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AnnouncmentsNanci Clarence addresses members in regards to Pakistan BASF Teleconference with Pakistani Lawyers December 12 Download the handout from the event. (339KB Read about it on The Recorder's blog: http://legalpad.typepad.com/ On December 12, The Bar Association of San Francisco hosted a teleconferece with attorney's in Pakistan to discuss the suspension of Pakistan' Constitution and the arrest of Supreme Court Judges, lawyers and activists. The event was recorded so that you can listen first hand to the reports from lawyers who were arrested. There is link to the audio recording below that you can click on to listen to the teleconference. For lawyers, and those who believe that democracy is based on an independent judiciary that maintains the rule of law, it will be shocking to hear about Supreme Court and high court judges still under house arrest. This is a teleconference well worth your time to listen to. On November 3 2007, the Constitution of Pakistan was unilaterally suspended by President, General Musharaff. By evening the majority of the Supreme Court Judges were under house arrest. All Pakistani and international news channels were forced off the air. In order to curb criticism of the suspension of the constitution, the government cracked down hardest on the lawyers. More than 5.700 lawyers, judges, activists and journals were imprisoned for voicing their opposition. The real reason for suspending the Constitution and purging the judiciary was that Pakistani law did not allow General Musharaff to continue in power. His election for another five year term was under challenge in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was expected to announce its ruling on November 8, but Musharaff's actions effectively dismantled the judiciary. The Pakistani attorneys, all of whom have been arrested, who participated in the teleconference, are:
The teleconference was moderated by BASF President Nanci Clarence, Clarence & Dyer; Naomi Rustomjee, Coblentz, Patch,Duffy & Bass; and Khurshid Khoja, Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner. The Pakistani Attorney's commented not only on the situation in Pakistan, but also the implications for the safety and security of the United States. To listen to the teleconference, click on the link below.https://cc.readytalk.com/play?id=go985m4q Note: Recording playback requires Flash. If you do not have Flash installed, you will be prompted to install it before playback begins. For additional instructions on playback, click here:https://www.callinfo.com/help/ArchivePlaybackInfo.html BASF and Bay Area Bar Groups Rally in Support of Pakistani Lawyers November 9 Watch the rally on YouTube. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBBiKuqpxP8 Part 1a: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1L-vc4F10 Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMmFmj1_6tc Download the PDF (37KB Related Blogs and Information Civil Society of Pakistan: January 30, 2008: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers: http://www.nacdl.org/public.nsf/freeform/publicwelcome?opendocument Legal Pad: http://legalpad.typepad.com/my_weblog/ http://free-pakistan.blogspot.com/2007/11/lawyers-rally-in-san-franciso-on-nov.html http://blog.simplejustice.us/2007/11/08/frisco-criminal-defense-lawyers-to-be-heard.aspx http://free-pakistan.blogspot.com/2007/11/rally-for-democracy-in-pakistan-in-san.html http://baithak.blogspot.com/2007/11/raaly-announcements-san-francisco.html |
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