Turkey: International law obligations to release Lawyers and others Illegally Imprisoned | Letter

Full PDF (ENG) LRWC calls for the immediate release of prisoners unlawfully detained and convicted under anti-terrorism laws. As those convicted under these provisions were denied internationally protected rights essential to a fair trial, there is no legal justification for their detention. … [Read more...]

Yemen: Overturn Death Sentence of Four Journalists Say Over 150 NGOs | Joint Statement

Full PDF (ENG) / Full PDF (ARA) / Full PDF (FRE) / Full PDF (SPA) Human right NGOs call on United Nations mechanisms and member states  to help save the lives of four Yemeni journalists who were sentenced to death in April 2020 in the capital Sana’a on charges of “spying” and “spreading false … [Read more...]

Hong Kong: Arrest and Prosecution of Pro-Democracy Figures Contravenes International Law Obligations | Letter

Full PDF May 12, 2020 Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor Chief Executive of Hong Kong Office of the Chief Executive 1 Tim Wa Avenue Tamar, Hong Kong Email: ceo@ceo.gov.hk Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah Secretary of Justice for Hong Kong Department of Justice 5th floor, Main Wing, Justice … [Read more...]

COVID19: The Survival of Indigenous Peoples is at Risk

Link to Statement Over 20 organizations urge governments across the Americas to adopt culturally appropriate, timely and effective responses to guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples in the face of the pandemic April 21, 2020. In the face of the emergency caused by the spread of … [Read more...]

China: Released Chinese rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang finally reunites with family

Human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang was released from detention on 5 April 2020. He was arrested during the “709 Crackdown” (which started on July 9th in 2015). After being secretly detained in a secret location for more than 1200 days, Wang Quanzhanghe was tried behind closed doors on 26 December … [Read more...]

Thailand: ICJ and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada intervene in criminal defamation proceeding against Thai journalist Suchanee Rungmuanporn (Cloitre) | Amicus Brief

Full Amicus Brief (English) | Full Amicus Brief (Thai) On 27 April 2020, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) submitted a joint amicus curiae brief to Thailand’s Court of Appeal in the appeal from conviction for criminal defamation of journalist, Ms. … [Read more...]

China: Wang Quanzhang should be free to join his family | Joint Statement

Full PDF Version (English) Full PDF Version (Chinese) Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang endured more than 1200 days of arbitrary detention in the absence of any due process and in January 2019 was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. Wang was released on 5 April 2020 … [Read more...]

China: Landmark Decision from London People’s Tribunal | Article

Landmark Decision from London People’s Tribunal[*] Clive Ansley[**] For almost thirty years, China has been running a hugely lucrative Murder for Organs Industry in which scores of thousands of China’s citizens are systematically examined for blood type, tissue type, and organ condition, … [Read more...]

COVID-19: Canada must ensure compliance with international law | Joint Letter

Read the full letter here (.pdf) Human rights oversight of COVID-19 responses is needed, say 154 Canadian organizations and 147 academics, former politicians, faith leaders and other individual experts. The joint letter, sent to Canadian officials on 14 April 2020, calls on Canada to ensure that … [Read more...]

Don’t Violate Human Rights While Responding to COVID-19, Say 33 NGOs | Joint Statement

Full PDF (ENG) | Meeting Webcast Human Rights Council virtual informal conversation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Joint NGO statement on civil and political rights Thursday, 09 April 2020 Civil society’s call to states:   we are in this together, don’t violate human … [Read more...]