Peter Erlinder

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C. Peter Erlinder (born 1948) is an American lawyer, originally from Chicago, who lives in St. Louis. Paul, Minnesota. He is a Major Defense Advisor to the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and has represented several international clients, especially some Rwandan opposition leaders, including Rwandan presidential candidate Victoire Ingabire.

Video Peter Erlinder

Biography

Erlinder was born in Chicago. He received a bachelor's degree from Bradley University, then spent two years at Georgetown Law School. He graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, and became a lecturer at the University of Chicago, before becoming a professor at William Mitchell Law School, where he was then banned from teaching in 2012.

Maps Peter Erlinder

Defendants

Erlinder specializes in high-level crimes involving terrorism, capital punishment, civil rights, claims of government and police violations, and criminal defense of political activists. Some of the clients he defended include:

• Mohammed Abdullah Warsame
• Sami al-Arian
• Victoire Ingabire

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Arrest in Rwanda

Erlinder was arrested on May 28, 2010, in the Rwandan capital. He currently defends opposition leader Victoire Ingabire against the same allegations he now faces, a law banning "Genocide Ideology" - a speech that denies that the 1994 Rwandan genocide happened exactly as the Rwandan government claims. The Rwandan Republic has issued a statement claiming that Erlinder "is constantly involved in conspiracy theories and denials surrounding the genocidal state [and] have disseminated this dangerous and distorted fiction over the years." This statement claims that he was arrested for allegedly denying the Rwandan Genocide, and accused him of being linked to the FDLR. Police spokeswoman Eric Kayiranga claimed that Erlinder said that "no Tutsi was killed by Hutus." As a result of Kayiranga's claims, some media reported that Erlinder's defense of a client accused of genocide included the argument "that Tutsi people are not the main victims but the agitators and massacres are actually part of the civil war."

Although the "Conspiracy to commit genocide" is only one of the six possible genocide crimes mentioned in the "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide", the crime of genocide still requires evidence of "intent to destroy, in whole or in part, national, ethnic, racial or religion. "

Erlinder has sued Kagame for ordering Rwanda Patriot Front (RPF) to commit war crimes, including murder, and accused the United States of turning a blind eye to Kagame's mistakes. Amnesty International has confirmed that the RPF committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, but the crime largely escaped international notification.

The National Lawyers Guild asks for his immediate release. William Mitchell College of Law states that he stands in solidarity with Erlinder. The International Criminal Lawyers' Bar Association denounces Erlinder's arrest as "an attack on the right to counsel and independence of lawyers," and demanded that he be released. Paul Rusesabagina, the subject of the Rwanda Hotel movie, argues that Erlinder is a political prisoner who must be released soon, as President Kagame often silences his political opponents by accusing them of committing a crime of denial of genocide.

Despite calls from the US Department of State for the release of Erlinder, Rwandan judges rejected Erlinder's request for bail on June 7, 2010, and Erlinder remained imprisoned in Kigali. After Erlinder's continued detention, work at the UN International Criminal Court for Rwanda stalled. Defense lawyers currently refuse to continue their work, for fear that they may also be arrested and detained by the Kagame regime. Recognizing the influence of Erlinder's arrest, the American Bar Association has called on Rwanda to respect the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, and to "refrain from harassing lawyers who practice laws consistent with their professional obligations." Other groups, including Advocates for Human Rights and the Association of American Law Teachers, joined forces to call for immediate release from Erlinder. US Congressional representatives Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison have introduced a resolution calling on Rwanda to immediately release Erlinder, pointing out that the US gives Rwanda hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid each year; Senator Amy Klobuchar also called for the release of Erlinder, and has asked the Rwandan authorities to grant him an accelerated appeal.

Writing in Harvard Law Record, an independent newspaper edited by students at Harvard Law School, Patrick Karuretwa said that Rwanda has the right to prosecute Erlinder, stating the country's anti-genocide rejection laws help ensure stability and progress, and that no exceptions should be made for one's privileged position.

Erlinder was released on bail on June 18, 2010.

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Activity

• National President, National Lawyers Guild, 1993-97.
• Current Member, National Lawyer of the Guild Steering Committee.
• Members, National Lawyers, Guild Foundation Board.
• Founding board member, National Coalition to Protect Political Liberties, Washington, DC.
• Member, Steering Committee Steering Committee of the National Defense Committee, Washington, DC.
• Founding member, Minnesota Bill of Rights Defense Coalition.
• Member, Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action Council.
• Defense Attorney at United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, 2003-April 2011 (Dismissed by ICTR)

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References

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External links

• Family Members Fear for the Life of US Prosecutor, Peter Erlinder in Rwanda - video report by Democracy Now!

Source of the article : Wikipedia