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marym625

(17,997 posts)
Mon Jan 5, 2015, 11:13 PM Jan 2015

Petition to Pardon Stanley Cohen

Moveon.org has a Petition to Pardon Civil Rights leader/attorney Stanley Cohen, who surrendered himself to 18 months incarceration, the most he could be sentenced to, today.

I am in awe of all he has done for decades, going all the way back to representing people in The Weather Underground in the 1980s. I have been lucky enough to have a few twitter conversations with him. He is always respectful and kind, even to those of us that don't know him personally.

He represented the "PayPal 14" too.

Below is the email being shared to Moveon.org members. Included is the link to the petition.

Hi,

Stanley L. Cohen is an attorney, international human rights activist, and a true American Hero fighting for justice and defending our Constitution. Stanley is an advocate for many people the government would like to silence or put in jail: Palestinian freedom fighters, Muslim preachers, North American natives living on Indian reservations, marijuana dealers, anti-war protestors, radical squatters, the homeless, "hacktivists", anti-Zionists and everyone in between. Mr. Cohen has been unfairly targeted by U.S. authorities who seek to silence him and end his law practice. Recently, after years of unfair prosecution and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, Mr. Cohen has pled guilty to charges of "impeding the IRS" and has been sentenced to 18 months in prison beginning on January 6, 2015.

In October 2014 Stanley Cohen traveled to the Middle East to negotiate the release of American Aid Worker Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig who was held hostage by ISIS captors. Talks to save Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig went on for weeks, backed by the U.S. Kassig was killed by his Isis captors on 16 November after one of the prime negotiators, a Muslim cleric, was arrested and imprisoned in Jordan. See the full story in the Guardian and you will understand how vital it is that Stanley remain free:

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2014/dec/18/-sp-the-race-to-save-peter-kassig

Stanley is HERO, a dear friend and trusted advisor. He always puts the cause of justice, human rights and the needs of others for legal representation above himself. One minute in prison is one minute too much. Stanley must remain free to continue his lifelong dedication to the practice of law. Please stand together to seek justice for Stanley L. Cohen and ask President Obama to pardon him and keep him free.

That's why I signed a petition to President Barack Obama, which says:

"Please pardon Attorney and Human Rights Advocate Stanley L. Cohen who has been unfairly targeted by U.S. authorities who seek to silence him and end his law practice. Recently Mr. Cohen visited the Middle East to help negotiate the release of Peter (Abdul-Rahman) Kessig. Stanley L. Cohen is a hero and tireless defender of the U.S. Constitution and does not deserve to spend one minute in prison. We the undersigned urge you to pardon Stanley L. Cohen so that he remain free to practice law, defend our Constitution, uphold Human Rights and work towards peace in the Middle East."

Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/president-obama-please-45?source=s.fwd&r_by=8460384

Thanks!


I won't be around to answer questions for a while but here's a couple links about him.

http://istanleycohen.org/

http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/-wikileaks-related-news/23/interview-with-stanley-cohen-criminal-defense-attorney-update-on-the-paypal-1/13743/

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=627


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Petition to Pardon Stanley Cohen (Original Post) marym625 Jan 2015 OP
He pled guilty to millions of dollars in tax evasion Recursion Jan 2015 #1
No kidding! yeoman6987 Jan 2015 #2

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
1. He pled guilty to millions of dollars in tax evasion
Mon Jan 5, 2015, 11:46 PM
Jan 2015

His human rights work doesn't get him off the hook for that.

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