Colombia L4L participates in second ‘Caravana de Juristas’
Final declaration participants ‘Caravana 2010’ The Second Caravana Internacional de Juristas (International Caravan of Lawyers) met in Bogota, Colombia, from 23rd to 28th August 2010, following the first Caravana in 2008. 56 lawyers from 13 countries came to Bogota in solidarity with their Colombian colleagues. The Caravana met with authorities and members of various communities […]
China Missing lawyer awarded by ABA
On 6 August 2010, the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law awarded Gao Zhisheng with the International Human Rights Lawyer Award. Zhisheng had been missing for fourteen months, reappeared earlier this year, but went missing again shortly afterwards. Therefore his daughter Geng Ge accepted the award on his behalf. Together with her mother and […]
Honduras Lawyer Kenia Olivia Cardona subject to threats
Amnesty International has initiated a letter writing campaign for Kenia Olivia Cardona on 29 July 2010. She works as a lawyer in Honduras for the ‘Comité de Familiares Detenidos Desapericidos en Honduras’ (COFADEH). Since the coup in June 2009, the Honduran police violently oppress public protests, often in collaboration with national security agencies. COFADEH helps […]
Iran Mohammad Mostafaei applies for asylum in Norway
The Iranian lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, against whom a warrant of arrest was issued on 24 July 2010, fled to Norway via Turkey, as became clear on 9 August 2010. Turkey could not grant him asylum, and so the Norwegian embassy in Turkey gave him a temporary visa for Norway, where he will apply for asylum. […]
Syria Haitham Al-Maleh sentenced to 3 years
On 7 July 2010, Haitham al-Maleh was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment by the Syrian Secondary Military Court. The 79-year-old human rights lawyer was charged with ‘the spreading of false information that was damaging for the morale of the nation’, ‘the weakening of national sentiments’ and ‘slandering a government institution’. He was held in detention […]
Colombia L4L supports amicus curiae to constitutional court
On 5 March 2010, the Commision Colombiana de Juristas (CCJ) and the Colombian NGO Corporación Reiniciar submitted a request to the Constitutional Court of Colombia to declare certain articles of the law 1288 of 2009 unconstitutional. This law “… sets out norms to strengthen the legal basis that allows institutions carrying out intelligence and counterintelligence […]
Philippines Open letter to the new President
Benigno Aquino III, since 30 June 2010 the new president of the Philippines, recently promised to seriously handle the problem of the extra judicial killings in the country. This problem still is the order of the day, as is shown by the recent murders of journalists and farmer’s leaders. Aquino also stated that he considers […]
Mexico Human rights lawyer Blanca Mesina receives death threats
Mrs. Blanca Mesina is a lawyer in the Mexican City of Tijuana, close to the border with the US, some 20 miles from San Diego. Tijuana is known for its vivid drug trade and other crime and because many Mexicans attempt to cross the border from the city. The independence of the police is under […]
Syria Al-Hassani sentenced to 3 years in prison
On 23 June 2010 the court in Damascus has sentenced Syrian lawyer Muhanad al-Hassani to three years in prison for committing vague offenses as ‘the spreading of information that weakens the national morale’ and ‘the spreading of false information abroad’. On behalf of L4L and the Dutch Bar Association, Germ Kemper attended the announcement of […]
Syria L4L observes another hearing in trial Al-Hassani
L4L again sent a delegation to observe a hearing in the trial against Syrian lawyer Muhanad al-Hassani on 10 June 2010. This time, they had been sent on behalf of the Amsterdam and Dutch Bar Associations as well. After the hearing, they had a conversation with the presiding judge, just like last time, to whom […]
L4L Jaarverslag 2009
Ook in 2009 werd duidelijk dat veel advocaten hun beroep nog altijd niet in vrijheid kunnen uitoefenen. L4L heeft zich daarom ingezet voor advocaten in onder meer Birma, Cambodja, China, Colombia, Filippijnen, Guatemala, Iran, Kenia, Libanon, Marokko, Pakistan, Peru, Russische Federatie, Soedan, Sri Lanka, Syrië, Tunesië, Vietnam en Zimbabwe. Download voor meer informatie het jaarverslag. […]
Iran Shadi Sadr convicted to 6 years and 74 lashes
Shadi Sadr, the Iranian lawyer who received several human rights awards including the Dutch Tulip for Human Rights in 2009, has been sentenced in absentia to a prison term of 6 years and 74 lashes on 16 May 2010. As a lawyer, journalist and investigator, she has diligently fought for the rights of women in […]
Iran Mohammad Olyaeifard sentenced to 1 year in prison
Mohammad Olyaeifard started serving a one year sentence on 1 May 2010. He was arrested because of an interview in which he spoke out against the execution of one of his clients, Behnoud Shojaee. Shojaee was 17 years old at the time of the murder he was eventually hanged for, and thus a minor according […]
Mexico L4L comes to action for Alba Cruz
L4L spoke to Mexican lawyer Alba Cruz Ramos on May 3rd, 2010. Because of Alba’s work, many political prisoners in the Oaxaca region have been released. In a case started by Alba and her Comité 25 Noviembre colleagues, the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the governor of Oaxaca and 8 others are to be held […]
Syria Amsterdam Dean and L4L attend trial Al Hassani
On 4 May 2010 the President of the Amsterdam Bar Associaton Germ Kemper and L4L board member Joost Italianer attended the trial against Syrian lawyer and human rights activist Muhanad al-Hassani in Damascus. He was arrested in July 2009 and has been held under difficult circumstances ever since. What’s more, the Bar Association has disbarred […]
China Gao Zhisheng disappeared
Gao Zhisheng, one of China’s best known human rights lawyers who had earlier been missing for fourteen months, has disappeared again after being free for several months. The first sign of life was heard half March 2010, when it became clear that he had been held in detention. Two weeks later Gao spoke to journalists […]
