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Lawrence J. Gist II is a dedicated pro bono attorney and counselor at law, adjunct professor of legal studies at Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles, CA, a member of the board of directors of the Institute of Indigenous Knowledges, and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
EDUCATION:
* Harvard University - International Humanitarian Law (current student);
* Gonzaga University - Doctor of Jurisprudence (cum laude); and
* Holy Names College - Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Religious Studies.
PRACTICE AREAS:
Lawrence Gist, informally known as "Lance Gist," uses his 20 years of combined legal and political experience to provide free legal assistance in the areas of:
* International Humanitarian Law,
* International Human Rights Law,
* Federal Civil Rights Law,
* Federal/State Due Process Administrative Law,
* Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy, and
* Legislative and Public Policy Advocacy.
AWARDS:
Pro Bono Honor Roll, American Jurisprudence Award in Criminal Law, American Jurisprudence Award in Conflicts of Law, Best Professor of the Year.
MEMBERSHIP:
American Bar Association, National Lawyers Guild, Federal Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union, Washington DC Bar (Practice No. 433665), Lambda Cooperating Attorney Network, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and Veterans for Peace.
Thursday, July 16, 2009 Getting Away with Torture by Lawrence Gist
By refusing to enforce the laws against torture impartially, President Obama and Attorney General Holder are not only violating their oath of office; they are embracing President Bush's belief that that CIA operatives may commit crimes with impunity, provided that a government lawyer gives them permission to do so.
Thursday, July 16, 2009 Iranian Human Rights Defenders Arrested by Lawrence Gist
Iran's government should withdraw new regulations that severely limit the independence of the Iranian Bar Association and would give the government control over a lawyer's right to practice.
Thursday, July 16, 2009 Guantanamo Bay Military Hearing Boycotted by Suspects by Lawrence Gist
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks on American soil, along with four others suspected of involvement in the attacks, have boycotted a U.S. military court hearing in Guantanamo Bay.
Thursday, July 16, 2009 Secretary-General shocked by attacks on Pakistan refugee camp by Lawrence Gist
The Secretary-General was shocked and saddened by today's killing of a senior national staff member of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Zill-e-Usman, in Katcha Garhi refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan.
Monday, July 6, 2009 Two Al Jazeera journalists held by Israeli authorities since 30 June by Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders condemns the detention of two journalists employed by the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al Jazeera, who were aboard the "Spirit of Humanity", a ship carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, when it was intercepted by the Israeli navy on 30 June.
Monday, July 6, 2009 SOMALIA: Women go where aid agencies fear to tread by IRIN
Women's groups in embattled Mogadishu are stepping into the aid vacuum to assist thousands more displaced by fighting in the capital, civil society activists said.
Monday, July 6, 2009 Radio reporter shot dead in Mogadishu by Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is horrified by the murder of Mohamud Mohamed Yusuf, a 22-year-old reporter with the private news station Radio Holy Quran, in Mogadishu yesterday (4 July). His killers left him dying by the roadside for three hours and fired at anyone who tried to help him.
Monday, July 6, 2009 Iran Watch: Diplomatic Provocation By Kamal Nazer Yasin
A coordinated diplomatic response by European Community countries may frustrate a well-planned Iranian government provocation, Kamal Nazer Yasin comments for ISN Security Watch.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Statistics Comparing Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
A new report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) paints a grim picture of life in the Gaza Strip: insufficient housing, damaged infrastructure, limited access to clean water and the discharge of raw sewage into the sea.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Conservative Rep. Kern Blames Homosexuals for Economic Crisis (1 comments)
Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern said she is on a morality mission, blaming the country's economic crisis on the nation's immoral actions such as "abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery."
Thursday, July 2, 2009 DRC: Violence Forcing North Kivu Civilians Out of Homes
Continuing clashes between armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have forced civilians to abandon their homes in North Kivu and affected aid operations, a UN official said.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 GOP Intellectually and Morally Bankrupt (2 comments)
A resolution introduced in the Oklahoma legislature by GOP State Rep. Sally Kern blames the nation's economic woes on gay pride celebrations, lack of public prayer, abortion and "debauchery."
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Georgia and Russia at Odds after Caucasus Talks
Georgian and Russian officials clashed publicly on Wednesday after one-day talks aimed at avoiding further conflict in the volatile Caucasus region.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 North Korea Test-Fires 4 Short-Range Missiles
North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles into the sea that lies between it and Japan on Thursday, amid simmering tensions over the latest international sanctions against the Communist state, according to news reports and a spokesman for the South Korean government.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Not quite back to normal in Iran
Iran's powerful Guardian Council on Monday formally certified incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the winner of the June 12 presidential election, whose results have been contested by forces supporting moderate reform candidates former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and former Iranian Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Pakistan Gunships Kill Islamist Militants
Pakistani combat helicopters killed 28 militants from a hardline Islamist group during raids on hideouts in the famed Khyber region bordering Afghanistan, the military said Thursday.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 The African Unionwill not cooperate with ICC on Bashir-draft
The African Union will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court over its indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, according to a draft of an AU resolution.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 US opens 'major Afghan offensive'
The US army says it has launched a major offensive against the Taliban in south Afghanistan's Helmand province.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Africa: Obama Administration Tackling Wide Range of African Issues
In this first AllAfrica interview with the assistant secretary, we explore some of the challenges for United States policies towards Africa. An upcoming conversation will discuss other challenges, other countries - and the progress and potential of Africa in this decade.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Amnesty says Israel "wantonly" destroyed Gaza
Amnesty International said on Thursday Israel inflicted "wanton destruction" in the Gaza Strip in attacks that often targeted Palestinian civilians during an offensive in December and January in the Hamas-run enclave.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Bosnian Serb gets 14 yrs jail for wartime massacre
Bosnia's war crimes court on Thursday sentenced a former Serb policeman to 14 years in jail for crimes against humanity in a massacre of more than 200 Muslims and Croats early in the country's 1992-95 war.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Bosnian Serb policemen arrested on war crimes charges
Bosnian police on Wednesday arrested a Serb policeman suspected of taking part in a massacre of more than 200 Muslims and Croats early in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, the state prosecutor's office said.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 CIA Report on Interrogation Delayed Again
The Justice Department is again delaying the release of an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and interrogation program during the Bush administration.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Congo Village Burnt Down
Rwandan Hutu rebels burnt down around 130 village homes in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an army officer said on Thursday, although a politician said locals blamed the army.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 International Criminal Court: Impunity No More (1 comments)
In 1998, more than 100 states adopted the Rome Statute to end impunity for those crimes that we had thought, over and over, would never happen again, only to see them occur, again and again: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Iraqis of all sects, ethnicities celebrate US pullout from cities
Iraqi politicians from across the ethnic and sectarian divide welcomed Wednesday the US troop pullout from cities as a step toward sovereignty, even though they feared it might trigger more violence.
Thursday, July 2, 2009 Khmer Rouge torture survivor saw "hell on earth"
One of the few survivors of the Khmer Rouge's notorious Tuol Sleng prison gave chilling testimony of "hell on earth" when he faced his former torturer at a U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal on Wednesday.
