Awhile back, Blawgletter posted Open Letter: U.S. Should Support Pakistani Lawyers and Rule of Law. Yesterday, a commenter alerted us to Black Flag Week in Pakistan and an international effort to make common cause with lawyers there. The commenter referred to Achieving Our Country blog, which includes this information:
Who? We are a group of active blog participants whose primary connection is based in Glenn Greenwald’s blog on Salon.com. We came together as a group to work on raising awareness on issues facing our country and the world. We named ourselves PosseComment@US.
What? We are asking people to honor Black Flag Week, March 9-15, by wearing black armbands or black clothing, to support the Pakistani lawyers’ movement. These barristers are protesting, taking legal action, and being physically assaulted and jailed by their government, attempting to restore the rule of law in their country. They began one year ago, when President Pervez Musharraf illegally sacked the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Our goal is to support these lawyers in their efforts to restore democracy, the judiciary and the Constitution in Pakistan.
Why? Rule of law and democracy are fundamental to free societies everywhere. The lawyers’ movement in Pakistan recognizes this as a crucial nexus in the evolution of their society from the tyranny of a military dictatorship to a functioning democracy. Restoration of justice and the voice of the people in Pakistan could very well be critical to the future safety of not only America, but also to the rest of the world as well. We in the United States
have the freedom and the ability to act, to raise awareness and to show support for just causes. It is our responsibility to our own democracy to do so. It is the morally correct action to take.
How? We have been working for the past week, sending emails and flyers, making calls, contacting groups we think might wish to help and posting informational pieces on the internet. Preparations in Pakistan have been building and they are expecting a massive turnout of supporters. It is absolutely crucial that displays of support for this movement be seen not only in Pakistan, but also here and elsewhere in the world, to convince the Pakistani senate and the incoming government to act, and to restore the institutions so crucial to a just government.
Where? Our effort is based at http://AchievingOurCountry.blogspot.com. We have established contacts with law schools, lawyers, civil rights groups and bloggers in order to disseminate this critical message. As the movement in Pakistan is primarily based among lawyers and law schools, it seemed appropriate to call on their counterparts here
,in the United States, and elsewhere, for support.
When? Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association in Pakistan, has established the week of March 9-15 as Black Flag Week. Rallies, events and marches are being scheduled in Pakistan and we are encouraging supporting events.
For more information, please visit http://revolutionredux.wordpress.com/2008/03/02/pakistan-constitutions-and-the-rule-of-law/.
We have added your blawg name and URL link at Achieving Our Country's Blog Roll of sites honoring Black Flag Week. Thank you.
Posted by: Gordon | March 10, 2008 at 12:30 PM