Word: stewart
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
That is the lesson that Lynne Stewart is learning the hard way. After seven months of trial, Stewart has been convicted of providing material aid to terrorism and of lying to the government, among other things. She faces up to 30 years in jail...
...Stewart contacted a reporter in Cairo to whom she communicated a message from Abdel Rahman. It is true that she signed a form stating she would not pass along any messages from Abdel Rahman. But she did not believe (and she still does not) that she was communicating any messages from Abdel Rahman to his supporters in Egypt. To Stewart, her actions were a method by which she could convey her client’s political views. This is, admittedly, a very thin and tenuous line that Stewart has tried to walk on; the government is right to prosecute...
Whether you believe that Stewart crossed the line or not, her conviction has set a dangerous precedent. Defense lawyers have intently watched the months-long proceedings, knowing that the decision affects them as well. Many will now think twice before defending a client accused of terrorism—not just about the case and the client, but about how much they are willing to give to the defendant...
...conviction also raises questions about post-9/11 trials. While Stewart was being tried for actions she committed during 2000—in the defense of a man not connected to 9/11 in any way—al Qaeda and the terrorist attacks were constantly brought up by the prosecutors. The trial occurred only two blocks from Ground Zero, and some of Osama bin Laden’s videos were shown to the jury. Playing on the post-9/11 fears of the jury is believed to have been one of the main reasons for Stewart’s conviction...
...CONVICTED. LYNNE STEWART, 65, veteran civil rights lawyer and defender of accused terrorists and Mob turncoats, of providing material support to terrorists, perjury and defrauding the U.S. govern-ment; in New York City. For more than 10 years, Stewart was defense counsel for Egyp-tian cleric and convicted terrorist Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. Prosecutors argued that Stewart acted as a conduit through which Sheik Rahman communicated with his followers. Stewart claimed the gov-ernment's videotaping of her conversations with her client violated attorney-client privilege...