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.”
I cant find a single detail of the event anywhere on the internet. Not a single bloody pstinking detail.
Was he on foot or in a car?
At a marked crossing or in the middle of tracks where you are not supposed to cross?
Was it day or night?
Was it clear, foggy or rainy with obstructed visibility?
Was he alone or with a witness who saw him struck.
This stinks to high heaven, is an obvious Arkancide, and the media REFUSES to give us any details.
I hate my government. I hate the media. We are doomed. The New World Order is going all in. They will insure Trump is not elected. Get ready forv8 years with the Queen of Corruption running America into the ground. The commie SCOTUS will see this nation into totalitarian tyranny.
Just what I was thinking, too.
And there still doesnt exist a single media report giving any details about the crash. Only details about the victim. Absolutely nothing sbout location, time of day, weather, witnesses, if he was on foot, where he crossed.
Breitbart, how about digging out these detaiks for us please...
And this wasnt a mouth breathing drunk. This was a brilliant professional. It would be next to impossible for him to not see a train or misjudge a trains speed or distance. Flat out impossible.
Unless he was playing Pokemon Go. /sarcasm
“How did he really get to be on the tracks?”
Exactly, was he pushed onto the tracks?
very odd for such a high profile person....
A spokesman for British Transport Police said it was called to West Hampstead rail station in north London at 7.07am on Monday after a man was struck by a train.
A spokesman added: “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.”
Twitter source.@BernardKeane RIP. Curious timing. UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is still hearing UK gov's Assange appeal today, yes? @wikileaks— Yes, We Scan ⊕ (@boldfreshjew) April 19, 2016
"He appeared in a number of leading extradition cases, including a supreme court decision about the needs of vulnerable children caught up in the process.
He was a member of the team acting for Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in London pending the resolution of an extradition application by Sweden, and it was his submissions that persuaded the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention this year to rule (much to the annoyance of the UK government and newspaper editorials) that Assange was being wrongfully detained."
Yes, I agree.
Not sure how brilliant he was, but he was certainly upscale, not a person who would make a life-costing mistake.
We’ll see. Even successful people can have episodes of depression, so I don’t want to rule out person culpability completely.
-PJ
If only there were a way to predict where a train is going to come from. A reasonalbly educated person could probably stay clear of them.
I hadn't read it when I made my comments earlier.
As a small city guy who occasionally visits the “big city” I am always amazed by the closeness to oblivion that metro citizens live with. It would seem very easy to get smashed by a subway train, speeding bus, truck, cab, elevator, mugger, escalator, cyclist etc. particularly in London, New York or Rome. Visitors not used to this circumstance should always be aware of such potential hazards.
Prolly resting, you know, like Dudley Do-Right.
I seem to recall a couple of kids who were run over by a train in Mena, Arkansas.
I’m sure this guy had some imbalance issues and just slipped off the platform into the path of an oncoming train...
Vince Foster was a suicide, too.
-PJ
Vince Foster could not be reached for comments.
Bookmark
...and so far phone messages to Jerry Parks have received no response...
Not suicide.
Arkan-cide. Previously happy people who run afoul of the wrong people suddenly take their lives.
I would say ,yes.
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