2000 lawyers called for repeal of the ‘sedition Act’
The Malaysian Bar Council on 16 October organized the ‘Walk for Peace and Freedom’ as a 1.3 kilometer march in protest against the recent string of arrests, charges, investigations and prosecutions under the archaic 1948 Sedition Act. The Sedition Act has frequently been misused with increasing frequency to obstruct legal professionals and lawyers who express […]
Joint statement for release of Khalil Ma’touq
The Syrian government should immediately and unconditionally free the prominent human rights lawyer Khalil Ma’touq and his colleague Mohamed Zaza, 26 organizations, including L4L, said on 2 October 2014, on the second anniversary of their enforced disappearance. Ma’touq, director of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, is a human rights lawyer who has […]
Letter on draft lawyers bill
On 23 September, Lawyers for Lawyers sent a letter to the Indonesian authorities to express its concern about the Bill on Attorneys that is currently deliberated by the People’s Representative Council. Although the proposed bill contains several provisions that should further enable Indonesian advocates to practice law in freedom and independence, in the view of Lawyers […]
ISIS executes human rights lawyer
Lawyers for Lawyers was informed about the execution of a human rights lawyer from Iraq. On 22 September 2014, human rights lawyer Samira Saleh al-Naimi was publicly executed in Al Mosul city by the Islamic State’s (ISIS) militia. Reportedly she was sentenced to “public execution” by a ‘Sharia Court’ for apostasy on charges relating to […]
Lawyer Mahienour el-Massry released
On 21 September 2014, the Court of Appeal in Alexandria accepted the petition to quash human rights lawyer Mahienour el-Massry’s sentence. She was released the very same day. El-Massry was sentenced on 2 January, 2014 (in her absence) to a two year prison sentence and a fine of 50.000 Egyptian pounds (about 5.000 Euros), on allegations […]
Situation of lawyers deteriorates rapidly
The situation of lawyers in Sri Lanka is deteriorating rapidly. Lawyers for Lawyers was informed about- and contacted by several lawyers who are the victim of (death) threats in connection to their work. This week, Lawyers for Lawyers wrote letters to the Sri Lanka authorities, urging them to properly investigate these threats, bring the perpetrators to justice and […]
Human rights lawyer Gustaf Kawer at risk of arrest
The Papua Regional Police has opened an investigation into human rights lawyer Gustaf Kawer in connection with “crimes against public authority”. The charges, under articles 211 and 212 of the Criminal Code, refer to events alleged to have occurred during a court hearing in June 2014 while he was acting as a defence lawyer in […]
Court rules to hold Intigam Aliev in pre-trial detention
On 12 September 2014, Nasimi District Court in Baku rejected the petition to transfer Intigam Aliev from pre-trial detention to house arrest. Intigam Aliev will appeal this ruling in Baku City Court. On the morning of 8 August 2014, Intigam Aliyev was summoned for interrogation in the Serious Crimes Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office in Baku, […]
Mr. Rally 2014 groot succes!
Meer dan 60 equipes reden op zaterdag 13 september mee in de Mr. Rally 2014. De rally, die zoals gebruikelijk werd georganiseerd ten bate van Lawyers for Lawyers, startte in Utrecht bij het hoofdkantoor van Mercedes-Benz en voerde onder zeer goede weersomstandigheden via het landgoed Mariënwaerdt naar het Betuwse Echteld. Het grootste deel van de […]
Call for release of Mazen Darwish
The Syrian government should immediately and unconditionally release the arbitrarily detained human rights defender Mazen Darwish and his colleagues Hani Al-Zitani and Hussein Ghareer, 79 organizations, including Lawyers for Lawyers, said today. The Syrian Anti-Terrorism Court is expected to issue its verdict on September 24, 2014 in their trial. The Syrian Air Force Intelligence arrested […]
Lawyer Rodolfo Felicio killed
Lawyers for Lawyers has sent letters to the authorities of the Philippines urging them to investigate the death of human rights lawyer Rodolfo Felicio. On 24 August 2014, Atty. Felicio was killed at Floodway, Taytay, Rizal, while reportedly amongst his clients. According to our information, four men on motorcycles opened gunfire on a campsite in […]
Caravana mission 2014
This year, like in 2010 and 2012, Lawyers for Lawyers again participated in the Caravana Internacional de Juristas (Caravana). From 23-30 August, Wout Albers and Harald Wiersema visited Colombia together as part of a group consisting of 70 lawyers and judges. The Caravana is organized from London in cooperation with local Colombian lawyers. One of the main goals […]
Human rights lawyer Abdujaparov attacked in his office
Frontline Defenders informed Lawyers for Lawyers about the following: On 4 September 2014, an unknown individual attacked human rights lawyer Makhamajan Abdujaparov in his office. Makhamajan Abdujaparov is a senior lawyer of Jalal-Abad regional human rights organization Spravedlivost (“Justice”). The attack was caught on CCTV, and witnesses recorded the attacker’s license plates. Later that day, the same […]
Teng Biao speaks at meeting Lawyers for Lawyers
On 29 August, Lawyers for Lawyers and NGIZ Amsterdam organized a meeting with the Chinese human rights lawyer Teng Biao. As a lawyer Biao defended AIDS activists, Falun Gong followers, Tibetan protesters and farmers who have been displaced from their land. The price that he has to pay for his professional activities as a lawyer was high; he […]
Letter to authorities and petition to WGAD for Le Quoc Quan
2 September is ‘National Day’ in Vietnam. On this day, the Vietnamese president often grants amnesty to prisoners of conscience. In view of this, Lawyers for Lawyers, together with a broad coalition of organizations, sent a letter to the Vietnamese authorities to urge them to comply with the decision of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) and […]
Thulani Maseko sentenced to 2 years in prison
On 17 July lawyer Thulani Maseko and journalist Bheki Makhubu, were both convicted of ‘contempt of court’ by the High Court of Swaziland. Shortly afterwards they were both sentenced to two years in prison. The normal punishment for ‘contempt of court’ is a 30-day prison sentence or a 2,200 Euro fine. The conviction seems to be related […]