16 years since disappearance Somchai Neelapaijit
Sixteen years ago, Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit disappeared and he is currently still missing. Until now, no perpetrators have been held accountable for his disappearance. Somchai disappeared on 12 March 2004, one day after he had publicly accused the police of torturing his clients, who were in detention in the South of Thailand. Since then, […]
Letter on the arrest and attack on lawyer Douglas Coltart
In a letter to the Zimbabwean authorities Lawyers for Lawyers expressed concern about the arrest and attack on Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Douglas Coltart. Douglas Coltart is a human rights lawyer and a member of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), an organisation that dedicates itself to promote a culture of human rights, equality […]
Disbarment Amanzhol Mukhamedyarov and Erlan Gazumzhanov
On 26 February 2020, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan decided to disbar lawyers Amanzhol Mukhamedyarov and Erlan Gazumzhanov. Both Amanzhol Mukhamedyarov, the Chair of the Committee on the Rights of Lawyers of the Kazakhstan Bar Association, and Erlan Gazumzhanov, a lawyer from Nur-Sultan, posted a video recording of parts of a court […]
Human rights lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz in exile in The Netherlands: ,,Rule of law is non-existent in Iran”
,,I have no political goals. I’m not a criminal. I’m a lawyer” Text: Johan van Uffelen February 26 marked Lawyers Day in Iran. A day that has been established by the Bar Association of independent lawyers. But it is of no meaning for the Iranian regime. ,,This date does not appear in any official calendar”, […]
Lawyers for Lawyers zoekt nieuwe vrijwilligers voor focusgroep ‘twinning’
Gemiddeld 5-8 uur/pm, per 1 mei 2020 Voor een lopend project zoekt Lawyers for Lawyers advocaten die zich voor een periode van één jaar willen inzetten als buddy voor een aantal Oost-Afrikaanse advocaten. Aangezien een aantal van de advocaten enkel Frans spreekt zijn wij specifiek opzoek naar advocaten die Frans kunnen spreken. Lawyers for Lawyers […]
Case Tito Elia Magoti postponed for the fifth time
It has been reported that Tanzanian human rights lawyer Tito Elia Magoti remains behind bars as the Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam postponed his case for the fifth time on 19 February 2020. Mr. Magoti is a Tanzanian human rights lawyer, working with the NGO Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), a […]
Human rights lawyer Hani Hussain imprisoned
On 19 February 2020, the Kuwaiti security forces arrested Kuwaiti human rights lawyer Hani Hussain. Consequently, the Public Prosecution ordered imprisonment for 21 days. This was reported by the Gulf Centre of Human Rights (GCHR). The Public Prosecution ordered the imprisonment of Hussain for 21 days, pending investigation, and he was placed in the Central […]
Hossein Ahmadiniaz: ,,Rule of law non-existent in Iran”
”My profession requires me to be brave” Text: Johan van Uffelen Today, February 26, is ‘Lawyers Day’ in Iran. ,,But it only has any meaning for independent lawyers like me”, says Iranian human rights defender Hossein Ahmadiniaz (47). ,,This date does not appear in any official agenda.” And that is significant. ,,For the regime this day simply […]
Amirsalar Davoudi on hunger strike
It has been reported that Iranian human rights lawyer Amirsalar Davoudi has sent out on open letter from prison, stating that since 9 February 2020, he has been on hunger strike. In his open letter, Davoudi said that he wanted to return home for a few days, so that he could see his daughter. However, […]
Submission to Human Rights Committee
In March 2020, the UN Human Rights Committee will review the Philippines’ compliance with its international human rights obligations, and more in particular the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Lawyers for Lawyers submitted a submission for the List of Issues to inform the Committee about the situation of lawyers in […]
Joint letter on threats against Adil Meléndez
In a joint letter the Colombian Caravana, Lawyers for Lawyers and several other organizations expressed concern about the recent threats made against Colombian human rights lawyer Adil Meléndez. Adil Jose Meléndez Marquez is a prominent Colombian human rights lawyer. He is one of the few lawyers in the country working on land restitution cases, and […]
Day of the Endangered Lawyer
On 24 January 2020, the tenth edition of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer took place. This year’s edition was focusing on the extremely difficult situation of lawyers in Pakistan. The foundation The Day of the Endangered Lawyer and Lawyers for Lawyers co-organized multiple events in the context of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer. […]
Chinese New Year: situation of lawyers in the Year of the Rat
新年快乐 (happy new year)! Today marks the start of the Chinese New Year and the start of the Spring Festival. Unfortunately, the Year of the Rat does not seem to bring prosperity and happiness for many human rights lawyers and activists who have been questioned or detained by the Chinese authorities during the year-end. As […]
Toolkit for Lawyers at Risk
On the occasion of the International Day of Endangered Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) launched a Toolkit for Lawyers at Risk to further advance its protection of lawyers’ mandate. Lawyers for Lawyers contributed to the Toolkit. On 24 January, the Day of the Endangered Lawyer, the IBAHRI in cooperation with its […]
Joint letter on actions against several Chinese human rights lawyers
In a joint letter the Law Society of England and Wales and Lawyers for Lawyers expressed concerns about the recent actions that were taken against several Chinese human rights lawyers in December 2019 and January 2020 that could be construed as harassment. Various Chinese lawyers were targeted between December 2019 and the beginning of January […]
Waleed Abu Al-Khair on hunger strike
On 9 January 2019, prominent Saudi Arabian human rights lawyer Waleed Abu Al-Khair was transferred to King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah. Abu-Khair’s health deteriorated radically after he restarted his hunger strike on 11 December 2019, after he was being put back into solitary confinement. This was reported by Front Line Defenders on their website. In […]
