Detention six lawyers shows climate of intimidation and abuse still growing
The recent detention of six lawyers in Qing’an county, Heilongjian Province, China, is a worrying indication that the climate of intimidation of human rights defenders and human rights lawyers in China is still growing. The detention seems to be related to the carrying out of their work in human rights cases or in exposing official […]
Situation of lawyers continues to deteriorate
The crackdown on Azeri civil society, NGOs, journalists and lawyers has escalated over the past year, as the date of the Baku European Games approached. Human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and others daring to criticize the Azerbaijani government are faced with harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest and politically motivated charges. On May 28, 2015, Members of […]
Jury Ludovic Trarieux Prize deplores sentencing of Mahienour El-Massry
The Ludovic Trarieux Award Jury deplores the sentencing of Mahienour El-Massry, Human Rights Lawyer and 2014 Ludovic Trarieux Prize recipient. In a statement, the jury urges the Egyptian authorities to reconsider the convictions and sentences imposed on El-Massry and her colleagues. On 31 May 2015 the Court of Appeal in Raml sentenced Mahienour El-Massry, along […]
Waleed Abu al-Khair to be awarded Ludovic Trarieux prize
On 12 June, the jury of the Ludovic Trarieux human rights prize announced that this year’s laureate is Waleed Abu al-Khair from Saudi Arabia, who is currently serving a prison sentence of fifteen years. Waleed Abu al-Khair is a prominent human rights lawyer and the head of the Monitor of Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. He […]
UNWGAD calls for release of Thulani Maseko
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) has condemned the detention of prominent human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko as arbitrary and calls on the Government of Swaziland to ensure his immediate release. The UNWGAD affirmed that Thulani Maseko’s rights to freedom of expression, liberty and to a fair trial have been violated. On 17 July […]
Kinshasa-blog ‘Twinning’ for cooperation and synergy
Nienke van Renssen – In recent days, we all have had a chance to get to know our Congolese partners. One of the goals of this project is indeed the twinning, the ‘partnership’, where we can support the lawyers in Congo in their work for a fairer system in their own country on the basis […]
Letter for Rommel Duran
On May 1, 2015 lawyer Rommel Duran tried to visit a number of clients who were arrested during protests in Bucaramanga. When he arrived at the police station, he was not allowed to visit his clients. He had to wait for hours before he saw his clients and while waiting he was insulted and physically […]
Kinshasa-blog Hearing in Prison Central
Five men behind a table in a military uniform, four men in police uniforms behind two gates, two guards with big Kalashnikovs and between them, four lawyers and a police officer. Behind them fifteen lawyers and another twenty lawyers in the room and lots of spectators on plastic chairs. Above them the text ‘Nous jugeons […]
Pu Zhiquang in prison for over 1 year, risks 8 years in prison
On 4 June, the victims who died in the violent repression of the Tiananmen square protests were commemorated in Hong Kong, China. More than a year ago, Chinese human rights lawyer and pioneer of freedom of expression Pu Zhiqiang was arrested after attending a Tiananmen protests commemoration. He has only recently heard he is charged with […]
Kinshasa-blog On the Congo River
Nienke van Renssen – Today we saw the sun set over the Congo River, a great view of a wild brown river of which the other side was almost invisible. Maître Joseph proudly explained that this river runs all the way from eastern Congo and flows through about every province of this immense country. Amazing […]
Mahienour el-Massry gets 1 year, 3 months in prison
On 31 May 2015 the Court of Appeal in Raml sentenced Ms. Mahienour El-Massry, along with nine activists, to one year and three months imprisonment on charges of, amongst others, “assaulting security forces”. She had been in preventive detention since the first appeal hearing on 11 May 2015. In February 2015 El-Massry was sentenced to […]
Kinshasa-blog Chat on the terrace
Nienke van Renssen – Our first session is over, today we have introduced ourselves with the lawyers of the Bar Association here in Kinshasa. The lawyers we will be assisting are organized in the group La Defense de la Defense (DdD). This committee was established in 2014 and aims to improve the position of lawyers […]
Azza Soliman acquitted
On 23 May 2015, lawyer Azza Soliman was acquitted by the Qasr al-Nile Court. Less than three days later, the Qasr al-Nile Prosecution appealed the acquittal. The appeal will be heard on 13 June 2015. Azza Soliman voluntarily went to the Public Prosecution’s office on 24 January 2015, to give her testimony regarding the violent […]
Kinshasa-blog DRC and the policital situation at this moment
Nienke van Renssen – If you say Congo, most people think of eastern Congo, where war has raged for years and a terrible conflict is still playing on the border with Uganda and Rwanda. Congo, the former colony of Belgium. And Zaire, which symbolized darkest Africa in the seventies, led by dictators with leopard skins. I […]
Kinshasa-blog With Lawyers for Lawyers to Kinshasa
Nienke van Renssen – Soon we will leave with seven attorneys from the Netherlands to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is an initiative of Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation (L4L) and the Justice & Peace Foundation in the context of the Connect2Protect project. The goal of this project is to have local human rights defenders […]
Call to restore confidence in judiciary
The situation of Egyptian lawyers is quickly deteriorating. Lawyers are faced with arrests, prosecution and police violence that has even led to the deaths of two lawyers, while they were being held in police custody. In their efforts to address the alarming ongoing erosion of the rule of law and people’s confidence in Egypt’s justice […]