Yu Wensheng reunites with his family in Beijing
Lawyers for Lawyers welcomes the news that Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng was able to leave Nanjing Prison and reunite with his family in Beijing on 1 March 2022, as reported by his wife Xu Yan. Yu Wensheng left prison upon completion of his arbitrary sentence, and after four years of arbitrary detention. Xu […]
Oral statement to Human Rights Committee on the Russian Federation
Today Lawyers for Lawyers delivered an oral statement during the 134th session of the Human Rights Committee for the review of the Russian Federation’s compliance with its international human rights obligations, and more in particular the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In January 2022, Lawyers for Lawyers submitted a report […]
Illia Salei included in the Unified Register of Lawyers of Ukraine as a foreign lawyer
Lawyers for Lawyers welcomes the news that the Belarusian lawyer, Illia Salei, has been included in the Unified Register of Lawyers of Ukraine as a foreign lawyer. Salei represented the presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka and Maria Kolesnikova, a leader of the Belarusian protest movement and member of the Coordination Council. Arrested together with Maksim Znak […]
Letter on the arrest and detention of Osama Bayoumi
In a letter, Lawyers for Lawyers expresses serious concern over the arbitrary arrest, subsequent disappearance and ongoing detention of Egyptian human rights lawyer Osama Bayoumi. Mr. Bayoumi is a member of the Lawyers Syndicate and working on prominent human rights cases. According to the information we received, Mr. Bayoumi was arrested on 29 January 2022 […]
L4L observes case against Ankara Bar Association
On 15 December 2021 representatives of Lawyers for Lawyers observed the first hearing in the trial against the Executive Board Members of the Ankara Bar Association (ABA). The Executive Board Members are charged with publicly insulting a public official, after commenting on a statement of the Head of Religious Affairs. On 24 April 2020, the […]
On March 1st, Chinese lawyer Yu Wensheng must be fully free
In a joint statement, Lawyers for Lawyers and nine human rights organizations urge the Chinese government to ensure lawyer Yu Wensheng is able to leave Nanjing Prison and freely reunite with his family in Beijing on 1 March 2022. A Laureate of the 2021 Martin Ennals Award, Yu Wensheng is a leading figure among human […]
Donations received from professionals who are connected to the ‘Beroepsopleiding Advocaten’
Lawyers for Lawyers has received a donation of €6.750 from the professionals who are connected to the ‘Beroepsopleiding Advocaten’, the vocational training for lawyers by the Netherlands Bar. The executive organization for the Beroepsopleiding Advocaten offered various Christmas gift options to their professionals, and many of them opted for a donation to Lawyers for Lawyers! […]
Geuzenpenning 2022 awarded to Lawyers for Lawyers
The Geuzenpenning 2022 has been awarded to Lawyers for Lawyers. This was announced by the Geuzenpenning Foundation today. Kathleen Ferrier, chairwoman of the Geuzenpenning foundation: “A free and independent professional practice of lawyers is indispensable for the rule of law and of great importance for the protection of human rights everywhere in the world.” “Lawyers […]
Hejaaz Hizbullah released on bail
On 7 February 2022, Hejaaz Hizbullah was granted bail by the Court of Appeal after almost two years of pre-trial detention under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act. On 9 February, Mr. Hizbullah was released on bail and reunited with his family members. Mr. Hizbullah is a minority rights advocate and legal counsel for Muslim […]
Killings of Philippine lawyers escalate
Attacks against lawyers in the Philippines continue to take place and killings have reached a record high since the start of President Duterte’s administration in 2016. In response to the escalating killings, Lawyers for Lawyers has researched the killings of Philippine lawyers under Duterte’s regime from 2016 up and until 2021. We were informed by […]
Submission to UN Human Rights Committee – Russian Federation
During its 134th session, from 28 February to 25 March 2022, the Human Rights Committee will consider the eight periodic report submitted by the Russian Federation and adopt concluding observations that will assist the Russian Federation in the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In the context of this review, […]
Chinese New Year: Looking back on another year of crackdowns on China’s legal profession
Today, 1 February, marks the start of the Chinese New Year and the start of the Spring Festival. Hopefully, the start of the Year of the Tiger will bring a better tide for China’s human rights lawyers compared to the ongoing crackdown on lawyers in the previous years. However, the outlook is grim. Even though […]
Concerns about harassment Song Yusheng, Wang Yu and Xie Yang
Lawyers for Lawyers has learned that Chinese lawyers Xie Yang, Wang Yu and Song Yusheng have been detained, disbarred or harassed in January 2022. In a statement we express concern about the recents acts of harassment against the lawyers. Beijing-based lawyer Song Yusheng was summoned to a disbarment hearing in Beijing on 11 January 2022. […]
Letter on the trial and ongoing detention of Hejaaz Hizbullah
The case against Sri Lankan human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah at the Puttalam High Court will be taken up on 28 January 2022. In the run-up to the hearing, Lawyers for Lawyers has sent a letter to the Sri Lankan authorities to express concern about the trial and ongoing detention of Hejaaz Hizbullah, who is […]
Arbitrary detention of lawyers and human rights defenders
We are gravely concerned about the pattern of unlawful detention of human rights lawyers and defenders in Iran in violation of Iran’s international human rights law obligations. In a joint letter we elaborate our concerns about the unlawful detention of lawyers Mr. Amirsalar Davoudi, Ms. Nasrin Sotoudeh and Ms. Hoda Amid, and the ongoing criminal […]
Discussion on the UN Guidelines for Lawyers in Support of Peaceful Assemblies
Join the online discussion on the United Nations Guidelines for Lawyers in Support of Peaceful Assemblies from 13:30- 15:00 CET on 24 January 2022. The event is co-sponsored by Lawyers for Lawyers. The Guidelines for Lawyers in Support to Peaceful Assemblies (henceforth, ‘the Guidelines’), presented at the 47th session of the United Nations (UN) Human […]