#rafayburns

Injustice Anywhere’s Bruce Fischer interviews Ken Klonsky of Innocence International on the Rafay-Burns case.

Innocence International’s Ken Klonsky is scheduled to do a radio piece on the Rafay-Burns case with Injustice Anywhere on June 2nd.  Once we have a link to it, we will post it here.  In the meantime, follow Injustice Anywhere on Twitter, and see what they are doing following their excellent work supporting Amanda Knox.

The Rafay-Burns Appeal now has a Facebook page.  Please help us get the word out by liking it and sharing it on your own Facebook timeline.

Lawyers from Canada's Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) have defended those who have been victims of Mr. Big tactics.  In response to the July 2014 Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decision, which states that some types of evidence obtained through Mr. Big tactics are inadmissible in court, AIDWYC called for an audit of all Mr. Big cases.  For more information on past Mr. Big cases AIDWYC lawyers have represented,  visit here.  For AIDWYC responses to the July 2014 SCC decisions, visit here.

Sebastian and Atif were nineteen years old when the RCMP Mr. Big sting elicited confessions from them.  Their young age left them especially vulnerable to confessing falsely.  The Innocence Project gives a description of why youth are especially vulnerable to false confession.  There seems to be a slow and reluctant change underway in the American legal system in response to an increasing number of studies showing brain development is not complete until one reaches one's mid-twenties.  As our understanding evolves in light of current neuroscience research, our court systems will hopefully adjust their approach to dealing with young people, as seen in the 2012 Miller v. Alabama US Supreme Court decision.

Both are North American born sons of Pakistani immigrant parents Both excelled academically in high school Both were teenagers in the 1990's when charged with first-degree murder Both were interrogated by police who didn't consider alternate suspects because they had already made up their minds the boys were guilty Both defendants' cases were hurt by testimony from a high school classmate who received some degree of immunity in exchange for testifying against the defendants (Jay Wilds in Syed's case, Jimmy Miyoshi in Rafay's) Both murder scenes lacked DNA evidence linking the defendants to the murder Both trials saw some degree of anti-Muslim sentiment Both boys had typical teenage boy behavior held against them (as if such behavior can be equated with being a murderer) Both Atif and Adnan have now spent more than half their lives in prison Both are actively involved in positive programs at their prisons Both have caught the attention of innocence projects Both continue to maintain their innocence and need our support to free them