Lynne Stewart

[John Mage]

Lynne is a New York City criminal lawyer of whom I have known (not well 
- cocounsel years and years ago in a demonstration case, years later at 
her table at the annual dinner of the NY National Lawyers Guild honoring 
our mutual friend the great Katie Roraback) most of my adult life. She's 
very competant and a fighter for her clients, unlike the great majority 
of criminal lawyers in New York.  All the Asst. United States Attorneys 
in the Southern District are not worth one of her toenail clippings.

She was arrested today in this Police and Prison State on an indictment 
charging her with the crime of helping her imprisoned client communicate.

Not in order to commit any crime, place a bomb, swindle a shareholder, 
etc etc.

Just the crime of "facilitating" communications itself, nothing more.

Here's how the Injustice Department put it:
"LYNNE STEWART - STEWART was Sheikh Abdel Rahman's attorney during his 
1995 criminal trial in New York and, following the conviction, has 
continued to act as one of his attorneys. Over the past several years, 
STEWART, in violation of the SAM in place to limit Sheikh Abdel Rahman' 
s communications in-jail, has facilitated and concealed communications 
between Sheikh Abdel Rahman and IG leaders around the world. For 
example, during her May 2000 visit to Sheikh Abdel Rahman at the Federal 
Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota, STEWART allowed YOUSRY to read 
letters from SATTAR and others regarding IG matters and to conduct a 
discussion with Sheikh Abdel Rahman regarding whether the IG should 
continue to comply with a cease-fire that had been supported by factions 
within IG since 1998. Moreover, because these discussions violated the 
SAM, STEWART took affirmative steps to conceal those discussions from 
prison guards. Following this meeting, STEWART announced to the media, 
in violation of the SAM, that Sheikh Abdel Rahman had withdrawn his 
support of the cease-fire."

Great, concealing his communications with her by announcing them to the 
media.

The "SAM" referred to is "Special Administrative Measures" that limited 
her client (who is blind) from receiving mail, using the telephone, 
having visitors, having access to the media. "Special Administrative 
Measures" has a nice Nazi ring to it -  a euphemism for torture, it seems.

It appears that her communications with her client were being monitored 
by the Gestapo (or "Joint Antiterrorism Taskforce", or some such shite) 
since at least 1998.

Note the nice bipartisan spread over the Reno-Ashcroft years.

The National Lawyers Guild to its great credit sent out an emergency 
appeal to its members to attend her arraignment earlier this evening. 
She was released on a $500,000 appearance bond.

Let's hear it for Right to Counsel in the Liberal Democratic Paradise. Rah.

john mage