Daily Archives: 08/08/2019

Hong Kong: Jailed Hong Kong democracy leader Benny Tai sent to solitary confinement over strike action

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August 8, 2019

A leading activist jailed over the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement has been transferred to solitary confinement after he joined Monday’s general strike while in prison.

Legal scholar Benny Tai, one of the original proponents of the 2014 street occupation protests, was sentenced to 16 months in jail in April over public nuisance charges.

Occupy nine sentencing

Pro-democracy lawmaker Gary Fan said on Wednesday that he visited Tai in prison: “Benny Tai told me that he joined the city-wide general strike on August 5, and rejected the work assigned to him by the authorities.”

“This act went against the discipline imposed by prison authorities, therefore he is currently held in solitary confinement. It is unclear what the authorities’ next step is,” Fan wrote on Facebook.

Tai is serving his sentence at Shek Pik Prison, a high-security facility on Lantau Island. Citing an hour-long meeting with Tai, Fan said that the academic had become thinner but was still energetic.

Tai has spent a lot of time reading and was following the recent protests via the radio. He was aware of the mass arrests by the police, the lawmaker added.

In April, Tai was convicted of two charges related to public nuisance, and was sentenced to jail later that month. District court judge Johnny Chan said at the time that Tai and the other defendants did not express any regret, and the 2014 protests caused “excessive damage and inconvenience” to the public.

Tai has lodged appeals against both his conviction and sentence. His application will be heard by the court on August 15.

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Jailed Hong Kong democracy leader Benny Tai sent to solitary confinement over strike action

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/years-of-ignoring-peaceful-protests-fuels-hong-kong-violence-11762902

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/editorials/2019-08-07-editorial-turn-a-deaf-ear-and-the-response-is-violence/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Tai

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Tai (FRANCAIS)

USA/Saudi Arabia: Imprisoned Saudi lawyer receives this year’s ABA International Human Rights Award

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August 8, 2019

Image result for waleed abu al-khair

A human rights lawyer who was convicted on anti-terrorism charges and sentenced to 15 years in prison—simply for calling for the rule of law in Saudi Arabia—will receive the 2019 ABA International Human Rights Award during the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Saudi lawyer Waleed Abu al-Khair founded Monitor for Human Rights, one of the only human rights organizations in Saudi Arabia, in 2008, according to an ABA press release. He dedicated his legal career to defending human rights and the right to freedom of expression, and pushed for an elected parliament, independent judiciary, constitutional monarchy and other reforms in his country.

“Abu al-Khair epitomizes the ideals of what lawyers around the world are fighting for,” ABA President Bob Carlson told the ABA Journal. “His efforts defending vulnerable clients, advocating for an independent judiciary and democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia literally cost him his freedom.

“The ABA hopes this award may highlight his situation and bring prominence to the noble causes he supports.”

Abu al-Khair was banned from representing some defendants in courts in 2009, but still represented Samar Badawi, a Saudi woman and human rights activist who was jailed after her father accused her of disobedience under their county’s male guardianship system, the following year. Badawi was released after Abu al-Khair shared details of her case in blogs and on Twitter and Facebook.

They married, and Badawi advocated for Abu al-Khair’s release until she was rearrested in 2018.

Abu al-Khair also represented Badawi’s brother, Raif, a blogger who was arrested in 2012 after establishing the Free Saudi Liberals website. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 blows with a cane.

Abu al-Khair’s 2014 arrest and conviction largely stemmed from comments he made to the media and on social media that criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, discussions of human rights in his home and his defense of activists who were punished for criticizing the government, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The human rights organizations say the specific charges against him included disobeying the ruler and seeking to remove his legitimacy; insulting the judiciary and questioning the integrity of judges; setting up an unlicensed organization; harming the reputation of the state by communicating with international organizations; and preparing, storing and sending information that harms public order.

His full 15-year sentence was upheld by a Saudi appeals court in 2015 after he refused to apologize for the alleged offenses. He is currently in the Dhahban Central Prison in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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http://www.abajournal.com/web/article/imprisoned-saudi-lawyer-receives-this-years-international-human-rights-award

http://www.abajournal.com/web/article/2019-aba-annual-meeting-what-can-you-expect

https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2019/06/saudi-lawyer-waleed-abu-al-khair-to-receive-2019-aba-internation/

Abu al-Khair to receive ABA Award

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/15/saudi-arabia-5-years-activist-still-behind-bars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abulkhair

http://hourriya-tagheer.org/15934 (ARABIC)

https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2019/04/15/arabie-saoudite-cinquieme-annee-de-prison-pour-lactiviste-waleed-abu-al-khair (FRANCAIS)

http://www.ludovictrarieux.org/fr-page3.remplt2015.htm (FRANCAIS)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waleed_Abu_al-Khair (FRANCAIS)

#FreeWaleed

USA/Ecuador: Steven Donziger: Ordered to Surrender Passport And Submit To Virtual House Arrest

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August 7, 2019

Image result for steven donziger

The saga of suspended attorney Steven Donziger, recounted at length in previous editions of this column, continues.  File #1:19-cr-00561-LAP-1 – Donziger, Steven is, to say the least, an interesting read.

On August 6 Mr. Donziger was arraigned on the criminal contempt charge leveled against him by Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York.  According to court filings, the Southern District’s U.S. Attorney’s office had declined to prosecute Donziger, as it had insufficient resources to handle the case given its other current obligations.  Judge Kaplan therefore referred allegations to the law firm of Seward & Kissel, for prosecution.

District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who presided over Mr. Donziger’s arraignment, announced that “[h]e is facing jail time.”  Over objections by Donziger and his “standby” lawyer (he had no formal representation despite owning assets that he admitted might likely disqualify him from obtaining federal legal aid), the judge has required Donziger to surrender his passport.  Mr. Donziger must also submit to GPS tracking and must only leave his apartment to attend to family obligations and to meet his attorney.  I have heard that the accused has also been ordered to find two guarantors and to post hundreds of thousands of dollars of bonds as security for his appearance.

Judge Preska indicated that the evidence of criminal contempt was “very strong” and that Donziger, who has traveled to Ecuador seven times over the past two years, is a flight risk.

…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkrauss/2019/08/07/steven-donziger-ordered-to-surrender-passport-submit-to-virtual-house-arrest-and-post-bond/#aa9787e14329

https://www.lexisnexis.com/LegalNewsRoom/mealeys/b/newsheadlines/posts/mealey-s-toxic-tort-environmental—judge-orders-criminal-probe-of-steven-donziger-for-contempt-in-chevron-dispute

https://www.law360.com/energy/articles/1185713/donziger-denies-ny-judge-s-criminal-contempt-allegations

Chevron Ecuador Fraud As Steven Donziger Under House Arrest

When Feds Demur, Judge Charges Ecuador Crusader Himself

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2019/08/21/judge-appointing-an-attorney-to-pursue-steven-donziger-is-disconcerting/

Pakistan/Day of the Endangered Lawyer: Members of Sindh Bar Council express deep grief over loss of lives in Quetta blast

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August 8, 2019

statement

Members of Sindh Bar Council on Wednesday strongly condemned the blast in Quetta on August 8, 2016.

Vice Chairman Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, Chairman Executive Committee Muhammad Azam Khan and members of Sindh Bar Council express deep grief over the loss of precious lives of advocates and others.

‘Our hearts, sympathies and condolences go out for the families of martyrs of the said incident’, read the statement issued by Sindh Bar Council.

https://www.aaj.tv/2019/08/members-of-sindh-bar-council-express-deep-grief-over-loss-of-lives-in-quetta-blast/

08 August massacre destroyed two generations of Balochistan

Condolence reference to mark 3rd Anniversary of 8th August Martyrs 

https://www.dawn.com/news/1498713

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2030428/1-lawyers-vow-continue-martyred-colleagues-mission/

https://www.dawn.com/news/1279894

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/507219-scba-to-challenge-presidential-references-against-two-judges-in-sc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_2016_Quetta_attacks

DAY OF THE ENDANGERED LAWYER – 24 January 2020 – PAKISTAN

https://defendlawyers.wordpress.com/2019/06/22/pakistan-day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-january-24-2020-pakistan/

Homepage

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attentat_du_8_ao%C3%BBt_2016_%C3%A0_Quetta (FRANCAIS)

#QuettaLawyersMassacre

#Quetta_8th_August_BlackDay

#8thAugust

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

(Sindh Bar Council Facebook, 09/08/19)

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Day of the Endangered Lawyer

The Philippines: NUPL seeks Supreme Court review of junked plea for protection

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August 7, 2019

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers has asked the Supreme Court to look into the appeals’ court dismissal of their plea for protection writ against perceived state harassment and red-tagging.

The lawyers’ group filed a Petition for Review before the SC and prayed for the reversal of the Court of Appeals’ ruling that junked their plea for the issuance of writ of amparo and habeas data.

The NUPL filed a petition for a writ of amparo as they said that their rights to life, liberty and security have been violated by “persistent threats and harassment, and red-tagging,” preventing them from carrying out their profession as members of the bar.

But the Court of Appeals rejected their plea, as it said there is no evidence that the military “are keeping records of investigations and other reports about the petitioners or their alleged ties with the CPP-NPA.”

The group of pro bono lawyers lamented their loss at the appeals court. Its president, Edre Olalia, said: “How many more lawyers and human rights defenders need to be killed, vilified, harassed, threatened, and labelled before the dots are connected?”

…

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/08/07/1941356/nupl-seeks-supreme-court-review-junked-plea-protection

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/07/19/lawyers-group-appeals-ca-amparo-dismissal-to-supreme-court

NUPL to SC: Stand by your lawyers

Lawyers’ group asks SC to reverse CA ruling on ‘Amparo’ case

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/703673/nupl-asks-supreme-court-to-reverse-ca-dismissal-of-amparo-suit/story/

https://www.rappler.com/nation/236569-nupl-blasts-ineffective-writ-amparo-court-appeals-junks-protection-plea

Human rights lawyers to SC: ‘How many more lives, your Honor?’

Rights worker survives gun attack in Ifugao

https://international.la-croix.com/news/prelate-condemns-killing-of-rights-lawyer-in-philippines/10604

The Philippines: Attacks against lawyers escalating

#StopTheAttacks

#StopTheKillings

#DefendTheDefenders

China: China strips rights lawyer Li Jinxing of licence over ‘improper’ social media comments

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August 7, 2019

  • Li says he will appeal against the decision by authorities in eastern China
Li Jinxing, China most active rights lawyers, has lost his licence to practice law. Photo: Weibo

Prominent Chinese lawyer Li Jinxing, who gained national attention for defending clients in a number of high-profile cases, lost his licence for allegedly making “improper comments” on social media, a provincial regulatory body ruled on Tuesday.

The penalty was announced by a panel under the Shandong Provincial Department of Justice, which regulates lawyers in the east China province.

The panel said Li violated the lawyers’ code, which stipulates strict discipline for practitioners, by commenting on two cases – one about the disbarment of another lawyer Wen Donghai; and the other about Li being blocked from meeting his client at a detention centre in Fujian province.

In the Fujian case, Li said lawyers were granted less dignity than Zhu Jianqiang, a celebrity pig that survived the Sichuan earthquake in 2008.

 

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https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3021863/china-strips-rights-lawyer-li-jinxing-licence-over-improper

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2019-07-25/rights-lawyer-fights-decision-to-revoke-license-101443847.html

China strips rights lawyer Li Jinxing of licence over ‘improper’ social media feedback – NEWPAPER24

China strips rights lawyer Li Jinxing of licence over ‘improper’ social media comments

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-rallies-hong-kong-leaders-as-lawyers-walk-out-2lc620zxh

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/24zYw4H3QkYA1B82yEdodA (CHINESE)

Algeria: Me Salah Dabbouz suspend sa grève de la faim

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le 7 août, 2019

Me Salah Dabbouz suspend sa grève de la

Me Salah Dabouz, l’avocat en grève de la faim depuis 31 jours ( le 8 juillet) , a décidé aujourd’hui de suspendre sa grève de la faim en réponse à tous ceux qui le priaient de le faire.

Me Dabbouz dit vouloir donner du temps à ceux qui lui demandaient “de protester d’une autre manière” de trouver avec lui les moyens de le faire sans recourir à la grève de la faim.

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Remerciant tous ceux qui l’ont soutenu dans cette action de protestation et de lutte avocats, militants ou simples citoyens, il n’écarte pas cependant de reprendre sa grève de la faim si jamais les obstacles et entraves à ses requêtes judiciaires persistent.  “Je me bâterais jusqu’au bout pour que les droits à la défense soient respectées et que les justiciables aient droit à de procès équitables”.

L’avocat des droits de l’homme avait, cependant, rappelé les obstacles qu’il rencontrait dans l’exercice de son métier d’avocat et de défenseur des droits humains tout en espérant que les tribunaux notamment celui de Ghardaïa, cause de tous ses problèmes récents, revienne à une stricte application du droit.

 

https://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/entry/me-salah-dabbouz-suspend-sa-greve-de-la-faim_mg_5d4b073ae4b0066eb70b7e99?ncid=fcbklnkfrhpmg00000008&fbclid=IwAR1MssM52cm6tvJ1mh-L6Dg-FZXJjqGbJcXHryL9tcHUKrmdDfIWCrSYx7A

Vidéo : Salah Dabouz met fin à sa grève de la faim

Me Salah Dabouz suspend sa grève de la faim

https://algerie7.com/actualite/video-salah-dabouz-met-fin-a-sa-greve-de-la-faim/

Salah Dabouz suspend sa grève de la faim

#SalahDabouz

#Salah_Dabouz

#Nous_Sommes_tous_Salah_Debouz