Posted on 08/10/2016 8:55:04 AM PDT by TigerClaws
One of the UK’s most respected international criminal lawyers who was representing Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has died after being hit by a train in West Hampstead.
Married father of two John Jones, QC, worked at renowned legal chambers, Doughty Street and died last Monday morning. Police say they are not treating the death as suspicious.
The 48-year-old barrister has been described as “a giant in his field” by colleagues, who said that his death is “a monumental loss to the cause of international justice and human rights.”
Oxford graduate Mr Jones, who took silk in 2013, specialised in extradition, war crimes and counter-terrorism, representing clients from around the world in high profile cases.
He was part of a team of lawyers acting to prevent the extradition of Julian Assange - holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for four years - whose case is currently being heard by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Mr Jones was also working with his colleague Amal Clooney to try and halt the execution of Colonel Gaddafi’s son Saif and Libyan spy chief Abdullah-al Senussi.
Earlier in his career, he helped bring to justice some of those responsible for genocide in the former Yugoslavia as part of the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal, working to establish procedures that were used in the historic trials.
As well as his criminal law work, Mr Jones acted as a human rights lawyer, saving a 19-year old from the death penalty in Singapore, fighting on behalf of journalists for free speech in Africa, and making representations to the UN to prevent torture.
He joined Doughty Street in 2005, where he worked alongside some of the UK’s top barristers, including Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, who remains an associate tenant there.
Mr Starmer, who knew Mr Jones well, said: “John made a huge contribution to international justice. His loss is felt deeply by all his friends and colleagues, and all our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Doughty Street Chambers said in a statement: “The passing of John Jones QC is a monumental loss to the cause of international justice and human rights worldwide. He was a pioneer, at the forefront of establishing our modern system of international criminal justice, and a giant in the field.
“John was a good friend, great colleague and a brilliant and creative lawyer.
“John was admired and appreciated for his amazing sense of humour, his professionalism and his deep commitment to justice and the rule of law.
“His death is a huge loss for all of us in Chambers, for the British and international legal profession, but mostly for his family to whom we offer our sincerest and deepest condolences.”
The statement also praised Mr Jones for his wit, eloquence and benevolence. His colleagues said: “John prepared humbler cases with a rigour equal to his higher profile ones. He constantly gave his services for free, and his generous spirit and selfless devotion came at some cost.”
Mr Jones lived in Kentish Town with his wife and two young children.
A statement from British Transport Police said officers attended West Hampstead rail station at 7.07 on Monday morning after a man was struck by a train.
It said: “He was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
Because that's how many enemies they perceive themselves as having.
It's a start.
Haven’t seen this many people turn up dead since the LBJ years in which so many people investigating the Kennedy assassination were found dead.
http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKdeaths.htm
Maybe Bill and Hill are going for a record.
or if you knew your wife and children would be killed if you weren’t.
Why in the world was he walking down the tracks? /s
I think this next batch of e-mail/docs are going to land the Clintons in court.
But if all the key would be witnesses are dead their lies are all there is.
I was mentioning all the deaths lately surrounding Clinton to a liberal colleague today. Their response? “I wonder which side is really doing it.”
I kid you not.
OMG - was this the man holding the dead man’s switch?
Using a train is better than a nail gun.
I’d have to hear more details, but I’d also have to admit you just don’t get hit by a train very easily.
Your car has to stall on the tracks, you have to misjudge your clearance, you have to fall on the tracks, or someone has to shove or toss you on the tracks.
The last one here seems to be the easiest to have take place.
How often do we hear of a person being hit by a train?
For all the people exposed to trains one way or another, the percentages are very low, those who get hit by one.
That percentage being that low, and this guy being a high profile person, it just seems likely there was foul play.
The police don’t think so. Are they naive or do I need to adjust the fit of my aluminum hat?
Yeah, it’s so much more likely for a Republican to kill a person about to testify against Clinton.
/s
Let me guess... no witnesses?
I notice how the article fails to mention any particular on how he came to be struck and killed by a train.
Exactly. I was at work, so I didn’t want to push it.
Bkmrk.
Straight out of “House of Cards.”
Cui bono. Who benefits?
Seriously. It’s kinda comical. It’s a bit like trying to tell kids that their mother is a no good tramp. They won’t believe it even if she has tracks up both arms and brings home three or four Johns a night. She’s their mother - and hillary supporters are children, regardless of chronological age.
Thanks.
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