Michele
Montas Remarks
Former Editor-in-Chief, Radio Haiti-Inter
Read
Michčle Montas' Bio
In 1980, my husband Jean Dominique and I ran an independent radio
station in Haiti. These were the “Baby Doc” Duvalier years,
and we were well-known critics of the regime.
On November 28, the political police stormed radio Haiti, destroyed
the studios and arrested every one present at the station. I was,
a few days later, expelled to the United States from my jail cell
with only the clothes on my back. Jean, my husband, had taken refuge
in the Venezuelan embassy in port Au Prince, as there was an order
from the political police to kill him on sight.
We were reunited in New York two months later because our case was
immediately taken up by the lawyers committee for human rights. Through
them, we were granted political asylum in the U.S. - and the
ability to wake up every day without fear of arrest or harm.
Jean and I were among the first asylum clients The Lawyers Committee
represented. Over 25 years, they have helped thousands of others like
us who have been forced to flee persecution.
William
P. Ford Remarks
Founding Partner, Ford Marrin Esposito Witmeyer & Gleser, LLP
Read William P. Ford's
Bio
My sister Ita was a nun who went to El Salvador and worked there helping
refugees who’d been displaced by civil war.
She was there to do good. The Salvadoran government, however, only
saw that she worked in areas of armed conflict - that’s
where the refugees were. Because of this, Ita and three other American
churchmen were seen as a threat. They were abducted by members of
The Salvadoran National Guard in December of 1980, and brutally murdered.
A few days later, the families of the other women and I reached out
to The Lawyers Committee’s Scott Greathead and Mike Posner.
Since that day almost 23 years ago, The Lawyers Committee has been
there at every turn in our long journey for justice, and they’ve
gotten results: they helped make sure the killers in el Salvador were
successfully tried and convicted, and they fought to pass a law that
allows human rights violators from overseas to be tried in U.S. Courts.
Time and again, The Lawyers Committee proved to be as tenacious as
my sister was dedicated to helping the oppressed people of el Salvador.
Geraldine
Finucane Remarks
Human Rights Defender
Read
Geraldine Finucane's Bio
Fourteen years ago, masked gunmen broke into our home and murdered
my husband as we sat with our children eating sunday dinner. Pat was
a young, enthusiastic, innovative lawyer who recognized the glaring
inequalities existing in Northern Ireland at that time, between the
catholic and protestant communities. He felt that as a lawyer he could
contribute to a better and freer society by demanding fair trials
for all.
When Pat was murdered in 1989 and we began the long quest to find
his killers, I had not heard of The Lawyers Committee. Fortunately
for me, they had heard of Pat’s case and sent a delegation
to Belfast in the early 1990s. So began our long association.
The Lawyers Committee quickly realized that this was not just a
case about one man’s murder. The evidence, as it emerged,
pointed to actual government policy - as there seemed to be
a broader pattern of police and army involvement in violent acts
designed to maintain the status quo in Northern Ireland. Over the
next decade, The Lawyers Committee never stopped in its search for
justice in the case, bringing it to the attention of the united
nations, and the U.S. Congress - where I and my son testified.
At the moment we are cautiously hopeful that all the pressure exerted
over the years will pay off and that the british government will
establish the public inquiry into the case that is so needed. One
thing I do know, The Lawyers Committee will continue to stand by
us, and remains a true and loyal friend.
James
W. Ziglar Remarks
Former Commissioner of the I.N.S.
Visiting Professor, George Washington University Law School
Lawyers Committee Board Member
Read
James W. Ziglar's Bio
I became the commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
just 5 weeks before the September 11 attacks on our country.
For more than a year, I found myself in the center of the storm, as
our nation struggled with its attitude toward immigration, and with
the balance between security and civil liberties.
I know first-hand the enormous challenges we face in protecting our
national security. But I am also very concerned about the losses we
face if we fail to give proper deference to our heritage as a nation
of immigrants, and to the constitutional safeguards and principles
that are the very foundation upon which this country is built.
I am a proud Republican who has been privileged to serve in three
republican administrations. Coming from this perspective, I can attest
that The Lawyers Committee is now playing a vital role in helping
to shape this national debate. Constructive, professional, common
sense advocacy is what we need—no fist-shaking or finger wagging—just
arguing the merits—and always making the case. That is the signature
approach of The Lawyers Committee—and that is what prompted
me to join the board of directors earlier this year. |
