NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seward & Kissel LLP is pleased to announce that a three-member team of attorneys has secured asylum in the United States for a Tibetan refugee who had been tortured by authorities in his native country and spent the past six months in immigration detention in New Jersey.
The firm’s client initially requested asylum at Newark Liberty International Airport after fleeing political and religious persecution. He had sustained abuse at the hands of the Chinese police in Tibet, where he was detained and tortured with electric shocks over the course of a month for organizing a peaceful celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. The Chinese police conditioned his release on his willingness to denounce the Dalai Lama. He refused to do so, and chose to flee Tibet rather than face further detention and torture.
After a six-month detention in New Jersey, he was granted asylum following a vigorously contested, four-hour-long hearing at the Elizabeth Immigration Court on March 2, 2017. The victorious Seward & Kissel team included associates Noah Czarny, Molly Kammien, and Angela Urbano, who were brought in to the matter by Human Rights First, a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization based in New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, and Los Angeles.
“We are thrilled that our client is now able to establish a home in the United States and escape the political and religious persecution he has suffered,” said Jack Yoskowitz, partner in charge of pro bono efforts at Seward & Kissel. “We will continue to work with Human Rights First to see that international refugees receive the best counsel possible.”
In 2016, Czarny, Kammien, and Urbano each received Human Rights First’s Pro Bono Star award, given annually to attorneys who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to clients seeking immigration protection. They received the honor in connection with their work in securing asylum for another pro bono client in 2016.
About Seward & Kissel LLP
Seward & Kissel LLP is a leading U.S. law firm with an international reputation for excellence, which primarily handles corporate and litigation work for clients seeking legal expertise in the financial services, corporate finance, and capital markets areas. The firm’s Pro Bono Initiative empowers attorneys to give back to their community by providing needed advice and counsel to those who would otherwise lack representation. Attorneys work with individuals and organizations on a broad spectrum of matters, including immigration, civil rights, domestic violence, urban poverty, and employment discrimination.
