The present document of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) concerns a letter to the president of Russia. The International Commission of Jurists’ Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (ICJ/CIJL) demands the Russian authorities to immediately release a lawyer arrested on 24 October after police planted a firearm in his car. Mr. Mikhail Ivanovich Trepashkin’s arrest and detention prevent him from representing relatives of one of the victims in the 1999 Moscow apartment bombings case. The ICJ believes that the real motive behind Mr. Trepashkin’s arrest and detention is to prevent him from appearing in court to pursue the interests of his clients. In this regard the ICJ draws attention to the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. The Principles establish that Governments have the duty to ensure that lawyers can fulfil their functions without fear of harassment or improper interference.
The present document of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) concerns a letter to the president of Russia. The International Commission of Jurists’ Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (ICJ/CIJL) demands the Russian authorities to immediately release a lawyer arrested on 24 October after police planted a firearm in his car. Mr. Mikhail Ivanovich Trepashkin’s arrest and detention prevent him from representing relatives of one of the victims in the 1999 Moscow apartment bombings case. The ICJ believes that the real motive behind Mr. Trepashkin’s arrest and detention is to prevent him from appearing in court to pursue the interests of his clients. In this regard the ICJ draws attention to the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. The Principles establish that Governments have the duty to ensure that lawyers can fulfil their functions without fear of harassment or improper interference.
