BREAKING NEWS – Thursday 17 December 2009
Brazilian Supreme Court justice Marco Aurelius issued a stay order on the return of Sean Goldman until February 2010 when the justice returns from recess. The stay order permits his review a writ of Habeas Corpus filed by Silvana Rebiero, Sean’s maternal grandmother who is not a party to this Hague Treaty case. In his statement to the news media the justice was reported stating that the case should be reviewed in accordance with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. If that is permitted then the Hague Treaty on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction is effectively repudiated by the Brazilian judiciary.
At this time both David Goldman and U.S. Congressman Christopher Smith remain in Brazil. We also do not know if David will be allowed to visit Sean while he is in the country.
BREAKING NEWS – Wednesday 16 December 2009 @ 19:00 GMT – 2:00 PM EST
The Brazilian Federal Regional Tribunal (TRF-2) today issued a unanimous ruling upholding the return order of Sean Goldman by Friday December 18th. Although it can be expected that the Lins e Silva and Rebiero families will file additional appeals directed at Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurelius to stay the return order, David Goldman departed tonight for Brazil, accompanied by United States Congressman Christopher Smith (R-4) of New Jersey.
David stated today: “I’m hopeful, I can’t be optimistic because I’ve gone down there so many times, always under the guise that the rule of law will be followed and Sean will come home to me and his family, and that doesn’t happen.”
Mark DeAngelis, the head of the Bring Sean Home Foundation, stated this afternoon that we will remain “cautiously optimistic” until David and Sean are on an airplane home and “the wheels are up.” The Lins e Silva and Rebeiros have filed +40 delaying appeals since the initial ruling this past June.