On 2 April 2015, the UN Human Rights Committee issued the concluding observations for the review of the Russian Federation’s compliance with it’s international human rights obligations.
Lawyers for Lawyers welcomes recommendation 18, in which the Committee calls on the Russian authorities to “take immediate steps to provide, in practice, effective protection to lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and opposition politicians whose lives, safety and security are under threat due to their work in monitoring and reporting on human rights issues and on other matters of legal and public interest, and refrain from taking any measures that may constitute harassment or persecution or undue interference in the exercise of their work or of their right to freedom of opinion and expression. It should effectively investigate, prosecute and bring perpetrators of the above acts to justice.”
In a submission and an oral statement, Lawyers for Lawyers highlighted the Russian Federation’s failure to protect its lawyers and ensure the right to effective legal representation.
