Amal Alamuddin and her work

It just seems to me this case should be thrown out.  What's the case against these men now if the lead witnesses and the lead police investigator won't even commit to the claims they made in their reports.  This case seems totally botched in my mere layman's opinion.
Is al Sisi just trying to save face at this point? What a mess.

Potential case:



Refugee lawyer's Clooney call - The West Australian    





[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Big guns: Amal Clooney and Geoffrey Robertson. Picture: Getty Images

One of the nation's senior barristers, Julian Burnside, has started a campaign to convince the International Criminal Court to investigate Prime Minister Tony Abbott and former immigration minister Scott Morrison for crimes against humanity committed on refugees in offshore detention centres.


Mr Burnside, a Melbourne QC, told a Perth audience at the weekend he was trying to recruit high-profile international lawyers, including Amal Clooney, to conduct the investigation.


"If we got Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and a couple of others in the dock at The Hague, the Nuremberg Defence ("I was only following orders") wouldn't work," Mr Burnside told a sold-out auditorium at the University of WA.


"I'm working on a plan to persuade the ICC to investigate the things that we are concerned about.


"I think the fact that an investigation was happening would have a real, chilling effect on their conduct.


"I'm trying to recruit (leading British barrister) Geoffrey Robertson and Amal Clooney."





In his lecture We Are Better Than This, Mr Burnside outlined his concerns about what he described as Australia's failure to deal decently with vulnerable people fleeing persecution and torture and the moral failure of Labor and coalition governments over more than 15 years to deal humanely with refugees.


He paid tribute to former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, another outspoken critic of Australia's refugee policies, who died on Friday.


He said Australia would be better off redirecting some of its $4 billion to $5 billion spending on offshore processing and border protection to the UNHCR to quickly and humanely process claims for asylum in Indonesia and Malaysia.


In a post-lecture conversation with Janet Holmes a Court, Mr Burnside reiterated his view that the Federal Government bore a heavy responsibility for misleading Australians about asylum seekers.


"We have seen in history how otherwise civilised people can be persuaded to tolerate intolerable conduct on their behalf by their country," he said.


"We've been induced to think of boat people as criminals. A three-year-old child? Really? We are frightened of a three-year-old child? That's why children in detention has always been a weak spot. Once we see past our fear we are capable of very good things."


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Codexchick,  where are these refugees from?  I'm not aware of this problem in Australia.

Afraid it is. Australia is quite strict on immigration and as an asylum seeker or someone with refugee status, you would be required to have a visa issued while you're held at a detention centre. 

I think some of those are in Port Moresby and possibly refugees travelling by boat find themselves there.

Geoffrey Robertson is Australian and Mr Burnside obviously thinks that the refugees have to wait too long for things to be processed. My understanding is that many are sent back from their country in origin.

Perhaps Theminis could shed some light.................??

Donnamarie wrote:Codexchick,  where are these refugees from?  I'm not aware of this problem in Australia.

I hadn't heard of this either, so I can't say.

Codexchick wrote:Potential case:

Refugee lawyer's Clooney call - The West Australian    


Mr Burnside, a Melbourne QC, told a Perth audience at the weekend he was trying to recruit high-profile international lawyers, including Amal Clooney, to conduct the investigation.
.........

"I'm trying to recruit (leading British barrister) Geoffrey Robertson and Amal Clooney."

This sounds for that someone is using Amal Clooney's name to get attention for their own issue. My guess is, she said no and now they try to put pressure on and go through the press......

Agree Nicky.  I think anyone wanting to get international press (for both good and not so good causes) for a human rights case will be droppping Amal's name in the future whether she works on their matter or not.

Columbia Law School annual charity event - lunch with Mrs Clooney one of the prizes 


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Annual PILF Auction Raises Spirits—and Funds—for a Good Cause
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New York, March 26, 2015—Columbia Law School’s Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) raised almost $60,000 from an estimated 350 students, faculty, and staff who spent the evening of March 5 in spirited bidding wars at the organization’s annual auction, “Bid for Justice.” PILF raises money to fund students doing summer public-interest work, and gives grants to organizations that provide legal services to communities in need.
 
This year, generous donors offered 30 prizes for the live auction and more than 70 items for the silent auction. Here, in no particular order, are some of the live- and silent-auction lots that inspired the evening’s liveliest bidding:
 

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Students, faculty, and staff bid on more than 100 items at PILF's annual auction, "Bid For Justice."

 
1.     L16—Lunch with Professor Cleveland and Amal Clooney
Six third-year students will dine at the elegant Jean-Georges with stunning views of New York’s Central Park with Professor Sarah Cleveland, faculty co-director of the Human Rights Institute, and Amal Clooney, visiting faculty and senior fellow with the institute. In pitching the prize, auctioneer Professor Alexandra Carter joked that proximity to Clooney, wife of actor George Clooney, means, “You might end up in US Weekly.” But winner Meredith Ward ’15 said her admiration for Clooney has nothing do with Hollywood: She’s been following the human-rights star’s legal career for years. “She’s such an inspirational lawyer,” said Ward.
 
2.     S36—Personalized Rap Song
Tandice Ossareh ’17 was the first to write her name on the bid sheet for this prize, which came with this description: “Do you ever think about how much more awesome…experiences could be if you could also be listening to your own personal rap anthem?” Said Ossareh: “It’s the closest I will ever come to fame.” The song, donated by Paul Chander ’15, turned out to be among the most popular silent-auction items and was one of several student-donated prizes, along with homemade peanut-butter Nutella cookies, a custom oil painting, ballroom-dancing classes, knitting lessons, and not one, but two, puppy play dates (in which the winner spends an afternoon with a law student’s dog).
 

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Professor Alexandra Carter and Dean of Students Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin got the bidding started as high-energy auctioneers.

 
3.     L6—Shaken or Stirred? Straight Up or on the Rocks?
Carter pointed out that this prize, a martini-making class with Professor Phillip Bobbitt (liberal samples included), would yield lifelong skills. Six first-years who took Legal Methods with Professor Bobbitt jumped at the chance. Among them was Michael Naclerio ’17 who said, “It’s a chance to network with him and give back to a good cause.”
 
4.     L3—Tale of Two Cases Breakfast
For this prize, Professor Suzanne Goldberg promised to share “some of the funny and not-so-funny behind-the-scenes stories of Romer v. Evans and Lawrence v. Texas and the world of LGBT/HIV rights advocacy” over breakfast or lunch at Community. The Columbia-area eatery is so popular that First Lady Michelle Obama and Malia Obama recently visited for lunch while touring Columbia; it’s notoriously hard to score a table there. Said auctioneer and Dean of Students Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin, “a table at Community can never be priced high enough.”

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Bidding grew intense for prizes including meals with faculty and a Rangers-Senators hockey game with Dean Gillian Lester.

5.     S49, S50, S51—A $250 Apple gift card and two iPad minis
After bidding on an iPad, Gatsby Miller ’15 said he was happy to give back to PILF, especially because he had taken advantage of the guaranteed funding during a summer public-interest internships. Bid for Justice, he said, “combines an enjoyable evening and shows support for students not going to traditional law firms.”
 
6.     L11—Hockey with the Dean
Three first-year students bid on Dean Gillian Lester’s offer to take students to the Rangers-Senators matchup at Madison Square Garden— hot dogs and beer included. The winners included a die-hard Rangers fan, as well as Naomi Prodeau ’17 who said, “I used to live in Finland so I love ice hockey.”
 
7.     L9—Berkshire Retreat
The chance to spend a three-day weekend at the Berkshires home of Professor Peter Strauss, who has long served on the board of PILF, quickly got bidders raising their paddles. Greenberg-Kobrin wasn’t surprised. “I have to tell you. Many of you look like you need a vacation.”
 

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Dean of Social Justice Initiatives Ellen Chapnick, left, who is instrumental in preparing students for public service; Professors Robert J. Jackson Jr. and Elora Mukherjee served as auctioneers, right.

Among the other inventive live-auction prize packages were: How to Negotiate with North Koreans, which offered winners homemade Korean barbecue at the home of Jeong-Ho Roh, a lecturer and director of the Center for Korean Legal Studies; a Walking Food Tour of Brooklyn led by lecturers Sean Stenstrom and Shawn Pelsinger; and Cocktails, Chelsea, Conceivable Caper with Professors Kathryn Judge and Tim Wu, whose description in the brochure promised, “You may discover a whole new level of art appreciation.”
 
The Judge/Wu item was the evening’s third- most popular item, behind the most sought after, lunch with Cleveland and Clooney, and second most popular, a steak dinner at the famed Peter Luger’s with Professor Robert J. Jackson Jr.
 
Bid for Justice was chaired by Tom Koester ’16 and Linda Moon ’16. The top sponsors were BARBRI and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

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Participants reveled in the triumph and heartbreak of the rapid-fire auction for a good cause.

Thanks pan for that fascinating article.

The nearest I ever got to a Higher education
was from watching the TV dramas, Morse and then Lewis, both being set in Oxford amongst all the
Collages there.

Here's a curious article by the woman who is a friend of Amal and Baria's.  She was at the Danesfield party too. 
It references the Arroyo case.

Amal's Law Firm by Carmen Pedrosa:

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Amal Clooney part of new team for imprisoned Maldives President




Nasheed announces international legal team including 'Amal Clooney'


[list="margin-left: 0px; direction: ltr;"]
Hussain Ali[/list]



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Convicted former President, Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday announced his international legal team which consists of world renowned lawyers such as Amal Clooney.
 
In a statement issued today, Nasheed announced his international legal team to represent him with regards to his ongoing arbitrary detention.

The team includes Jared Genser, Ben Emmerson QC and Amal Clooney.

Jared Genser is the founder of Freedom Now and an expert at freeing prisoners of conscience who has represented such clients as Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Aung San Suu Kyi and Liu Xiaobo. Ben Emmerson QC is a barrister at Matrix Chambers and expert in international human rights law who is currently the British judge on the Residual Mechanism of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Amal Clooney is also a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers and expert in international human rights law who has served as a senior advisor to Kofi Annan when he was the UN Envoy on Syria, as counsel to the UN Inquiry on the use of armed drones and as counsel to political prisoners Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister of Ukraine, and Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy.

“I am very pleased to have such an extraordinary team agree to take up my legal defense internationally,” said President Nasheed. “I am determined to ensure the world understands the injustice of my detention and the broader suffering of the Maldivian people under President Abdulla Yameen,” he added.

Nasheed was found guilty of terror charges, for the military detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge, Abdulla Mohamed on March 13th, and was sentenced to 13 years in jail.

Merged threads

Hah! Good luck to her with that case.

Mohamed Fahmy trial adjourned to 22 April.

I wonder why she's not at the big hoopla in Armenia right now.  You'd think after presenting that paper, she'd be a part of the anniversary.

Not until April 24th, Mel.

Worldwide commemorations then.

Fahmy may have a long wait. Elections have been deferred indefinitely.

US/Egyptian journalist on hunger strike just been given a long sentence. Family unhappy with lack of US action.........

The Kartrashians are there now for the big celebration.


So, is Fahmy back in jail?  I thought he just had to report in every day.

The Egyptian government just sentenced 3 journalists to life in prison. I wonder if that lessens Fahmy's chances of getting out of Egypt?

The Pope just came out today to acknowledge that there was an Armenian genocide.  Turkey not too happy with his declaration.

Yes, Fahmy's on bail isn't he? Next hearing April 22. But I'd be surprised if his case isn't on the back burner to be honest

No idea why the Kartrashian circus is there now - probably have to fit it in with their other money earning ventures. They've already managed to upset an Archbishop with their overzealous bodyguards (!?)

Fahmy is still on bail awaiting trial. I understand that he has recently signed a book deal.

Doesn't look good for me. Allways behind Kardashians.  Wedding, Vogue, this that. To me not look very good to the world.

Well it looks like the Kardashian sisters met with the prime minister on April 9th.  And Kayne and their daughter are there too.  What indeed did the sisters talk about with the PM?

Here's an article by Amal regarding Mohamed Nasheed's case

Release Mohamed Nasheed - an innocent man and the Maldives' great hope

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I'm curious. Has she ever won a case? I know she is attached to several on-going cases, but I haven't seen anything about cases that she's won.

Amal is a lawyer doing her job, the Kardashians are simply fame whores who jumped on the band wagon. They had never even been to their fathers homeland until now. This for the Kardashians was just another publicity stunt all filmed for the television show.

LizzyNY wrote:I'm curious. Has she ever won a case? I know she is attached to several on-going cases, but I haven't seen anything about cases that she's won.

I believe her team won the case of the unfair jailing of former PM Tymoshenko.  And her team lost the appeal to have Al-Senussi's case handled by the ICC instead of a Libyan court. 

I can't speak to any others.  Some of the ones we know about are still ongoing like the Egyptian case and her new case in the Phillipines.  Did the international court act on the the Armenian case yet?  Maybe PAN will know.

Thanks, Donnamarie. Does anyone know of a website that might talk about her legal track record in a more specific way than just saying she's attached to certain cases?

I haven't seen this yet, Lizzy. But you could look up these cases on the website of the international courts (it is probably too technical for most people) and see whether there is a judgment on this. I recently checked for the Armenian case before the ECtHR and there was still no final decision. Although most courts do issue press releases I think.

Donnamarie wrote:

LizzyNY wrote:I'm curious. Has she ever won a case? I know she is attached to several on-going cases, but I haven't seen anything about cases that she's won.

I believe her team won the case of the unfair jailing of former PM Tymoshenko.  And her team lost the appeal to have Al-Senussi's case handled by the ICC instead of a Libyan court. 

I can't speak to any others.  Some of the ones we know about are still ongoing like the Egyptian case and her new case in the Phillipines.  Did the international court act on the the Armenian case yet?  Maybe PAN will know.

My recollection is that the she was released due to political events in the Ukraine, not due to the efforts of her legal team.  Not a knock on Amal, just how events played out.

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Also a good place to check once in a while:

 http://www.hrw.org/topic/international-justice

Amal now has her visa to Egypt and will be travelling there - Mohammed Fahmy

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Amal Clooney to accuse late Prime Minister Ted Heath of complicity in torture of detainees

Amal Clooney, the barrister wife of the Hollywood actor George Clooney, will meet with nine men – known as the 'hooded men' – who are bringing a legal action against the UK Government

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Amal Clooney is to accuse the late Ted Heath of complicity in torture Photo: AFP/Paul Grover

Amal Clooney, the lawyer wife of George Clooney, will accuse a former Conservative Prime Minister of authorising the torture of detainees in Northern Ireland in a controversial case being brought against the Government.
She will travel to Belfast next month for a meeting with nine survivors, known collectively as “the hooded men”, who claim they were tortured by the British Army – and that Sir Edward Heath knew there was a policy of torture.

It is understood that the Hollywood star will accompany her on the trip, ensuring the case attracts interest both in the UK and abroad.

Mrs Clooney’s latest case confirms her status as one of the UK’s most prominent human rights lawyers.
Not only is the 37-year-old Oxford graduate representing Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who is fighting against extradition from the UK to Sweden, she is also acting for the Greek government in a campaign to secure the return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum.
The latter case has attracted worldwide publicity almost entirely because of Mrs Clooney’s involvement in it.
Now she is part of a legal team representing men from Northern Ireland who are seeking to take the UK to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
She has been brought on to the case by the men’s solicitors, Belfast-based Kevin R Winters and Co.
It is well known in Northern Ireland as the leading firm representing Irish Republican militants, including two members of the Real IRA held liable for the Omagh bombing in which 29 people were murdered. The firm has also represented victims of terrorism.
William Frazer, an Ulster unionist and leader of Families Acting for Innocent Relatives, which campaigns for victims of IRA violence, criticised Mrs Clooney for taking the case.
“I am very disappointed in Amal Clooney,” he said, “I wish she was acting on a case for victims of IRA terrorism instead of this.”
The “hooded men” allege they were tortured when they were held without trial in Northern Ireland after the Government introduced internment in August 1971 following repeated outbreaks of serious disorder in Northern Ireland.
The men’s claims are being backed by the Irish government. Jim McIlmurray, a historian who is coordinating the legal action, said important documents had been uncovered which showed that Edward Heath, then prime minister, had full knowledge of the torture policy employed against the detainees.
He said that the legal team, including Mrs Clooney, was now analysing the documents, which had been misfiled with the Ulster Defence Regiment by the UK Government. They had recently been uncovered.
He claimed: “These documents show that torture was discussed at the highest level with the knowledge of Heath.

“Because of this documentation the case is very much black and white. The UK Government had lied about its knowledge and six months prior to internment had ordered a special unit to carry out torture.”
Mr McIlmurray said that Mrs Clooney was an excellent lawyer who was a “great addition” to the team but hoped her presence would not “turn the case into a circus”.
He added: “Unnamed sources tell me that Mr Clooney has rediscovered his Irish roots and is embracing them. But I couldn’t tell you if this has influenced Mrs Clooney ... and I don’t know whether he is coming to Belfast as well.
“We have to be careful to keep this professional.”
Mrs Clooney is to meet the nine men for the first time in Belfast next month. She is currently based in New York where she is a visiting professor and senior fellow in the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School.
Darragh Mackin, of Kevin R Winters, said they were awaiting a response from the UK Government to their application to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg but he expected the case to be given the go-ahead later in the year.
He said the firm was also involved in a judicial review in Belfast which would challenge the failure to properly investigate the torture claims.
The men claim they were thrown from helicopters they had been told were in mid-flight but were actually just a few feet above the ground. None of the men was ever convicted.
It is claimed that when the UK authorities arrested and interned hundreds of men in August 1971, 14 of them were selected for “special treatment” – torture in a specially-built interrogation centre at a British Army camp.
They were allegedly subjected to the soon-to-be infamous “five techniques” of hooding, stress positions, white noise, sleep deprivation and withdrawal of food and water – combined with beatings and death threats.
Families of several of the men who have since died are also involved in the legal action, while one is not taking part.
Last month Mr and Mrs Clooney were classed for the first time as being among Britain’s super-rich. The couple, who own a home in Sonning, Berkshire, are worth £121 million. The film star has a number of links with Ireland.
His great, great-grandfather, Nicholas Clooney, came from Kilkenny and his paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Guilfoyle. Earlier this year, he told the Irish Independent newspaper about his plans to travel to the country.
He said: “I’m embarrassed that I’ve never been properly there before now.
“I’ve been talking about going there for years and Bono [of the band U2] has been trying to get me to do a bike ride around Ireland with him.
“I’m definitely going to make a visit happen this summer. Amal has been several times, so she can show me around.”

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Very, very interesting case, this one. I'm very curious how the ECtHR is going to rule this time.
But I do hope that if George goes with her to Ireland, it doesn't turn into a big media circus...

Amal always go against country to give refuge to herown family.

Amal is working why would George go there ridiculous press.

Yes, but torture or inhuman/degrading treatment is absolutely forbidden. Why should an exception be made just because the UK gave refuge to her and her family?

Codexchick wrote:Yes, but torture or inhuman/degrading treatment is absolutely forbidden. Why should an exception be made just because the UK gave refuge to her and her family?

I fear bite hand that feed you.Once OK but to again and again.look bad.Just much publicity.

Greeks retreat on Elgin Marbles: Country backs down on challenge to regain sculptures after rejecting advice of Amal Clooney
By Daily Mail Reporter
Published: 02:05 GMT, 14 May 2015  | Updated: 08:14 GMT, 14 May 2015





Greece has backed down from a legal challenge to regain the Elgin Marbles after rejecting the advice of actor George Clooney's barrister wife Amal.
The high-profile human rights lawyer gave the Greek government a 150-page report urging them to take Britain to the International Criminal Court for the return of the 5th century BC sculptures just two days ago.
However, Nikos Xydakis, the culture minister, said yesterday: 'One cannot go to court over whichever issue and besides, in international courts the outcome is uncertain.'
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George Clooney's barrister wife Amal (pictured) gave the Greek government a 150-page report urging them to take Britain to the International Criminal Court for the return of the 5th century BC sculptures two days ago
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The Greek government has now backed down on the Elgin Marbles legal challenge and said it would follow a 'diplomatic and political' approach instead, arguing that the climate was slowly changing in Greece's favour
Instead, Athens would follow a 'diplomatic and political' approach, he said, arguing that the climate was slowly changing in Greece's favour.
He added: 'The road to reclaiming the return of the sculptures is diplomatic and political.'
There had been disquiet at the Greek government paying legal fees over the marbles at a time of austerity, though one shipping magnate had reportedly offered to pay the barristers' fees.
The Parthenon sculptures are part of the collection popularly known as the 'Elgin Marbles', which were acquired by Lord Elgin in the early 1800s when he was ambassador to the Ottoman court.
The British parliament purchased the art treasures in 1816 and gave them to the British Museum.



For the past 30 years Athens has been demanding the return of the sculptures, which had decorated the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Athens from ancient times.
The British Museum recently turned down a proposal by UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, to mediate in the dispute.
A legal recourse had been suggested by lawyer Mrs Clooney, who is part of a team advising the Greek campaign.
Earlier this week, she said it was 'now or never' to win back the Elgin Marbles.
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Amal Clooney in Greece to give advice on Elgin Marbles





Her lengthy report suggested taking the British Museum to the international court because it could be expensive to pursue other routes, including in London or the European Union.
The report also said there would only be a 15 per cent chance of winning if the legal battle were to take place in London.
Last year, while attending the Berlin Film Festival to promote The Monuments Men, George Clooney was asked by a Greek journalist whether Britain should allow Greece to reclaim its historic art.
He replied: 'You have a very good case. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing if they were returned. That is a good idea, a fair thing to do.'

A LONG-RUNNING HISTORICAL DISPUTE: WHAT ARE THE ELGIN MARBLES?

The Elgin Marbles are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural members that were mostly created by Phidias and his assistants.
The 7th Earl of Elgin, Thomas Bruce, removed the Parthenon Marble pieces from the Acropolis in Athens while serving as the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1799 to 1803.
In 1801, the Earl claimed to have obtained a permit from the Ottoman authorities to remove pieces from the Parthenon.
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Elgin Marbles: The 5th century BC statues were removed from the Acropolis in Athens and bought by the British government in 1816
As the Acropolis was still an Ottoman military fort, Elgin required permission to enter the site. 
His agents subsequently removed half of the surviving sculptures, as well as architectural members and sculpture from the Propylaea and Erechtheum.
The excavation and removal was completed in 1812 at a personal cost of around £70,000.
The sculptures were shipped to Britain, but in Greece, the Scots aristocrat was accused of looting and vandalism.
They were bought by the British Government in 1816 and placed in the British Museum. They still stand on view in the purpose-built Duveen Gallery.
Greece has sought their return from the British Museum through the years, to no avail. 


The authenticity of Elgin's permit to remove the sculptures from the Parthenon has been widely disputed, especially as the original document has been lost. Many claim it was not legal.
However, others argue that since the Ottomans had controlled Athens since 1460, their claims to the artefacts were legal and recognisable. 



British Museum loans Elgin Marbles sculpture to Russia (Related)







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Nikos Xydakis, the culture minister, said yesterday: 'One cannot go to court over whichever issue and besides, in international courts the outcome is uncertain.'

In other words: our country is about to go bankrupt and we just don't have the funds to pursue non-essential activities like this.

Katie, their decision makes sense to me. There are a lot of things more important to Greece right now than getting the Marbles back. Besides, pursuing the issue diplomatically rather than in court might prove more successful - and definitely less expensive.
I guess Amal is out of a job.  That should make G&A's one week rule easier to follow.

Another gole in the water of Amal

Oh my God, can you imagine putting together a 150 page report for a client and having them basically respond with "JK! LOL!!!!"     What did they think she would suggest? "Let me have my husband get the Ocean's gang together for one last heist and steal the marbles back for you, free of charge"?  Get it together, Greece.

I also hope they're taking a separate trip to Ireland apart from the one where she's working on her case, or else George should stop making it sound like a super-fun newlywed jaunt.  "I've never been, but Amal's going to show me around! You know, in between taking down details of horrific torture and unimaginable pain, she'll take me to pubs!"

I think she's in Ireland right now, those pics taken of her at LAX a few days ago mentioned in the article that she was catching a flight to Belfast...so she's probably there working on the hooded men case

I would think George might meet up with Amal when he arrives in London for the premiere of Tomorrowland. 

I think if they do go to Ireland together it will be when there is more time.  George's schedule is pretty tight right now with the overseas press/premieres of his movie.  And George has already said they will be in Shanghai together so maybe they will spend extra personal time there.

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Greece snubs Amal Clooney over Elgin Marbles

Athens rejects legal advice by Amal Clooney to sue Britain for historic Elgin Marbles, citing concerns of cost as the country buckles under massive debts.

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The River God Ilissos by Phidias, part of the Elgin Marbles and on display at the British Museum Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

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By Nick Squires, Rome
11:40AM BST 14 May 2015

       

Greece has made an abrupt U-turn on the Elgin Marbles, taking the surprise decision not to pursue legal action against Britain for the return of the priceless friezes.
Athens has snubbed advice presented by a British legal team led by Amal Clooney and the Australian barrister Geoffrey Robertson, who had suggested that Greece should take the UK to court over the long-standing dispute.
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^{Amal Clooney, left, speaks with Greek Culture Minister Kostas Tassoulas during her meeting in Athens last year}
There had been rumours for weeks in Athens that the new, hard-left Syriza government might drop the legal battle, in part over concerns of cost as the country buckles under unrelenting pressure from the EU and IMF over its massive debts.
“You can’t file a suit over any issue, and the outcome in international courts is never certain,” Nikos Xydakis, the Greek culture minister, told Mega TV.
“The road to reclaiming the return of the sculptures is diplomatic and political.”
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^{A visitor passes part of the Elgin Marbles collection at the British Museum in London (Bloomberg)}
Instead of trying to take the British to court, the Greeks would switch to “low-key, persistent work” to have the historic artifacts returned to Athens, he said.
The decision came just days after Mrs Clooney and her legal team from Doughty St Chambers in London presented a 150-page report to the Greeks, advising them to take legal action against the British Museum, where the friezes are kept, in the International Court of Justice or the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The British team was commissioned to write the report last year by the previous government, which was unseated in January by Syriza.
Mrs Clooney visited Athens in October, where she was treated like a movie star as she toured the Acropolis Museum, a few hundred yards from the Parthenon, the ancient temple from where the friezes were taken by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century.

Supporters of Lord Elgin have argued that he was trying to safeguard the friezes, at a time when parts of the Parthenon were being carved off and burned to produce lime by ordinary Athenians.
The position of the British government has been set out in statements by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
“The Parthenon Sculptures are the legal property of the British Museum. They were not stolen. When Lord Elgin removed them from the Parthenon, he was acting under a licence issued by the Ottoman authorities – the legal government of the day.
“British law prevents national museums from breaking up and disposing of their collections. “Successive governments have believed that this is right in principle, and there are absolutely no plans to change the law in this respect.”

All this commotion for nothing. I think they just wanted Amal Clooney in Greece for all the media attention and they had hoped that the British museum would just give the marbles back. I don't think Greece ever wanted to start proceedings for the marbles. Surely they must have known last year that financially, it wasn't looking good. And yet, here they are, nearly bankrupt again and on top of that very expensive legal fees. Fantastic, that Greek government!

Amal has a lovely smile .

In Amal's style blog someone said she was taking a year off. They refered to this German article. 

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Meanwhile, back in Egypt.........

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