‘Disbarred and disgraced’ lawyer sues TX doctor who violated abortion ban – National & International New

‘Disbarred and disgraced’ lawyer sues TX doctor who admitted violating abortion ban. ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero sentenced to 25 years for terrorism charges.

NATIONAL NEWS

‘Disbarred and disgraced’ lawyer sues TX doctor who violated abortion ban

On Saturday, the Washington Post published an op-ed from Alan Braid, a Texas obstetrician who admitted to performing an abortion in violation of the state’s Heartbeat Act (S.B. 8). S.B. 8. prohibits abortions beyond 6 weeks and deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion beyond 6 months for at least $10,000.

In his op-ed, Braid said he had performed this abortion to fulfill his duty of care to his patient and to “make sure that Texas didn’t get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested”. Braid said, “I can’t just sit back and watch us return to 1972”.

With this admission, Braid essentially invited anyone who wished to sue him. A few people have taken him up on it, but to the horror of S.B.8’s supporters, none of them seem to be pro-life.

One claimant is Oscar Stilley of Arkansas. In his complaint, Stilley describes himself as a “disbarred and disgraced” lawyer. Stilley is currently under home confinement and is 11 years into a 15 year federal sentence for getting “crossways with the tax division”.

Stilley freely admits that his suit against Dr. Braid is in no way a vote of support for S.B. 8. Rather, Stilley quips “I was cranky, so I filed a lawsuit”. In fact, Stilley expressed his respect for Braid.  “Any man who will stand on his hind legs, knowing good and well that the whole purpose of the thing is to bankrupt any doctor who tries it, and does what he thinks is the right thing to do, I have a high degree of respect for him”.

The Wild, Wild West

Stilley is also candid about the fact that the suit could be a “fine payday” for him. He’s asking for as much as $100,000, but will settle for the minimum $10,000 judgement. True to type, Stilley refers to himself in the third person. “Oscar is going to be the fastest gun in the West. He’s going to be there first. If there’s money to be had, it’s going to go in Oscar’s pocket. Might as well go there as anywhere, if it’s just a free-for-all. This is the Wild, Wild West”.

Aside from the money, Stilley explains, “I want a judgment on [S.B. 8]. I’d like to get this established—is this a valid enactment or is this garbage that needs to be thrown out?”. Stilley doesn’t expect to win his suit, and doubts that S.B. 8 is constitutional or enforceable.  He believes that S.B. 8’s proponents are “trying to inject uncertainty so that the doctors are going to say, ‘Oh, my goodness, this could bankrupt me'”. To the Texas legislators who voted for the law, Stilley says, “I see what you guys are doing. Oscar’s laying in wait for you. I’m coming”.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

‘Hotel Rwanda’ manager sentenced to 25 years for terrorism charges

Paul Rusesabagina’s courage in sheltering 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 inspired the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda.” Now a Rwandan court under the sway of a dictatorial regime has sentenced Rusesabagina to 25 years in prison for sponsoring acts of terrorism in the country.

Rusesabagina, now a Belgian citizen and longtime U.S. resident, boarded a plane in Dubai intending to visit Burundi. Instead he was flown to Rwanda, where he had not set foot for many years due to fear of reprisals from the government due to his political activities.

Activist or terrorist?

When Rusesabagina arrived in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, he was arrested and charged with terrorism, arson, kidnap and murder of Rwandan citizens. The charges stem from numerous public comments from Rusesabagina criticizing the government of Paul Kagame and calling for armed rebellion. In a 2012 speech, Rusesabagina said, “We say loud and clear that the military solution is not our first choice. But we must also understand that our arsenal of peaceful solutions is not inexhaustible. Enough is enough. (…) We therefore call for a general mobilization to get rid of this criminal power”, referring to Kagame’s government.

Rusesabagina is a supporter and founding member of the FLN (National Liberation Front), a militant political group that opposes Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The FLN is primarily Hutu while the RPF is primarily Tutsi. The FLN and some of its affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for terrorist attacks in 2018 that killed at least nine people.

“Show trial”

International human rights lawyers have said that the proceedings against Rusesabagina amounted to little more than a “show trial”. During his pre-trial incarceration, Rusesabagina was denied contact with his family and consultations with his attorney. At the trial itself, the prosecution presented the accusations and evidence against Rusesabagina. But Rusesabagina presented no defense, claiming that there was no chance of him receiving a fair trial in any case.

Following the verdict, Rusesabagina’s adopted daughter, Carine Kanimba stated that, “We knew there would never be a fair trial for my father, and now the world knows too. If the US, Belgium and others believe in human rights, they need to step in now to free our father”.

It’s hard to know who’s in the right here, or if anyone is. But if anything, this story reveals that the ethnic politics in Rwanda remain as polarized and volatile as they were in the 1990s.

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