Michael Ratner

Before the US Supreme Court in Washington DC

Michael David Ratner (born June 13, 1943 in Cleveland , Ohio , USA - † May 11, 2016 in Manhattan , New York City ) was an American lawyer , civil and human rights activist , university lecturer and author / co-author of numerous books. He was the emeritus president of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR; German: Center for Constitutional Rights ), founded in 1966 by lawyers from the Civil Rights Movement ( William Kunstler , Arthur Kinoy , Ben Smith , Morton Stavis and others) and based in New York City 45 years and which, thanks to his commitment, developed into one of the most important civil and human rights organizations. For 45 years Ratner defended civil and human rights together with the CCR in the USA and worldwide. In innumerable trials he attempted war , torture and other atrocities committed by the USA, other governments or companies in El Salvador , Grenada , Nicaragua , Cuba , Haiti , Puerto Rico , Guatemala , Indonesia , the Philippines , Iraq and Israel , among others to put a legal stop. In order to hold the George W. Bush administration accountable for torture, he tried international courts in Germany, Spain, Canada, Switzerland and France. Ratner was one of the co-founders and chairman of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR; German: European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights) in Berlin .

Most recently, Ratner and the CCR represented Julian Assange , Wikileaks and whistleblowers Chelsea Manning and Jeremy Hammond in the USA.

Life

Michael Ratner was born in 1943 as the first of the three children of Harry Ratner (1902–1961) and his wife Anne (née Spott) (1918–1976). He came from a large family of Jewish textile entrepreneurs who immigrated to the USA in 1921 from Bialystok (at that time: Second Polish Republic , today: Poland ) and settled in Cleveland , Ohio . The original name "Ratowczer" was changed to "Ratner" after immigration to the USA. Michael Ratner's father, Harry Ratner, ran a building materials company, and his mother worked as a secretary who helped resettle World War II refugees . In 1929, Harry Ratner (Ratowczer) and three of his brothers - Charles (formerly Kalman) (1893–1939), Leonard (formerly Lazar) (1896–1975), Max (formerly Meir) (1907–1995) - joined the also worked in the construction and wood processing industry or operated their own companies - together and founded Forest City Enterprises (today: Forest City Reality Trust, Inc. ). In the years that followed, the company grew into one of the largest construction companies in the USA and today realizes shopping centers , hotels , motels and similar construction projects.

As a teenager, Ratner initially dreamed of becoming an archaeologist and studied Old and Middle English at Brandeis University , Massachusetts .

"I love the past .... I love looking at archaeological items. I have taken my kids to every ruin in Rome. We go on digs in Central America. I used to think it wasn't political, but it turns out to be highly political. After all, what layer of civilization do you save "

“I love the past ... I love looking for archaeological objects. I dragged my children to every ruin in Rome. We carry out excavations in Central America. I used to think it was apolitical, but now it turns out to be highly political. Because: which layer of civilization do you want to save? "

After completing this degree in 1966, however, he took a different path and began studying law at the Law School of Columbia University in New York. When Ratner came to Columbia, the universities were seething with student protests against the Vietnam War, and Ratner was also politicized by this protest movement. He worked on the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) , which focused on the problem of segregation . He also became a member of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), which at the time was trying to revive its student arm. He later became president of the NLG. 1968 Ratner took part in the legendary Columbia University protests against the Vietnam War (see English Wiki: Columbia University protests of 1968). Here he met NLG lawyers such as Arthur Kinoy, William Kunstler, Bill Schaap, Mary Kaufmann, Ralph Shapiro and others. Together they founded the NYC-NLG Mass Defense Committee . After graduating from law school in 1971, he first worked for former LDF attorney Constance Baker Motley , who at the time was serving as a judge for the District Court for the Southern District of New York, but began that same year (also 1971) to work for the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). The CCR had its roots in the civil rights movement with William Kunstler , Arthur Kinoy , Ben Smith and Morton Stavis . Ratner was the legal director of the CCR from 1984 to 1990 and President from 2002 to 2014. Under his leadership and thanks to his commitment, the CCR should develop into one of the most important civil and human rights organizations in the USA.

Shortly before Ratner got involved with the CCR, the revolt of the prisoners in Attica prison in New York in September 1971 with 39 dead and 90 seriously injured had hit the headlines (see wiki: Attica Prison riot). The Attica Brothers v. Rockefeller was Ratner's first case as part of his work for the CCR.

Individual evidence

1. ^ The Guardian May 12, 2015: Michael Ratner obituary
2. ^ The Guardian May 11, 2015: Michael Ratner, attorney for WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, dies at 72
3. ↑ Center for Constitutional Rights / CCR May 11, 2016: CCR Mourns the Passing of Michael Ratner
4. ^ East Timor and Indonesia Action Network May 12, 2016: Remembering Michael Ratner
5. ↑ Center for Constitutional Rights / CCR May 11, 2016: CCR Mourns the Passing of Michael Ratner
6. ↑ European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights / ECCHR May 12, 2016: ECCHR mourns Michael Ratner
7. ↑ National Lawyers Guild May 12, 2016: NLG Remembers Michael Ratner, Past President and Human Rights Crusader ( Memento of the original from June 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ^ Max Ratner - A Bialystoker with a Heart
9. ↑ Bialystoker Center, New York: Bialystoker Memorial Book: Here chapter: Max Ratner - A Bialystoker with a Heart (Fig.)
10. ^ Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Forest City Enterprises, Inc.
11. ^ Ohio Link Finding Aid Repository: Finding aid for the Ratner Family Papers
12. ^ Ohio Link Finding Aid Repository: Biography of the Ratner Family
13. ↑ Forest City Realty Trust, Inc. Homesite ( memento of the original from June 30, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
14. ^ New York Times August 2, 2003: PUBLIC LIVES; Still Tilting at Windmills, and Fighting for Rights
15. ^ Columbia University Law School: Tribute: The Columbia Law School Community Remembers Michael Ratner '69
16. ^ NAACP - LDF: History - LDF Director-Counsels
17. ^ Columbia University Law School: Tribute: The Columbia Law School Community Remembers Michael Ratner '69
18. ^ National Lawyers Guild: Mass Defense Committee
19. ^ National Lawyers Guild: About the Mass Defense Committee
20. ↑ National Lawyers Guild - International Committee May 13, 2016: NLG Remembers Michael Ratner, Past President and Human Rights Crusader
21. ^ Columbia University Law School: Tribute: The Columbia Law School Community Remembers Michael Ratner '69
22. ^ Columbia University Law School: Tribute: The Columbia Law School Community Remembers Michael Ratner '69
23. ^ The Nation September 12, 2011: Michael Ratner: From Attica to Pelican Bay: How To Heed the Lessons of a Prison Uprising. Forty years after Attica, the US prison population is ten times larger
24. ↑ Justia US Law: Inmates of Attica Correctional Facility v. Rockefeller, 477 F.2d 375 (2d Cir. 1973)
25. ↑ Attica Rage: Timeline