AIDWYC
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WRONGFUL
CONVICTION - EXPERTS WILL GATHER FOR A DAY-LONG CONFERENCE FOLLOWED BY
20th ANNIVERSARY GALA FOR ASSOCIATION IN DEFENCE OF THE WRONGLY
CONVICTED
What: The
Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) will be
hosting “BACK to the FUTURE” a day-long educational conference, gala
dinner and an evening of festivities in recognition of its
20th Anniversary. It is intended to be a celebration of all that has
been accomplished. It is also an event whose purpose is to raise
awareness and much needed funds to support the work on cases.
When: Saturday, November 23, 2013
Time: Conference 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. Gala: 7pm-to-midnight
Where: Hyatt Regency, 370 King St W. Toronto, ON M5V 1J9
Who: Jason Baldwin (West Memphis Three) is the Keynote Speaker at AIDWYC’s Gala Dinner. He will be introduced by film director Atom Egoyan (his new non-fiction film, Devil"s Knot,
examines the West Memphis Three murder and subsequent trial). Mr
Baldwin will be in Toronto early and is available for a limited number
of interviews. He joins a long list of wrongly convicted Canadians and
Americans who will be in Toronto to participate in this milestone event.
AIDWYC Co-President, lawyer Ralph Steinberg is available for interviews, as are lawyer and AIDWYC founder James Lockyer and AIDWYC board member Ron Dalton, ( who himself is a wrongly convicted Canadian who spent 9 years in prison for a non-murder).
Also speaking and available for interviews (prior arrangement requested) are New York lawyers and co-founder’s of the Innocence Project Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, the godfather of innocence work and founder of Centurion Ministries, James McCloskey,
co-host of the Fifth Estate, Linden MacIntyre, Special advisor to the
Commissioner of the Elliot Lake Inquiry and former Special Advisor on
wrongful convictions to the Department of Justice, Stephen Bindman, retired Kingston, Ontario Chief of Police, William Closs, Judge Anne Derrick, QC of the Provincial and Family Court of Nova Scotia, Professor Tim Moore from
the Department of Psychology at Glendon College, who is a consultant
and expert witness in criminal trials both in Canada and the United
States, Justice Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
WHAT: Leading
experts in their fields who will be taking part in seminars covering
topics that include: History of Innocence Work, Shaken Baby Syndrome,
the Role of the Crown in Preventing Wrongful Convictions, the Role of
Bias in the System, False Confessions/Plea Bargains, the relationship
between Forensic Science and Miscarriages of Justice and the Long Way
Home – the wrongly convicted and their families share their stories.
SUPPORT MATERIAL: Sammy Ray Welch has recently produced and directed a 6-minute video about the organization and it can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGD2PA2HLLQ (Preview) (Preview) This video is available for
free
use by
the media.
Toronto lawyer and retired Toronto Star investigative reporter Harold Levy has written about AIDWYC and the wrongly convicted over the past two decades. He also writes an award-winning blog about exoneration cases involving disgraced Ontario coroner Charles Smith.
In preparation for the November 23 conference Levy has worked with videographer George Socka
to interview four people about the plight of the wrongly convicted in
Canada and the United States. Over the course of two weeks they
interviewed Rob Baltovich, John Artis, Ralph Steinberg and Sean MacDonald. These videos are available for free use by the media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTPeARoq8a0&feature=youtu.be
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted
is a national, non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to
identifying, advocating for, and exonerating individuals convicted of a
crime that they did not commit and to preventing such injustices in the
future through education and reform.
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The
media is invited to cover the conference and the gala - please contact
Stephen Weir for press passes and to arrange interviews. The public is
welcome to attend “Back to the Future”. Tickets can be purchased
through AIDWYC’s website http://www.aidwyc.org.
CONTACT: Stephen Weir at 416-801-3101 or 416-489-5868. stephen@stephenweir.com.
