L4L L4L actively engaged in consultation at HRC
On 13 June, L4L, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) and the Asian Legal Resource Center delivered oral statements at the 26th session of the Human Rights Council, this time with respect to the reports presented by the Special Rapporteur on arbitrary, summary and extrajudicial Killings, and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. Since L4L was granted ECOSOC Consultative Status in July 2013, it has become even more active in participating in the consultation process.
Special Rapporteur on arbitrary, summary and extrajudicial Killings
With the oral statement, L4L and LWRC wanted to draw attention to the 15 recent killings on lawyers in Colombia. L4L and LWRC are concerned about the State’s response to the high number of killings of lawyers, particularly in the Valle del Cauca Department. This pattern of attacks and killings of lawyers is a serious and longstanding crisis, as is the impunity associated with these cases.
Please see the text of the oral statement here. For a video of Ms. Adrie van de Streek presenting the oral statement, please click here.
Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
In her report the Special Rapporteur shares her concerns about lawyers prosecuted and imprisoned for discharging their functions in sensitive and political cases. L4L, LRWC and ALRC bring in the oral statement the situation of lawyers in Iran, Turkey and Russia to the attention of the Human Rights Council and joined the Special Rapporteur in urging States to immediately refrain from prosecuting or disbarring lawyers for the purposes of silencing them in their performing professional functions.
Click here for the text of the oral statement.