Headlines: E-LAW in the News, Spring/Summer 2002

Tanzanian Attorneys Face Charges of Sedition

May 17, 2002 -- The Environment News Service reports that Tundu Lissu and Rugemeleza Nshala of the Lawyers` Environmental Action Team (LEAT) in Tanzania are facing charges of sedition for speaking out against alleged human rights abuses. LEAT attorneys are representing a group of small scale miners in Bulyanhulu who were forcibly evicted from their mines in 1996 by the Tanzanian police. During the eviction, roughly 65 miners are alleged to have been buried alive. LEAT is East Africa`s leading environmental law organization. E-LAW U.S. has worked with LEAT since 1995. See: http://www.leat.or.tz/active/buly/.

Chile Threatened by Canadian Aluminum Project

April 17, 2002 -- El Mostrador (Chile) reports that well-known Chilean writer and filmmaker, Luis Sepúlveda, has joined hands with E-LAW advocate Fernando Dougnac to fight the Noranda Corporation`s plans to construct an aluminum reduction plant, three hydroelectric plants and a shipping port in the pristine Aysén region of southern Chile. Fernando is spokesman for Alianza Aysén Reserva de Vida and president of Fiscalia del Medio Ambiente. FIMA and E-LAW U.S. collaborated on the submission of an independent evaluation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed "Alumysa" project. In January, 2002, Noranda requested eight months to respond to evaluations critical of the project.

Colonial Era Wigs

April 11, 2002 -- The New York Times reports that lawyers, judges and senior politicians in Kenya are speaking out against the colonial era tradition of wearing wigs in courtrooms and government buildings. The report quotes Patrick Lumumba, a Kenyan attorney who joined the E-LAW network in 1996: "I am a great opponent of wearing the wig... It makes us look, in my view, stupid." Neighboring Tanzania dispensed with wigs in the 1960s.

Nicola Pain Appointed Judge

March 18, 2002 -- The Environmental Defender`s Office (EDO) in New South Wales, Australia, has announced that E-LAW advocate Nicola Pain has been appointed as a Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales. E- LAW U.S. has worked with Nicola and other advocates at EDO for many years. Nicola was the Principal Solicitor at EDO from 1987 until 1992, and served as EDO Board Member from 1994 to 2001. She recently returned to EDO as Acting Director from May 2001 to January 2002.

Bangladesh High Court Rules for Clean Air

March 28, 2002 -- The Daily Star (Bangladesh) reports that the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has ordered the government to phase out miniaturized taxis that use two-stroke diesel engines. These vehicles, which clog the streets of urban areas in industrializing countries, are notorious for their high levels of pollution. This decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh follows the lead of the Supreme Court of India, which ordered replacement of these vehicles by those run with clean natural gas. This recent order is part of a larger case about air pollution filed by advocates with the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) in 1995. The E-LAW network has provided BELA with legal and technical support since the case`s inception.

Oral Cancer and Tobacco in Uganda

March 25, 2002 -- The East African reports that according to a recent medical study more than 75 percent of oral cancer patients in Uganda have a history of tobacco smoking. Phillip Karugaba, spokesman for The Environmental Action Network (TEAN) in Kampala, is quoted: "This confirms the link between cigarette smoking and cancer in Uganda. A tobacco industry executive in the region once said we would not live long enough to suffer the negative health effects of smoking due to our low life expectancy and high infant mortality. This research shows the incidence of cancer of the mouth with as little as two years of smoking." E-LAW U.S. has worked with Phillip and TEAN to protect Ugandans from the dangers of tobacco since 2000.

India`s former Environment Minister charged with damaging environment

March 15, 2002 -- The Times of India reports that the Supreme Court has fined a corporation owned by former Environment Minister Kamal Nath one million Rupees ($20,000) for damaging the Beas River near Kulu-Manali in Himachal Pradesh. The case was filed by M.C. Mehta who alleged that serious ecological imbalance was created when the developers tried to change the course of the river. E-LAW U.S. has collaborated with M.C. Mehta since 1992.