L4L Acceptance speech Alec Muchadehama on receiving the first Lawyers for Lawyers Award
Highlights from Alec Muchadehama’s acceptance speech I would like to say that I am so pleased to be here today. During the programmes I have experienced great moments, moments which I am sure will live in my mind forever. On the 15th of January 2011, I received an email from the President of Lawyers for […]
L4L Report of the L4L-Award Jury
Here you can find the report of the L4L-Award Jury, which was presented to Alec Muchadehama on 15 April 2011 (see it here in PDF). This year for the first time, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary Lawyers for Lawyers is awarding a prize to a lawyer, or a group of lawyers, working to […]
Thailand 7 years since disappearance Somchai Neelapaijit
Seven years after Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaijipit went missing, there is still no prospect of justice. Somchai disappeared on 12 March 2004, one day after he had publicly accused the police of torturing his clients, who were in detention. Since then, nothing has been heard of him. Despite pressure from his family and […]
Colombia Reports discussed before UN Human Rights Council
On 23 March 2011, the UN Human Rights Council gathered to discuss the annual report on the human rights situation in Colombia. L4L was there to present a LRWC statement on behalf of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada and the International Commission of Jurists. On the HRC’s website, you can find the different reports on Colombia, […]
Belarus Pavel Sapelka and four others disbarred
On 3 March 2011, Belarusian lawyer Pavel Sapelka was disbarred by the Minsk City Bar. In February 2011, the Bar had already taken the same measure against his colleagues Aleg Ageev, Tatiana Ageeva, Vladzimir Toutsik and Tamara Garaeva. It has been suggested that the Ministry of Justice had urged the Minsk City Bar several times […]
Syria 80 year old Haitham al-Maleh released
On 8 March 2011, 80 year old Syrian lawyer Haitham al-Maleh was released from prison after 1.5 year. He was detained since October 2009 and was convicted to a three year sentence on 7 July 2010 for allegedly ‘spreading false information that was damaging for the morale of the nation’, ‘weakening national sentiments’ and ‘slandering […]
Syria Once more observers to Syria on behalf of L4L
On Tuesday 1 February 2011, Judith Lichtenberg and Gerrit Nieuwenhuis returned from Syria. They were to observe a disciplinary hearing against Radeef Moustafa and Abdel-Rahman Najjar in Aleppo on behalf of L4L and the Amsterdam and Dutch Bar Associations. Moustafa risks being disbarred for life because he – without permission from the bar association – […]
Belarus Warning BHC for reporting to UN Special Rapporteur
Two lawyers connected to the Minsk City Lawyers’ Association have been put under pressure by the Belarusian Ministry of Justice. They defend protesters who have been arrested after a demonstration on 19 December 2010. Pavel Sapelka received a letter warning him that he could be disbarred for having spoken publicly about his concerns with respect […]
Iran Pressure on lawyers increases again
Lawyers Farshid Yadollahi and Amir Eslami were convicted to a six months prison sentence on Kish Island in southern Iran on 22 January. Around the same time, Mostafa Daneshjou was sentenced in appeal to seven months in prison in the northern province of Mazandaran. These lawyers represented dervishes, Sufi Muslims who choose to live in […]
Mexico Lawyer Alba Cruz Ramos repeatedly harassed
Mexican human rights lawyer Alba Cruz Ramos has received new threats. The threats are part of a pattern of death threats and harassment against her in an attempt to stop her from defending victims of torture and unfounded prosecution in Oaxaca State. Her life could be at risk. Alba works together with other lawyers and […]
Tunisia Several lawyers arrested during disturbances
The disturbances that have occurred in Tunisia since mid-December 2010 have left many people killed, injured or in detention. Through a though repression, the authorities tried to suppress the many protests in the country. After former president Ben Ali left the country in the afternoon of Friday 14 January, power was eventually assumed by the […]
Iran Nasrin Sotoudeh convicted to 11 year prison sentence
The Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has been in detention since September 2010, has been convicted to an 11 year prison sentence on 9 January 2011. Furthermore, she will be banned from practicing law and travelling abroad for a period of 20 years. She received 5 years for allegedly undermining national security, another 5 years […]
Syria Radeef Moustafa may be disbarred in disciplinary procedure
On 19 December 2010, Radeef Moustafa was interrogated in the framework of a disciplinary procedure against him that was started on the initiative of the Syrian Bar Association. Moustafa is charged with, among other things, “membership to an illegal organization”, “actions against the Syrian government” through Mr. Radeef Moustafa’s human rights work and his publications […]
Colombia Threats addressed at lawyers
On 13 October 2010, Leonardo Jaimes Marín was informed that a murder attempt would be directed at him. He defends family members of victims of extrajudicial executions. In such cases, civilians are murdered by military groups, who report the incident subsequently as a ‘death due to military confrontation’. On 28 March 2008, 3 men were […]
Nepal Human Rights Council discusses Universal Periodic Review
At the end of January 2011, the tenth session of the working group Universal Periodic Review (UPR) took place in Geneva. The UPR reviews the extent to which each UN member complies with the UN Human Rights treaties once every four years. One of the countries that were reviewed during the tenth session was Nepal. […]
Iran Lawyers fight for their prosecuted colleagues
The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC) published an interview with the Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi on the occasion of Human Rights Day, Friday 10 December 2010. In the conversation, she clarifies the problems for human rights lawyers in Iran. “The biggest challenge is that the Iranian government does not want to comply with its […]
