hearing. It does not protect Yu Wensheng’s legal right to be defended by the lawyers I have appointed for him. It does not protect the public’s rights to concern about Yu Wensheng’s case and to attend the trial. I cannot trust that under such circumstances, the legal rights of Yu Wensheng can be protected.
I strongly protest against the Xuzhou Intermediate People’s Court. It has illegally handled lawyer Yu Wensheng’s case by launching a secret trial! I cannot take this! I do not recognise it! I do not accept it!
I demand the judicial organs in Xuzhou and in Beijing and the judicial organs in China to abide by the law and be humane in handling Yu Wensheng’s case.
I demand the Xuzhou Intermediate People’s Court to immediately acquit lawyer Yu Wensheng.
Le bâtonnier, Ameur Mahrezi s’est retrouvé au centre d’une polémique grandissante, ces derniers jours, près voir référé quatre de ses confrères devant le conseil de discipline de l’ordre des avocats, à cause de posts qu’ils ont publiés sur des pages Facebook, accessibles à des groupes fermés.
Les détracteurs de Mahrezi lui reprochent de pratiquer la politique de deux poids-deux mesures, en laissant passer de graves infractions de certains avocats qui se sont attaqués à des magistrats en plein public, en allusion à Seifeddine Makhlouf et en condamnant d’autres pour de simples posts privés sur Facebook.
Les détracteurs de Mahrezi l’accusent de vouloir utiliser sa position à des fins politiques, pour combattre ceux qui sont opposés à ses convictions. Ils ont ajouté que les décisions du bâtonnier sont nulles et non avenues du moment que le Conseil qui a pris la décision a réuni six membres et non dix comme l’exige le Code de l’ordre.
Harvard said on Saturday that a law professor who is representing Harvey Weinstein would not continue as faculty dean of an undergraduate house after his term ends on June 30, bowing to months of pressure from students.
The professor, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, who is a lecturer at the law school, have been the faculty deans of Winthrop House, one of Harvard’s residential houses for undergraduate students, since 2009. They were the first African-American faculty deans in Harvard’s history.
But when Mr. Sullivan joined the defense team of Mr. Weinstein, the Hollywood producer, in January, many students expressed dismay, saying that his decision to represent a person accused of abusing women disqualified Mr. Sullivan from serving in a role of support and mentorship to students. Mr. Weinstein is scheduled to go to trial in June in Manhattan on rape and related charges.
As the protests continued, with graffiti aimed at Mr. Sullivanappearing on a university building, Harvard administrators said they would conduct what they called a climate review of Winthrop House. In recent weeks, tensions have escalated, with a student sit-in and a lawsuit sparked by a clash between one of the protest leaders and two Winthrop House staff members who were seen as supporting Mr. Sullivan.
On Saturday, the dean of Harvard College, Rakesh Khurana, sent an email to students and staff members at Winthrop House, informing them that he would not renew the appointments of Mr. Sullivan and Ms. Robinson as faculty deans after their terms end on June 30. Mr. Khurana said in his email that the decision was informed “by a number of considerations.”
“Over the last few weeks, students and staff have continued to communicate concerns about the climate in Winthrop House to the college,” he wrote. “The concerns expressed have been serious and numerous. The actions that have been taken to improve the climate have been ineffective, and the noticeable lack of faculty dean presence during critical moments has further deteriorated the climate in the house. I have concluded that the situation in the house is untenable.”
Why would @Harvard do this to Professor Ronald Sullivan Jr.? Everyone is entitled to legal counsel no matter what they’ve been accused. This is an essential tenant of our Constitution. Teach your entitled brats they can’t always get their way. This sets a horrible precedent. https://t.co/ZTnzXovBR0
“We are suprised and dismayed by the action Harvard announced today.” —Dr Ronald Sullivan Jr in a statement to @WBUR, following news that Harvard will not renew his and his wife’s positions at the school. This comes after Sullivan signed on to be Harvey Weinstein’s attorney. pic.twitter.com/E75Lu0tTB9
— Quincy J. Walters (@quincyjwalters) May 11, 2019
Apparently it’s never an option in any of these controversies to tell the perpetually aggrieved students to grow up
Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz called the school's decision to drop Ronald Sullivan Jr. from his role as dean of a residential house after he joined Harvey Weinstein's legal defense team “the new McCarthyism.”
— Sam David Literary Management (@SamDavidAgency) May 14, 2019
IAPL Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers 