Nieuws

Petition update WGAD on Nguyen Van Dai

Vietnam

Together with Media Legal Defence Initiative, PEN International, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada and Viet Tan, L4L filed a petition with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) in November 2016, urging it to intervene in the case of lawyer Nguyen Van Dai. In April, observations to the government’s reply were submitted

Court rejects appeal of lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov

Tajikistan

At the beginning of March 2017, Tajikistan’s Court of Appeal rejected Buzurgmehr Yorov’s appeal and upheld the previous court verdict of a 23 year prison term. The hearing was closed to the public and EU representatives were not permitted to

Administrative charges against lawyers

Belarus

On 17 March 2017 the district court of Gomel in Belarus found human rights lawyers Leonid Sudalenko and Anatoly Poplavnyi guilty of non-compliance with the legal requirements on the organisation and conducting of mass events. This was reported by Frontline

Save the Date! 19 May: L4L-Award seminar

L4L invites you to “The Voice of Rights” About lawyers and Freedom of Expression Seminar + Presentation of the L4L-Award 2017 Introduction: Phon van den Biesen President Lawyers for Lawyers Special guests: Mark Stephens (United Kingdom) Electra Koutra (Greece) Jorge

Joint statement with call to ensure right to a fair trial

China

In a joint statement, Lawyers for Lawyers, together with other organizations, called on the Chinese authorities to ensure the right of a fair trial in the forthcoming trials of the cases of the ‘709-crackdown’. In July 2015, an unprecedented and

Sentencing of lawyer Oleg Volchek

Belarus

Lawyers for Lawyers is concerned about the sentencing of lawyer Oleg Volchek. We shared our concerns in a letter to the authorities of Belarus. Oleg Volchek is a prominent human rights lawyer and director of the non-governmental organisation Pravovaya Pomoshch Naseleniyu (Legal Aid

L4L and FTW observe hearing in KCK-trial in Istanbul

Türkiye

On March 9, 2017 there was another hearing in Istanbul  in the long-running case against 46 lawyers  accused of being involved in terrorism. The trial started in November 2011. All the lawyers on trial were at some point involved in

13 years since disappearance of lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit

Thailand

Thirteen years after Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaijipit went missing, there is still no prospect of justice. Somchai disappeared on 12 March 2004, one day after he had publicly accused the police of torturing his clients, who were in

Harassment of lawyer Salah Dabouz

Algeria

Lawyer Salah Dabouz has, for the past few months, faced ongoing harassment. The harassment is a result of his involvement as lead lawyer in the legal defense of human rights defender Kamal Eddin Fekhar and his colleagues. This was reported

Trial against lawyer Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla

Cameroon

Lawyers for Lawyers is concerned by the trial of lawyer Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla from the Republic of Cameroon. Agbor-Balla faces wide-ranging and serious charges, including ‘Hostilities against the Fatherland’ and incitement to civil war and revolution. A number of the

Li Chunfu released on bail

China

On 12 January 2017, 44-year-old lawyer Li Chunfu was released on bail, after a detention of nearly 18 months. Li Chunfu is the younger brother of Li Heping, another prominent human rights attorney who was arrested on 10 July 2015

Killing of lawyer U Ko Ni

Myanmar

Lawyers for Lawyers was shocked to learn about the killing of lawyer U Ko Ni on 29 January 2017. We call on the authorities of Myanmar to conduct a prompt, thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the killing of U