German twins to get special adoption treatment

March 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Mar 17 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Central Adoption Resources Agency (CARA) to make exception in the German twins adoption case and permit their biological parents to adopt them, so that they can move freely to Germany.

The Central Adoption Resources Agency (CARA) was to submit report in the court today.

The apex court had earlier asked the agency to look into the possibility of the father adopting the children on humanitarian grounds since Germany has refused to grant the children citizenship as surrogacy is illegal in Germany.

The twins” father Jan Balaz has been fighting the case for two years. He had approached the Gujarat High Court first and then moved the Supreme Court.

They twins were born to an Indian surrogate mother and a German couple two years ago. They have been waiting to go to Germany since then. (ANI)

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Lawyers optimistic about Suu Kyi’s release

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yangon (Myanmar), Sep 18(ANI): Lawyers of detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have said that they have firm arguments in the appeal that they have filed against her criminal conviction.

“We are optimistic that Daw Suu and her two companions will be released because we based our appeal on sound legal points,” The Daily Express quoted Nyan Win, Suu Kyi’s lawyer, as saying.

Earlier, Suu Kyi’s lawyers had submitted an appeal against the conviction to the Divisional Court in Yangon.

A Myanmar court had sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to a three year jail term with hard labour for violating terms of her house arrest, when an American citizen John Yettaw swam to her lakeside home in May and stayed there uninvited for two day when she was under dentention.

The sentence was later reduced to 18 months under house arrest, but it would still keep her off the political stage and elections that the military government has set for next year, the paper reports.

The appeal filed by Suu Kyi’s lawyers argues that the law cited by authorities is invalid, as it applies to a constitution abolished two decades ago.

The American, Yettaw, was sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released on humanitarian grounds and deported on August 16.

Suu Kyi, who sacrificed her prosperous days in England to take up the crusade for democracy in her home country, Myanmar, and later imprisoned by the military regime, has become the world”s most famous political prisoners, and an icon for the struggle of democracy.

Suu Kyi has been detained for more than 13 of the last 19 years. (ANI)

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Will Sarabjeet be spared the gallows under Pak Govt.’s plans to commute death sentences?

September 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, Sep.17 (ANI): The Pakistan government is considering commuting death sentences, but such a step may not help the cause of Sarabjeet Singh, the Indian inmate who has been awarded a death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said the government has sent a draft to the law division seeking legal opinion on the proposal to commute death sentences.

Rehman, however, said that even if the proposal is accepted there would be no mercy for terrorists.

“They (terrorists) will have to face the death penalty,” The Dawn quoted Malik, as saying.

According to an estimate there are 7000 death inmates in Pakistan at present.

Pakistan security agencies have maintained that Singh had admitted that he was sent to Pakistan to carry out serial bomb blasts in Lahore, Faislabad, and Kasur, and was trained by the Indian Army, and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

Singh was awarded the death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991.

He challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court, however, the apex court quashed his appeal in September, 2005, saying that the review petition was not filed within the time period as mentioned in the law.

In March 2006, a two member Supreme Court bench dismissed Singh’s petition against his conviction in the Lahore’s Yakki Gate bomb blast in 1990.

Singh has been languishing in Pakistan jails for the last 28 years, as Pakistan has stonewalled release even on humanitarian grounds, despite continuous efforts by Indian diplomatic channels. (ANI)

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Burmese court accepts appeal against Suu Kyi’s conviction

September 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yangon (Myanmar), Sep 4(ANI): A Burmese Court has accepted the appeal filed by lawyers of detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her criminal conviction, and has scheduled the appeal for September 18.

Earlier, Suu Kyi’s main lawyer, Kyi Win, had said that they submitted an appeal against the conviction to the Divisional Court in Yangon.

A Myanmar court had sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to a three years jail term with hard labour for violating terms of her house arrest, when an American citizen John Yettaw swam to her lakeside home in May and stayed there uninvited for two day when she was under dentention.

The sentence was later reduced to 18 months under house arrest, but it would still keep her off the political stage and elections that the military government has set for next year, The Daily Express reports.

Meanwhile, the appeal filed by Suu Kyi’s lawyers argues that the law cited by authorities is invalid, as it applies to a constitution abolished two decades ago.

The American, Yettaw, was sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released on humanitarian grounds and deported on August 16.

Suu Kyi, who sacrificed her prosperous days in England to take up the crusade for democracy in her home country, Myanmar, and later imprisoned by the military regime, has become the world’s most famous political prisoners, and an icon for the struggle of democracy.

Suu Kyi has been detained for more than 13 of the last 19 years. (ANI)

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Lawyers of Suu Kyi to appeal against her conviction

September 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Yangon (Myanmar), Sep 3(ANI): Lawyers of detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi have said that they will file an appeal against her criminal conviction.

According to reports, Suu Kyi’s main lawyer, Kyi Win, has said that the appeal would be submitted to the Divisional Court in Yangon.

The appeal argues that the law cited by authorities is invalid, as it applies to a constitution abolished two decades ago. Following the submission, the court will give a date for arguments to consider whether it will accept the appeal.

Earlier on August 11, a Myanmar court had sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi three years jail term sentence with hard labour for violating terms of her house arrest when an American citizen John Yettaw swam to her lakeside home in May and stayed there uninvited for two day when she was under dentention.

However, the sentence was later reduced to 18 months under house arrest, but it would keep her off the political stage and elections that the military government has set for next year.

The American, Yettaw, was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released on humanitarian grounds and deported on August 16.

Suu Kyi, who sacrificed her prosperous days in England to take up the crusade for democracy in her home country, Myanmar and later imprisoned by the military regime, has become the world’s most famous political prisoners and an icon for the struggle of democracy.

Suu Kyi has been detained for more than 13 of the last 19 years. (ANI)

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US hopeful of amnesty to American journalists arrested by North Korea

July 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New York, July 11 (ANI): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is hopeful that two American journalists detained by North Korea on charges of illegally entering the country will be granted amnesty.

Clinton on Friday said “everyone is very sorry” about an incident that resulted in North Korea detaining two US journalists. The US Government has for the first time acknowledged the possibility that the two women committed an offense.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee of the US media group Current TV, were arrested in March near the China-North Korea border while reporting on the trafficking of women. They were convicted of “great crimes” in June and sentenced to 12 years hard labor, the Daily News reports.

Asked about the case by a State Department worker, Clinton said: “The two journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident and I think everyone is very sorry that it happened.”

“What we hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system and be allowed to return home to their families as soon as possible,” she added.

Lisa Ling told Sacramento, California, NBC affiliate KCRA that her sister Laura told her by telephone on Tuesday that she and colleague Lee had violated North Korean law and needed help from the US Government to secure amnesty.

Before Thursday, the State Department had called for their release on humanitarian grounds and had not acknowledged the possibility of any wrongdoing. (ANI)

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Krishna says India closely monitoring Saeed case

July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, July 7 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has said that New Delhi is closely monitoring the case of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed, the prime accused of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

“I think that it is the internal matter of Pakistan, especially when courts are involved. We do not comment on those developments. But, we are closely monitoring the events in Pakistan,” Krishna said.

Pakistan lodged appeals on Monday against a court decision to release Saeed.

On June 2, a full bench of the Lahore High Court had ordered Saeed’s release from house arrest on the basis of a habeas corpus petition filed by his lawyer.

The High Court said that it had not received substantial evidence to continue the detention of Saeed.

The court also ordered the release of another JuD leader Colonel (retired) Nazir Ahmad.

Saeed was put under house arrest on December 11 last year, day after the JuD, the political wing of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was declared a terrorist group by the United Nations (UN).

On the Indian national, Sarabjit Singh, presently facing gallons of death for alleged bomb blasts in Pakistan cities, Krishna urged Islamabad to consider the case on humanitarian ground.

“The Government of India has already gone on record to say that Pakistan authorities should consider it on humanitarian grounds. We look forward to that,” Krishna said.

Singh, condemned to death in Pakistan for spying has appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari to spare his life, his lawyer said on Monday, after the Supreme Court dismissed his petition to review the sentence.

Singh, was sentenced to death in 1991 for spying and bombing that killed 14 people. His family said he was innocent and had crossed the border into Pakistan accidentally in 1990 while he was drunk.

Pakistani officials said Singh was arrested while trying to slip back into India after the bomb blasts.

The government suspended his death sentence in May last year after his family visited Pakistan and appealed for a pardon. But a three-member bench upheld the sentence last month, saying they had no reason to reconsider the original sentence.

Singh’s lawyer, Awais Ahmad Sheikh, met him in his prison cell in Lahore and later said Singh had sought mercy from Zardari.

Singh also sent a message to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to press Zardari for his release, Sheikh said. (ANI)

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Sarabjit’s ex lawyer asks Zardari to pardon him

June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, June 27 (ANI): A former lawyer who represented Sarabjit Singh, the Indian on death row in Pakistan, has appealed to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to either pardon him or commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.

Rana Abdul Hamid said Zardari should act on the several mercy petitions that were pending before him.

“We filed a mercy petition in 2006. There are also appeals from the Indian government, Sarabjit’s family and other persons,” Hamid said.

Hamid did not appear during two recent hearings in the Supreme Court of Sarabjit’s review petition challenging his death sentence, as he was working as the Additional Advocate General of Punjab province till June 26.

A three-member bench of the apex court dismissed the review petition and upheld Sarabjit’s death sentence on June 24 after Hamid failed to appear in court. The judges said they found “no ground” to review the death sentence.

Hamid said that as his job as Additional Advocate General with the Punjab Government had ended, he was free to represent Sarabjit again.

Singh, who has been on death row in Pakistan since 1991 for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in 1990, has been given a new lawyer to represent him.

Lawyer Owif Sheikh will now fight Sarabjit’s case and will be filing an appeal to the court.

Sheikh is expected to file an appeal on the grounds that the previous lawyer was not present at the time of the court’s decision to reject Sarabjit’s appeal. Sheikh will also request the government to abolish the death penalty on humanitarian grounds.

Sarabjit has been on death row since he was convicted for alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people.

He was to be hanged on April one last year, but authorities in Pakistan put off his execution indefinitely after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened in the matter. (ANI)

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Pak death row inmate Sarabjit Singh gets a new lawyer

June 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Lahore, June 27 (ANI): Indian national Sarabjit Singh, who has been on death row in Pakistan since 1991 for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in 1990, has been given a new lawyer to represent him.

Lawyer Owif Sheikh will now fight Sarabjit’s case and will be filing an appeal to the court.

This move comes after Sarabjit’s lawyer Rana Abdul Hamid failed to appear for Sarabjit’s hearing on June 24.

Sheikh is expected to file an appeal on the grounds that the previous lawyer was not present at the time of the court’s decision to reject Sarabjit’s appeal. Sheikh will also request the government to abolish the death penalty on humanitarian grounds.

Sarabjit has been on death row since he was convicted for alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people.

He was to be hanged on April one last year, but authorities in Pakistan put off his execution indefinitely after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened in the matter. (ANI)

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Abducted UN official released in Pakistan

April 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, April 4 (Xinhua) A United Nations official who was abducted in Pakistan more than two months ago was released Saturday, a media report said.

The kidnappers said they had released John Solecki, chief of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Quetta city, on humanitarian grounds, private TV channel Dawn News said.

Solecki would be sent to a hospital first and flown to the capital Islamabad later.

The UN official was kidnapped when he was on his way to his office in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province. His driver was killed by the kidnappers.

A group called Balochistan Liberation United Front later claimed responsibility for the abduction.

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UN relieved over Solecki’s safe return by kidnappers in Pak

April 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Paris/Quetta, Apr.5 (ANI): The United Nations (UN) has expressed satisfaction over the release of John Solecki, over two months after he was abducted by the Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF).

“I’m very pleased that John Solecki has been released. I’m very happy,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said.

Moon also appreciated Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan head of state Hamid Karzai for their efforts to ensure the safe return of Solecki.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) provincial head John Solecki, was left abandoned by the abductors in a village in Mastung, in Southern Quetta. However, it is still not clear as to what prompted the rebellious group to free Solecki suddenly.

Soon after his release, a BLUF spokesman said that Solecki was released on humanitarian grounds.

Moon, who is in Paris for talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, also urged for an immediate release of UN’s special envoy to Niger, who went missing with his assistant Louis Guay in December 2008.

“I sincerely hope that the captors, whoever they may be, should immediately, without any condition, release him as soon as possible,” The News quoted Moon, as saying.

Immediately after his release Solecki was admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Quetta for medical treatment.

Pakistan’s Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said Solecki is fine and healthy, and would soon be released from the hospital. (ANI)

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Fatwa in India to boycott Israeli goods

January 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Lucknow, Jan 20 (ANI): Muslim clerics here issued a fatwa, asking their community members to boycott goods manufactured by Israel and its friendly companies because of its offensive in Gaza.
The legal pronouncement was issued on a question asking in the light of Islamic law, whether it was justified for the Muslims to boycott Israeli goods manufactured by Israeli and friendly companies as the profit earned by them was being used against the Muslims.

“The companies which fund Israel or support it economically, such companies and their products should be boycotted so that Israel can be weakened. So that such attacks do not take place in future against Palestinians or any innocent,” said Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, a Sunni Muslim cleric , Lucknow.

He also urged the Indian Government to strongly voice its concern on the issue in the international fora like UN.

“Following its non-aligned movement, India should strongly condemn such act of Israel and help Palestinians on humanitarian grounds. Strong action should be taken against Israeli Embassy in India and New Delhi should voice its concern on the issue in the international fora like the UN,” Mahali added. ore than 1,150 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive against Gaza on December 27 to force Hamas to stop rocket attacks on its territory.

Israel has accused Hamas of taking shelter among the civilian population and using sites such as mosques and schools as military posts.

Hamas said on Sunday it would cease fire immediately along with other militant groups in the Gaza Strip and give Israel, which already declared a unilateral truce, a week to pull its troops out of the territory. (ANI)

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