May 7, 2010

Paul, Weiss Client Wins Asylum

On May 5, Paul, Weiss obtained asylum for a pro bono client seeking political asylum from Rwanda, where he and his family suffered brutal attacks during the 1994 genocide because of their Tutsi ethnicity. The attackers killed his father and sister, and left him behind for dead. The client and his brother testified before a "gacaca" (grassroots) court against one of the men who killed their family, and because of their testimony, he was threatened and his brother was murdered by family members of the accused. When the client refused to testify further, the Rwandan police imprisoned and beat him until he agreed to testify. Once released, he was kidnapped and beaten by family members of the man he testified against. The client made his way to the United States a year ago and on Tuesday, an immigration officer granted his petition for asylum. He now seeks a path to a degree in physical therapy or as a physician's assistant. Paul, Weiss partnered with Human Rights First on this case. The Paul, Weiss team included litigation associates Norman Pentelovitch and Anna Crowell, and paralegal Kira Suyeishi, with assistance from litigation partner Robert Parker.