Lawyers for Lawyers urges authorities to stop harassing Nasrin Sotoudeh
Lawyers for Lawyers was informed that on Wednesday 10 December 2014, Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested and detained for several hours by the Iranian authorities. Her husband confirmed her arrest on Facebook, adding that it was the authorities’ present to them on the occasion of international human rights day, which is celebrated annually on 10 December. Nasrin […]
Razan Zeitouneh one year missing
Since human rights lawyer Razan Zeitouneh, her husband and two colleagues were abducted on 9 December 2013 no one has heard of them. Razan Zeitouneh, Wael Hamada, Samira Khalil, and Nazem Hammadi disappeared in Douma, a city that is under the control of an armed opposition group. Today, exactly one year after their disappearance, fifty-seven organizations, […]
Lawyers for Lawyers calls upon authorities to release Yara Sallam
Lawyers for Lawyers was informed that Ms. Yara Sallam was arrested in Cairo on 21 June 2014 following police interference in a peaceful protest against the “anti-protest law”. While Ms. Sallam reportedly was around the site of the protest, she did not participate in it. Still, she was arrested, together with over 20 activists. Since […]
Lawyer Alexandru Bernaz criminally prosecuted on improper grounds
On 5 December 2014, Lawyers for Lawyers expressed its concern to the Moldovan authorities about lawyer Alexandru Bernaz. According to Lawyers for Lawyers’s information, Mr. Bernaz is subjected to improper interference by legal enforcement bodies due to his legitimate activities as a defense counsel. Last summer, Mr. Bernaz filed complaints against prosecutors of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office. […]
Lawyer Vitaliy Moiseyev and his wife killed
Russian lawyer Vitaliy Moiseyev and his wife Elena Moiseyeva were murdered on 24 October 2014. They were reportedly shot at least 30 times. Lawyers for Lawyers has reason to belief that they were killed because of Mr. Moiseyev’s legitimate legal activities. Mr. Moiseyev represented Sergey Zhurba, a key witness in a case concerning a significant […]
Lawyer Arkady Chaplygin assaulted
Well-known St. Petersburg lawyer Arkady Chaplygin beaten in the premises of the bar association; law enforcement agencies refuse to take action. Arkady Chaplygin is a lawyer and head of the specialised bar association ‘Prizyvnik’ in St. Petersburg. He is also chairman of the regional branch of the Party of Progress. On 26 November 2014, two […]
Kennedy Masiye human right lawyer of the year
On 9 November 2014, Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Kennedy Masiye was honoured as Human Right Lawyer of the Year by the Law Society of Zimbabwe for his outstanding contribution to the protection and promotion of human rights in the country. Unfortunately he was unable to attend the presentation of the award at the Law Society’s […]
WGAD: detention Abdul Aziz Moussa arbitrary
Lawyers for Lawyers was informed that, in an opinion adopted at its 70th session on 28 August 2014, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) found that the detention of Bahraini human rights lawyer Mr. Abdul Aziz Moussa and his client Mr. Mohammed Hasan Sedif were arbitrary. On 8 August 2013, lawyer Abdul […]
Hearing in ‘Raml police station’ case
On 17 November 2014, the Raml Misdemeanour Court held a hearing in the ‘Raml police station’ criminal case in which human rights lawyer Ms. Mahienour el-Massry is being prosecuted. The court heard three testimonies provided by witnesses presented by the defence. The defense additionally requested the court to summon the persons who filed the complaint […]
Meeting between lawyer and local communities interrupted by military
On 11 November 2014, a meeting between lawyer Sor Rattabanee Polkaw and members of local communities in Udon Thani Province, North-Eastern Thailand, was interrupted by members of the military and the police. Ms. Polkaw is a human rights lawyer from the Community Resources Centre (CRC), and visited the Udon Thani region for legal consultations with […]
Lawyers for Lawyers monitors hearings in Istanbul
This week Lawyers for Lawyers observed two hearings in the cases in which a large number of lawyers are being prosecuted. Both sessions were adjourned to May 2014. Lawyers for Lawyers monitored two hearings in the trials against Turkish lawyers in Istanbul on 11 and 13 November 2014. On 13 November, the trial against the 46 […]
Police beat up lawyer Kennedy Masiye
On 6 November 2014, lawyer Kennedy Masiye was physically attacked by police officers, when he tried to intervene in an assault by police officers on journalist Itai Dzamara. Masiye was left severely injured with a broken arm. In October 2014, Itai Dzamara, organised the Occupy Africa Unity Square, a sit-in in which the protesters demanded […]
Preliminary report on findings Caravana 2014
A short preliminary report on the first findings of the Caravana Internacional de Juristas (Caravana) mission was published in October 2014. During the Caravana 2014 mission, which took place from 23-30 August, a group consisting of 70 lawyers and judges visited Colombia to investigate the situation of lawyers and judges in this country. Two volunteers of the Lawyers […]
Court extends pre-trial detention Intigam Aliyev
On 24 October 2014, the Nasimi District Court in Baku uled to extend the pre-trial detention of Intigam Aliyev until 8 February 2015. At the hearing it became clear that Aliyev is in poor health conditions. A petition from Itigam Aliev’s lawyer to release his defendant on bail or to convert his detention to house arrest […]
Court: Interrogation of lawyer Yegor Mylnikov illegal
Russian Lawyer who refused to testify against his client vindicated by the Court Lawyer Yegor Mylnikov has been forced to stop the defence of his client in a criminal case twice. In both cases, he had to defend himself in court. After he won his cases, Mylnikov received a formal warning from the Bar Association, which […]
Upcoming hearing in case of Maseko and Makhubu
On November 3, 2014 a hearing in the case of Thulani Maseko and Bheki Makhubu is scheduled at the Supreme Court of Swaziland, in which the charges against them could be dropped. On 17 July lawyer Maseko and journalist Makhubu, were convicted of ‘contempt of court’ by the High Court of Swaziland. Shortly afterwards they were both sentenced […]