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Conference call briefing with author Hassan Daioleslam re. victory against NIAC - April 30, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET |
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013 |
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INVITATION: Conference call briefing with Iranian American author Hassan Daioleslam, Lawfare Project Director Brooke Goldstein, and Legal Project Director Sam Nunberg on Daioleslam's recent victory against National Iranian American Council (NIAC)
April 30, 2013
12:00 PM ET
Conference dial-in number: (805) 399-1200
Participant access code: 108325
Goldstein will conduct a Q&A after the briefing. Questions can be emailed before or during the call with subject heading "HASSAN DAI" to:
Questions will be answered in the order received and as time permits.
Background:
On Tuesday, April 9, in a major victory against lawfare proponents, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and its president, Trita Parsi, to pay $183,480.09 to Iranian American Hassan Daioleslam, editor of the website "In Search of Truth: Reports on Mullahs's lobby in US." This follows years of litigation, beginning in 2008 when NIAC and Parsi filed a frivolous libel suit against Daioleslam in response to his reporting of Parsi's and NIAC's linkages with the Iranian regime, a state sponsor of terrorism.
In fall 2012, the court granted summary judgment for Daioleslam, dismissing the libel suit. Judge John Bates held that the plaintiffs failed to adduce evidence that Daioleslam "actually harbored any doubts about the correctness of his writings, or willfully blinded himself to the truth," such that their defamation claim must fail. The court also dismissed the plaintiffs' false light claim due to their failure to demonstrate that Daioleslam's statements were made with "actual malice."
Sam Nunberg serves as Director of The Legal Project, an activity of the Middle East Forum which seeks to protect the right in the West to freely discuss Islam and Islamist terrorism. The Legal Project coordinated Mr. Daioleslam's pro bono representation by Sidley Austin LLP during Brooke Goldstein's tenure as Director. Sam has worked on this matter since 2011. |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Victory for Free Speech Against Lawfare Proponents - Court Orders National Iranian American Council (NIAC) to Pay $183,480.09 to Iranian American Author Hassan Daioleslam |
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Friday, April 12, 2013 |
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April 12, 2013 - NEW YORK - This past Tuesday, April 9, in a major victory against lawfare proponents, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and its president, Trita Parsi, to pay $183,480.09 to Iranian American Hassan Daioleslam, editor of the website "In Search of Truth: Reports on Mullahs's lobby in US." This follows years of litigation, beginning in 2008 when NIAC and Parsi filed a frivolous libel suit against Daioleslam in response to his reporting of Parsi's and NIAC's linkages with the Iranian regime, a state sponsor of terrorism.
The conference call briefing with Iranian American author Hassan Daioleslam, originally scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed.
An email containing the new date and call-in details will be sent soon.
The Lawfare Project is hosting a conference call briefing with Hassan Daioleslam on Tuesday, April 16 at 12:00 PM ET. Members of the press, as well as the public, are welcome to participate.
Conference dial-in number: (805) 399-1200
Participant access code: 108325
In fall 2012, the same court granted summary judgment for Daioleslam, dismissing the libel suit. Judge John Bates held that the plaintiffs failed to adduce evidence that Daioleslam "actually harbored any doubts about the correctness of his writings, or willfully blinded himself to the truth," such that their defamation claim must fail. The court also dismissed the plaintiffs' false light claim due to their failure to demonstrate that Daioleslam's statements were made with "actual malice."
For more information, please contact:
Brooke Goldstein -
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Hassan Daioleslam -
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- 602-692-3701 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Abbas Offers Bogus ICC Concession During Kerry's Trip to Israel |
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Thursday, April 11, 2013 |
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Press Releases
April 11, 2013 - NEW YORK - As Sec. State Kerry concludes his trip to Israel to work on restarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Mahmoud Abbas claims to have made a goodwill gesture by promising not to pursue charges against Israeli officials before the International Criminal Court (ICC) - for two months starting two weeks ago. Abbas's promise is a gesture of bad faith, not good, and he should receive no credit for it. The ICC simply does not have jurisdiction over Israeli settlements, as Prof. Eugene Kontorovich of Northwestern University, a Lawfare Project Fellow, demonstrates in his new research paper, "Jurisdiction over Israeli Settlement Activity in the International Criminal Court" (available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2230987). Prof. Kontorovich will also be debating issues relating to the legality of Israeli settlements under international law at the following events:
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April 15, 2013 @ 12:00PM - Debate on Israeli Settlements and International Law
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April 21, 2013 @ 8:00PM - Israel's Borders in International Law
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April 23, 2013 @ 12:45PM - Disputing Occupation: Israel's Borders in International Law
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New York Law School (New York, NY)
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The ICC only has jurisdiction over conduct on the "territory" of nation "states," Prof. Kontorovich explains. Even assuming Palestine will not be treated as a "state" for ICC purposes, its territory is entirely undefined. Last fall's General Assembly resolution did not set borders for Palestine, but rather acknowledged they would need to be determined through negotiations. All settlements fall in the most disputed parts of the potential Israeli-Palestinian frontier. Moreover, the Palestinians in the Oslo Accords gave Israel exclusive criminal jurisdiction over the settlements. They cannot "regive" this jurisdiction to the ICC.
Moreover, the ICC only has authority to deal with the worst of the world's crimes. It has traditionally understood this as involving mass atrocities with thousands of dead. Civilian home construction may be internationally reviled, but it is not a crime of the highest gravity, compared to the slaughter of innocents.
"By taking Abbas's noises about the ICC seriously," Prof. Kontorovich says, "Sec. Kerry's diplomatic efforts inadvertently lend credence to the notion that the ICC would have jurisdiction. This undermines America's ability to avoid such charges against its servicemen in the future, and contradicts its longstanding arguments about the limits on the Court. Accepting Abbas's bluff would support an unprecedented, unbounded, and activist vision of the Court's role in international affairs - one that could only come back to haunt the U.S., which like Israel, has not consented to ICC jurisdiction."
For more information, please contact:
Prof. Eugene Kontorovich
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(609) 610-2066 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lawfare Project Strongly Denounces Arab Lawyers Union (ALU) for Honoring Suicide Bomber |
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012 |
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October 23, 2012 - NEW YORK - The Palestine Committee of the Arab Lawyers Union (ALU) awarded its "highest honor . . . in esteem for any lawyer in the Arab Homeland" to female Palestinian suicide bomber and law student Hanadi Jaradat. In 2003, Jaradat left the legal profession by blowing herself up at the Maxim restaurant in Haifa, Israel, killing 21 and injuring more than 50. Among the deceased were three children and an infant.
Palestine Committee member Ayman Abu Eisheh said that the Arab lawyers were "proud of what Jaradat did 'in defense of Palestine and the Arab conflict.'" The Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam reported that an ALU delegation presented the "Martyr Hanadi Jaradat plaque of honor" to the bomber's family.
The ALU's homepage states that its membership includes bar associations in 15 countries and 27 affiliated organizations. It is in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), consultative status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and is affiliated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) as well as other regional, national, and international bodies.
The Lawfare Project denounces the sheer hypocrisy of a lawyers' association blatantly celebrating any clear violation of the law, let alone a deadly terror attack. In bestowing this award, the ALU--composed of more than 200,000 lawyers and purportedly committed to "promot[ing] and protect[ing] human rights"--is engaging in lawfare by attempting to obscure (or perhaps justify) the illegality of the attack, classifying a criminal act as lawyer-endorsed measure taken "in defense of Palestine." In essence, the ALU is rejecting the (basic) responsibility it shares with the global legal community to uphold the rule of law. Surprisingly, the response to the "honor" has been passive. Lawyers and bar associations worldwide (as well as the aforementioned UN entities) must call upon the ALU to reconsider its chosen award recipient, keeping in mind the fundamental duty held by all legal professionals to promote adherence to the law, rather than undermine it.
For more information, please contact:
Brooke Goldstein -
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- (212) 922-1672 ext. 302
Benjamin Ryberg -
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- (212) 922-1672 ext. 305
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