FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact:
BA Snyder
Veritas Group for NAHJ
BA@VeritasAustin.com
512.630.6337
Court grants motion in case of Manuel Duran; accepts amicus brief for filing
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 2, 2018 – In the beginning of May 2018, then President Brandon Benavides and the NAHJ National Board began collaboration with Manuel Duran’s legal team to advocate for his release. The process of support began by joining together with five other organizations and Manuel Duran’s attorney to craft a letter and file in support of the Emergency Stay Motion at the Board of Immigration Appeals.
In the ongoing effort for the release of journalist Manuel Duran, NAHJ filed a second amicus brief on Thursday, July 31, 2018, which included:(i) Mr. Duran Ortega’s is entitled to First Amendment protections, including the right to speak freely and to be free from retaliation for his speech; (ii) the circumstances of Mr. Duran Ortega’s arrest and detention suggest that the government’s conduct is impermissibly motivated by a retaliatory motive; and (iii) the magistrate judge’s report recommending dismissal of the habeas petition is flawed in several respects.
NAHJ is pleased to inform the community that the court has granted the motion for leave to file the amicus brief and accepted the brief for filing. Current NAHJ President Hugo Balta and the newly elected national board has decided to continue support and advocacy in the case of Manuel Duran. The board will continue to keep NAHJ members updated on any news surrounding Duran’s situation.
###
About NAHJ The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has approximately 2,300 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.