Shooting Incident Angers Law Body

Pacific Media Watch:
http://pactok.net.au/docs/pmw/

Pasifik Nius:
http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ/nius/index.htm

PORT MORESBY: The Papua New Guinea Law Society deplores the attempt on the life of [human rights] lawyer Powes Parkop in a shooting incident at Gerehu last week, the Post-Courier reports.

The PNG Law Society president Ere Kariko was commenting on an attack last week on Parkop when on his way home after dropping his children at school.

He was shot at by a group of men.

It is believed that the incident may be linked to cases which Parkop is defending in the courts.

"The society is aware of the other incidents involving threats of violence to lawyers in the course of the performance of their duties, but this incident involving Parkop is by far the most serious," he said.

"Lawyers perform a valuable function in the community and they must be free to practise their profession to the best of their ability without intimidation of any kind.

"Attacks of violence on innocent persons cannot be tolerated in any society," Mr Kariko said.

He said: "In this instance, not only is the attack on Parkop a blot on the image of PNG in the way lawyers in the country are treated, it also has wider implications internationally in that the incident will shock members of the legal profession in other countries where the rule of law prevails and is respected."

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