News & Opinion

Gearing up for the Puerto Rico Convention

A 2009 demonstration for independence and workers’ rights in Puerto Rico.

As the new year ushers in a new administration in Puerto Rico, legal activists there are eagerly awaiting this year's NLG convention, which presents a unique opportunity for dialogue and solidarity. In its short tenure, the new government has brought some positive change, attempting to reverse some of the most draconian measures implemented by the previous conservative administration. Those include criminalizing dissent with prison terms for “obstructing” or “perturbing” public functions, universities, and lawmakers.

UK Internet Activists Sentenced to Less Prison Time than American Co-Defendant Jeremy Hammond Will Spend Jailed Pre-Trial

For immediate release:
May 16, 2013
New York

Jeremy Hammond has been imprisoned for over a year already, held without bail and with no access to family members.

Letter to Obama Regarding the State of Siege in Guatemala

The National Lawyers Guild recently sent a delegation to Guatemala to observe the precedent-setting genocide trial of U.S.-supported military dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt and his advisor Jose Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez. In the wake of uncertainty over whether the trial would continue after widely criticized procedural developments over the last few weeks, we were pleased that the U.S. dispatched Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp to Guatemala to signal the importance of upholding the rule of law.

National Lawyers Guild Urges FBI to Respect Political Asylum Status of Assata Shakur

Assata Shakur

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) urges the Federal Bureau of Investigation to respect the political asylum status of Assata Shakur (a.k.a. Joanne Chesimard). The FBI has designated the 65-year old former Black Panther Party member a “terrorist” and increased the bounty for her capture from $1 million to $2 million.

National Lawyers Guild Joins U.N. Rapporteur Calling for Investigation into Roots of U.S.-Targeting Terrorism

The National Lawyers Guild joins Richard Falk, professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and special rapporteur to the United Nations, in calling for an investigation into the causes of acts of terrorism directed at the United States.

“Since before 9/11, the U.S. government has made a concerted effort to debunk any cause-and-effect relationship between United States foreign policy and foreign-based terrorism directed against the United States,” said NLG Executive Director Heidi Boghosian.