Forced psychiatric confinement of Zinaida Mukhortova
Forced psychiatric confinement was a well-known tactic under the Soviet-rule to silence regime critics or perceived troublemakers. With the end of the Soviet-system this tactic has unfortunately not disappeared. The case of Zinaida Mukhortova demonstrates that in Kazakhstan it is still used to silence human rights lawyers. On the evening of 9 August 2013, four police […]
Lawyer Abdul Aziz Moussa arrested after making public torture of client
On 8 August 2013, lawyer Abdul Aziz Moussa was taken into custody on claims of ‘disclosing confidential information about the investigation’ against his client. The day before, Moussa had reported visible signs of torture on his client’s arms on his Twitter account, confirming his client’s earlier reports that he had been subjected to torture while […]
Lawyer from Dagestan killed
On 12 July 2013, lawyer Magomed Guchuchaliev was killed by two unknown men in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan. His killing seems to be related to his work. Lawyers in the North Caucasus and criminal defence lawyers in particular, are increasingly subjected to threats and acts of harassment by members of legal enforcement agencies and unknown […]
Lawyers face false charges, labeling as ‘enemies of the state’ continues
The Dutch foundation Lawyers for Lawyers warns in an open letter to President Aquino of the Philippines for the continued labeling of lawyers as enemies of the state by the military. This month, Army chief Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes reportedly branded the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) as an ‘enemy’ in reaction to NUPL’s criticism […]
Office of Michel Togué searched
In the night of 16 on 17 June, the office of Michel Togué in Yaoundé was broken into and searched by several unidentified persons. His passport, laptop and a data carrier with confidential information, among other things, were stolen. He filed a complaint with the police. Michel Togué, who recently spoke to L4L in the Netherlands, defends […]
L4L Vacature penningmeester
L4L zoekt een nieuwe penningmeester vanwege het vólmaken van de toegezegde periode door de huidige penningmeester. De nadruk in deze functie ligt op het opstellen en verantwoorden van de financiële planning en rapportage (i.s.m. de boekhouder) en het samen met bestuur en directeur formuleren van financieel beleid, inclusief fondsenwerving. Advocaten voor Advocaten (Lawyers for Lawyers, L4L) zet […]
Vadim Kuramshin to be awarded Ludovic Trarieux prize
On 20 June, the jury of the Ludovic Trarieux human rights prize announced that this year’s laureate is Vadim Kuramshin from Kazakhstan. He is a prominent lawyer and human rights defender, who currently serves a 12 year prison sentence. He defended, among others, victims of mistreatment in prison and investigated the murders of other prisoners. […]
Lawyers sentenced to 10 years in prison
On 2 July 2013, the Federal Supreme Court of United Arab Emirates (UAE) sentenced 56 people, including the prominent human rights lawyers Mohammed Al-Roken and Mohammed Al-Mansoori, to 10 years in prison. Mohamed al-Mansoori and Mohamed Abdullah al-Roken were arrested on 16 and 17 July 2012. Their lawyer Salem al-Shehhi was arrested on 18 July […]
L4L writes to EU, Canadian, Australian and Japanese governments
Together with 11 NGO’s, L4L has sent a letter on 1 July 2013 to all Ministers of Foreign Affairs of EU-countries, Canada, Australia and Japan to request special attention to the unlawful arrest, detention and the upcoming trial of the prominent Vietnamese lawyer, blogger and human rights defender Mr. Le Quoc Quan. Furthermore, a letter was […]
Film event with Beatrice Mtetwa
World Justice Project, Zimbabwe Watch, Amnesty International, and Lawyers for Lawyers, invite you to: Beatrice Mtetwa and the Rule of Law Meet one of Zimbabwe’s most courageous human rights lawyers Film screeningPanel Discussion with Beatrice Mtetwa Beatrice Mtetwa lives and works in Zimbabwe where despite unlawful detentions and beatings by the police, she continues to […]
Lawyers receive death threats
Two lawyers in Dagestan in the North Caucasus, Russia, have received death threats in connection with a criminal case they are working on. Sapiyat Magomedova and Musa Suslanov are criminal defence lawyers (advokaty) working in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, Russia. They have both received threats in connection with their work on a high-profile […]
Letter to John Kerry for Le Quoc Quan
On 27 June 2013, L4L, together with a broad coalition of other NGO’s, requested the US Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter to take action to free the Vietnamese lawyer Mr. Le Quoc Quan. Kerry will attend the ASEAN conference later this month. The organisations have requested him to seize the opportunity to request the […]
L4L files UPR submission
L4L has, together with Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) and the Law Society of England and Wales, filed a Submission for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Vietnam with the United Nations Human Rights Council. The situation for human rights lawyers in the Vietnam leaves a lot to be desired. L4L was able to make detailed recommendations, partially thanks to the […]
New president, lawyer Javid Houtan Kian forgotten in prison
Whilst attention within Iran, as well as abroad, has recently focused on the presidential elections, Iranian human rights lawyer Javid Houtan Kian is being held in Tabriz prison under horrific circumstances. The lawyer, who became a well-known figure when he took on the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a woman sentenced to stoning for adultery, is the victim of […]
Another mass arrest of lawyers
Following widespread protests and police brutality in Turkey in the last two weeks, 45 lawyers were arrested in Istanbul on 11 June. The lawyers were taking part in a peaceful protest inside the Çağlayan Court, near Taksim Square, directed against the repression of the ‘Occupy Gezi’ protesters. The lawyers called upon the authorities to guarantee the free […]
Health of detained lawyer Khalil Ma’touq critical
On 4 June, L4L has together with 18 other organisations asked attention for the situation of Khalil Ma’touq through a joint statement. This 54-year-old director of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research was arrested on 2 October 2012, together with his assistant Mohammed Thatha. The Syrian authorities deny that they are in detention, […]