L4L Magamed Abubakarov receives Lawyers for Lawyers Award
On 31 May 2013, Russian lawyer Magamed Abubakarov received the Lawyers for Lawyers Award. The award was handed over to him by Alec Muchadehama from Zimbabwe, who received the award two years ago. Magamed Abubakarov was praised by the jury for his “exceptional courage and persistence”. The prize is awarded to a lawyer or group […]
Talk with Michel Togué, defender of LGBT rights
On 20 May, L4L spoke to Michel Togué, a lawyer from Cameroon. He was in Amsterdam at the invitation of Human Rights Watch to share his experiences as a lawyer defending persons who are prosecuted by the Cameroon authorities for ‘homosexual behavior’. Gay hate is deeply rooted in the West-African country as a consequence of traditional […]
Report Caravana 2012 published
On 21 May, the report of the third visit of the Caravana de Juristas to Colombia in 2012, in which L4L participates together with Judges for Judges, was published. On the same day, the report was presented to the Colombian ambassador in the Netherlands, Mr. Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez. The Caravana is a biannual international delegation […]
Hearing Ümit Kocasakal adjourned to 12 October
The first hearing in the trial of İstanbul Bar Association head Ümit Kocasakal and nine other lawyers began at a Silivri court in İstanbul on 17 May. The trial was adjourned until 12 October due to the great number of people that had come to the courtroom. Among them was a delegation of L4L and […]
Burhan al Sakkal dies in prison
L4L would like to ask your attention for the fate of Syrian lawyer Burhan al Sakkal. He died recently in prison, where he was held since October 2012 after his house was invaded by security service agents. Reportedly he was tortured during his imprisonment and he was denied necessary medical assistance. Furthermore, L4L wishes to draw attention to […]
Alba Cruz receives new threats
On 30 april 2013, Alba Cruz has received new threats. In a text message, she was referred to as ‘mami’. The senders wrote to let her know that they were not ready with her yet. It happened on the day that Peace Brigades International nominated Alba Cruz for the Premio de Derechos Humanos Gilberto Bosques, a human rights prize […]
L4L Magamed Abubakarov to receive Lawyers for Lawyers Award
Magamed Abubakarov, a Russian human rights lawyer specialized in terrorist cases in the North-Caucasus, will receive the Lawyers for Lawyers Award 2013. Magamed Abubakarov will accept the award on 31 May at the end of a seminar called ‘Lawyers controlled, independence at stake?’, which will be held at the offices of NautaDutilh (WTC) in Amsterdam. […]
Letter for Lakshan Dias
On 26 February 2013, human rights lawyer Lakshan Dias from Sri Lanka received a number of anonymous threatening phone calls. The day before the phonecalls he was already followed by a white van. On this incident, Dias lodged a formal complaint with the Moratuwa Police, Colombo district, on 25 February 2013. These incidents follow a series […]
UPR report submitted
In March 2013, L4L together with the Law Society of England and Wales filed a submission in the context of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malaysia before the UN Human Rights Council. Lawyers in Malaysia are often the subject of threats and improper interference. They receive anonymous death threats in the form of pamphlets, email and Phone calls. Furthermore, organizations which present themselves as NGOs organize […]
Schrijf u nu in de voor de Snelste Advocaat!
Zondag 26 mei a.s. zal voor de 2e keer het startschot gegeven worden voor De Snelste Advocaat. Deze loop maakt deel uit van de Sdu Royal Ten, waarvan Sdu Uitgevers sinds een aantal jaren hoofdsponsor is. De route voert onder meer langs het Paleis Huis Ten Bosch en het Haagse Bos. Een verkeersvrij […]
22 lawyers 500 days in pre-trial detention
Last week, 22 lawyers of the 46 that were arrested in November 2011 in connection to the ‘KCK-case’, were in custody for 500 days. To mark these 500 days of pre-trial detention and draw attention to the next hearing in the trial on 28 March, L4L, together with a large coalition of other organizations, published […]
Letter for Mohamed Al-Roken and colleagues
On 22 March 2013, L4L sent a letter to the United Arab Emirates authorities on behalf of human rights lawyer Mohamed Al-Roken and his colleagues. On 4 March 2013, 94 human rights activists from the UAE went on trial, including lawyers Dr Mohamed al-Mansoori and Dr Mohamed Abdullah al-Roken – who were arrested on 16 […]
6 recent cases of lawyers being killed
Different sources have informed L4L on the recent murders of as many as six lawyers in Colombia. Eduardo Antonio Almario Martinez and Daniel Alejandro Almario Calderon were murdered on the 24th of January 2013. Amaury Manuel Saez Coronado was found mutilated and murdered on the 7th of March, after having disappeared on the 4th of […]
L4L, LRWC and Law Society file joint UPR submission
L4L has together with Lawyers Rights Watch Canada and the Law Society of England and Wales filed a joint submission for the Universal Periodic Review before the UN Human Rights Council of Mexico, which will take place in November 2013. In this submission, problems that exist with the protection of lawyers who are threatened because […]
Beatrice Mtetwa released on bail
On 25 March 2013, the High Court of Zimbabwe has granted Beatrice Mtetwa bail during a bail appeal hearing held in Harare. On Sunday 17 March 2013, Zimbabwean police arrested Mtetwa, on allegations of ‘obstructing or defeating the course of justice’. Mtetwa was arrested while attempting to provide legal assistance to Thabani Mpofu, Director of […]
Joint letter for arrested human rights lawyer
On Sunday 17 March 2013, Zimbabwean police arrested prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, on allegations of ‘obstructing or defeating the course of justice’. Mtetwa was arrested while attempting to provide legal assistance to Thabani Mpofu, Director of Research and Development in the Office of the Zimbabwean Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, who was arrested the same day. […]