Nine years since the arrest of Khalil Ma’touq
Today nine years ago, on 2 October 2012, prominent Syrian human rights lawyer Khalil Ma’touq and his colleague Mohamed Zaza were arrested. Since then, nothing has been heard of them and their whereabouts remain unknown. Ma’touq, director of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, is a human rights lawyer who has been defending […]
Joint oral statement to Human Rights Council on Myanmar
On 24 September, Lawyers for Lawyers Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute delivered an oral statement during the interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ written update on Myanmar. The dialogue took place during the 48th session of the UN […]
Meeting with lawyer from Turkey
Earlier this month, three members of the focus group Turkey had a meeting with a lawyer from Turkey in The Hague and talked about the current situation of lawyers in Turkey. The lawyer outlined that identification of lawyers with their clients remains a pressing issue in Turkey. A new trend is that lawyers are also […]
Joint oral statement to Human Rights Council on Belarus
On 24 September, Lawyers for Lawyers Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute delivered an oral statement during the interactive dialogue on the interim oral update of OHCHR on the situation of human rights in Belarus. The dialogue took place during the 48th […]
Joint oral statement to Human Rights Council on Turkey and Iran
On 22 September, Lawyers for Lawyers Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the Law Society of England and Wales, and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute delivered an oral statement during the general debate on civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development. The dialogue took place during the 48th session of […]
Online event: the security and independence of the lawyers and judges in modern Turkey
The International Commission of Jurists, the Amsterdam Bar Association, Lawyers for Lawyers and Judges for Judges are organizing an online round table discussion on the security and independence of the lawyers and judges in modern Turkey on 5 October 2021 from 16:00 – 17:00 (CET). The state of the rule of law in Turkey is […]
Recap online conference ‘Attacks on Human Rights Lawyers in Zimbabwe’
On 21 September 2021, Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) organized an online seminar on the situation of human rights lawyers in Zimbabwe. The event coincided with the launch of the report ‘Attacks on Human Rights Lawyers in Zimbabwe’ by L4L and […]
Malaysia: UPR mid-term report
In preparation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malaysia in 2023, Lawyers for Lawyers has written a mid-term report. In this report, we set out to what extent Malaysia has implemented the recommendations it partially accepted during the 2018 UPR process in relation to the role of lawyers. During the UPR in 2018, Malaysia partially accepted […]
Report: Attacks on Human Rights Lawyers in Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Lawyers and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have launched the joint report “Attacks on Human Rights Lawyers in Zimbabwe”. The report reflects on the worrisome trend of increased systematic arrests of a number of Zimbabwean lawyers, and restrictions that have been placed on them, since the beginning of 2020, impacting their freedom […]
Colombia: UPR mid-term report
In preparation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Colombia in 2023, Lawyers for Lawyers, Lawyers’ Right Watch Canada and the Colombian Caravana have written a mid-term report. In this report, we set out to what extent Colombia has implemented the recommendations it accepted during the 2018 UPR process in relation to the role of […]
An entire profession on trial
Press release issued by the legal Fact Finding Mission, taking place in Istanbul from 15 September to 20 September, to monitor and observe current mass trials against lawyers in Turkey. A group of approximately 30 lawyers from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, representing international organizations, bar associations and the Council […]
Joint oral statement during ID with Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
On 13 September, Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute and the Law Society of England and Wales delivered an oral statement during the interactive dialogue with the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). The dialogue took place during the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The statement reads as […]
Laureate of 2021 Lawyers for Lawyers Award Maksim Znak sentenced
According to the information received, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced Maksim Znak to 10 years of imprisonment for “calls for action aimed at causing harm to national security”, “conspiracy to seize power by unconstitutional means” as well as “creation and leading of an extremist organization” on 6 September 2021. Maksim Znak is a Belarusian lawyer […]
Maksim Znak and Liudmila Kazak laureates Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2021
Belarusian lawyers Maksim Znak and Liudmila Kazak will receive the Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2021. The Award will be presented at a ceremony co-hosted by Lawyers for Lawyers and the Amsterdam Bar Association in the Rode Hoed in Amsterdam on 18 November 2021. Jury remarks “By awarding Maksim Znak and Liudmila Kazak the Lawyers for […]
Who will defend the defenders in Turkey?
This piece was originally published on 19 August 2021 on OpenGlobalRights in English; in Turkish; and Spanish. Not long ago, international human rights scholars and experts considered Turkey a promising story of democratic transformation. But both human rights and those who defend them in Turkey are increasingly at risk today. Particularly since the 2016 coup […]
Concerns over safety of legal professionals in Afghanistan
Lawyers for Lawyers is gravely concerned about the demise of the rule of law in Afghanistan and the situation of lawyers and all those working in the Afghan justice system, as the Taliban takes control of the Afghan government and society. It has been reported that the situation of about the approximately 270 women judges […]
