[Human rights news] Asylum help sought

Lilian Dalke of Human Rights First writes:

Human Rights First is looking for a country conditions expert on Guinea to provide an affidavit of support and testify in support of the asylum claim of one of our clients. The client is scheduled for his individual (final merits) hearing on June 24, 2008. If you are a scholar whose area of research includes Guinea and you might be able to assist in this time frame, please contact me with your CV at the information below, which I will forward to the client’s attorneys.

If you are a scholar who will not be able to assist on this particular case but might be interested in being contacted about future cases, I would appreciate hearing from you, as we handle a large number of cases from Guinea .

Thanks for any assistance you might be able to provide.

If you can help Lily, please contact her at DalkeL@HumanRightsFirst.org

[Help wanted] Seeking Kpellé / Guerzé speaker

Lily Dalke of Human Rights First writes:

I’m looking for an interpreter for another asylum seeker, ideally someone who is fluent in both Kpelle / Guerze and English.

We are currently making do with someone who speaks Guerze and French and another translator who speaks French and English, but it would be wonderful if we could find someone who could help this client communicate more directly with her attorney!

Thanks in advance for any contacts or leads you might be able to provide.

If you are able and willing to help, please contact Lily at:

dalkel @ humanrightsfirst.org

or 212-845-5231

[Help wanted] Seeking a Toma speaker near NYC

Lily Dalke from Human Rights First's Refugee Protection Program has issued the following request.

Dear Friends of Guinea,

I work for a program that helps asylum seekers in the New York City region find pro bono legal representation.

We have a client who speaks only Toma who is having difficulty communicating with her lawyers. We are looking for someone who is fluent in both Toma and English to translate between them over the course of her case. The law firm will compensate the interpreter for his or her services, and the time commitment is several meetings to be scheduled at a mutually convenient time over the course of the next few months. They would like the interpreter to begin as soon as possible, as they are currently communicating via two interpreters (Toma to French and French to English).

Please let me know if you know of anyone who might be interested and available to assist with this. Please feel free to forward my contact information.

[...]

Telephone: 212-845-5231
Fax: 212-845-5299
dalkel@humanrightsfirst.org