Ramsey Clark Questions Sullivan’s Motives
December 16th, 2008 | Category: press
Coming to Turner’s desense, Ramsey Clark blasts the U.S. attorney’s office
PolitickerMA.com
by Jeremy Jacobs
BOSTON- Former U.S Attorney General Ramsey Clark said Wednesday the prosecution of Chuck Turner is both politically and racially motivated and raised doubts about U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan’s case against the Boston city councilor.
Clark, who was the attorney general under President Lyndon Johnson, said Sullivan has brought charges without sufficient evidence as the end of George W. Bush’s presidency approaches.
“How is it that they’ve gone on for 18 months and at the end of the administration they come up with this?” he asked.
“They’ve overcharged mercilessly,” he also said. “I mean, three counts on a $1,000 claim? Who are they kidding?”
Clark’s remarks came at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. About 30 of Turner’s supporters gathered at City Hall and walked with Clark and Turner across government center to the JFK Federal Building.
Clark, now a human rights activist, is a controversial figure who is revered by many on the left. Following his tenure as attorney general, Clark was a vocal critic of the Vietnam war and later took controversial stances against the United States government such as his signing on to defend Saddam Hussein in 2004.
Clark said he will “help any way” he can with Turner’s defense but noted that he has other obligations as well.
The former attorney general said he was convinced that Turner will be vindicated and said that he is “outraged the public and he are hurt by this assault on his character.” The public, he went on, has been “poisoned” by “selective leaks” from the U.S. attorney’s office.
“Presumption of innocence for those that seek the truth is a way of life,” he said. “Prejudgment is prejudice. A great segment of the press here has prejudged this case.”
To this day, he said, the defense still does not know what evidence the prosecution plans to use against Turner.
“If [Sullivan's] got some basis for what he’s done,” Clark said, “he better start telling us cause we don’t know what it is.”
The prosecutions conduct has been deplorable, he said, and there should be a “moratorium on any further action until a new and independent prosecutor can come in here and review this whole matter.”
That independent prosecutor, he said, would determine whether anyone in Sullivan’s office should be prosecuted.
Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for Sullivan, declined to comment for this story or the ongoing investigation.
Jeremy P. Jacobs is a PolitickerMA.com Reporter and can be reached via email at jeremy.jacobs@politickerma.com.
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About Ramsey Clark, 2008 UN Human Rights Award Recipient
Ramsey Clark, a former US Attorney General and internationally renown human rights defender, received the respected United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 10 December 2008.
The announcement of the award was presented by the President of the General Assembly, Miguel d´Escoto Brockmann, who is one of the five members of the selection committee. The award is made every five years to five human rights defenders whose life’s work has been outstanding. It is presented on December 10, International Human Rights Day, every five years
At the UN Press Conference after accepting the award, Ramsey Clark emphasized the UN’s role in ensuring world peace reminding journalists that “The greatest threat to human rights is war.”
The award is given to individuals and organizations in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Previous recipients have included Nelson Mandela, Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Reverend Dr. Martin L. King.”
Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto said “As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we acknowledge the tireless work and invaluable contribution of these individuals and organizations that have fought to see the rights and freedoms embodied in this historic document become a reality for people in all corners of the world.”
“These awardees constitute symbols of persistence, valour and tenacity in their resistance to public and private authorities that violate human rights. They constitute a moral force to put an end to systematic human rights violations.”
The UN announcement described Ramsey Clark as “a veteran human rights defender and rule of law advocate, played a key role in the civil rights and peace movements in the US, and more recently has spoken out against abuses committed in the name of “counter-terrorism.”
The International Action Center, founded by Ramsey Clark in 1992 is known internationally for its major role in the anti-war movement in the U.S. and its actions in the forefront of extending solidarity to countries and peoples facing U.S. attack and threats.
