Nieuws

Özlem, Sezin, Gülhan

In November 2018, Anne Vegter, the former Dutch national poet, and photographer Bianca Sistermans traveled to Istanbul at the invitation of Lawyers for Lawyers, to join a trial monitoring mission. Anne Vegter wrote a poem in support of three persecuted

UPR submission Egypt

Egypt

On 28 March 2019, Lawyers for Lawyers submitted a report for the Universal Periodic Review of Egypt. This review will take place in October/November 2019. In the report, Lawyers for Lawyers highlighted that the Egyptian authorities do not always uphold the necessary guarantees

18 Lawyers sentenced to long prison terms

Türkiye

On 20 March 2019, the Istanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court in Silivri Court House sentenced 18 lawyers to prison sentences between 3 years and 2 months and 19 years. The lawyers, from Halkın Hukuk Bürosu (HHB, Peoples’ Law Office) and Ҫağdaş

Joint letter on behalf of Adil Melendez

Colombia

In a joint letter Lawyers for Lawyers, the Colombian Caravana, the Foundation of the Spanish National Bar Association, the International Observatory of Lawyers and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada expressed concerns about the withdrawal of security measures from Adil Meléndez. Adil Jose

15 years since disappearance Somchai Neelapaijit

Thailand

Fifteen 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

Nasrin Sotoudeh jailed for 38 years

Iran

Nasrin Sotoudeh, an internationally renowned human rights lawyer jailed in Iran, has reportedly been handed a new sentence of 33 years in prison and 148 lashes. The sentence, reported on her husband Reza Khandan’s Facebook page on 11 March, brings her

Request disbarment Emil Kurbedinov denied

On 22 February 2019 the Crimean Bar Association decided against the request of the Crimean Directorate of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation to disbar Emil Kurbedinov, thereby maintaining his membership. This was reported by Frontline Defenders. Emil

Wang Quanzhang sentenced to 4,5 years in prison

China

On 28 January 2019, the Tianjin Municipal No.2 Intermediate People’s Court found prominent human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang guilty of “subversion of state power” and sentenced him to 4 years and 6 months in prison and 5-year deprivation of political

Day of the Endangered Lawyer Turkey: Joint statement

Türkiye

Lawyers for Lawyers has joined ten other Bar Associations, Law Societies and Legal Organisations in a joint declaration concerning the breakdown of the rule of law and serious threats against the independence of Judges, Lawyers, and Prosecutors in Turkey. The declaration

Imminent disbarment of Emil Kurbedinov

On 10 January 2019, human rights lawyer Emil Kurbedinov received a letter from the Crimean Directorate of the Ministry of Justice informing him he will be disbarred based on his two previous convictions for administrative offences. This was reported by Frontline

Trial against Wang Quanzhang

China

The trial against human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang started on 26 December 2018, the day after Christmas day. At the end of the day, the official website of the No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court of Tianjin posted a short announcement

Lawyer Mikhail Benyash indicted

Russian Federation

On 12 december 2018, lawyer Mikhail Benyash has been indicted. He is being charged with the ‘the use of violence against a representative of the authority not dangerous to health’ under article 318(1) of the Russian Criminal Code and faces