Access to justice, legal aid

BC, Canada: Bill 21 “Legal Professions Act” is fundamentally flawed and should be withdrawn. Why? | Briefing Notes

Full PDF briefing notes on Bill 21 (3 pages) | See more on Bill 21 Briefing Notes on Bill 21, “Legal Professions Act.” Catherine Morris, member and former Executive Director, Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada 23 April 2024 Bill 21 “Legal Professions Act” is fundamentally flawed and should be … [Read more...]

British Columbia, Canada: Analysis of Bill 21 shows clear violation of international law and standards on independence of lawyers

Full pdf 17 April 2024 briefing paper | 17 April 2024 pdf letter to Attorney General of BC (AGBC) | 18 April 2024 Media release .pdf 24 April 2024 briefing notes Also see LRWC's 25 September 2024 briefing for BC election candidates | 12 April 2024 pdf letter | Letter 10 April 2024 | Brief … [Read more...]

BC legal aid gaps violate international law: Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada calls for independent legal aid body | Press release

BC legal aid gaps violate international law Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada calls for independent legal aid body Press release For immediate release full .pdf file 22 November 2018 - Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) today told the government of British Columbia that BC’s inadequate legal aid … [Read more...]

Canada: Consular protection and diplomatic intervention | Submission to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development

Full .pdf version (with references) Consular protection and diplomatic intervention: International law duties to provide access to remedies for human rights violations against Canadians abroad Submission to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Parliament of … [Read more...]

Pakistan: Ensure Legal Representation for Kulbushan Jadhav and Guarantee Right to Legal Counsel | Joint Letter

Full PDF Version On 14 April 2017, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (the “LHCBA”) stated that it will take action against any lawyer who extends their services to Kulbhushan Jadhav, an alleged Indian spy who was sentenced to death in early April 2017 by a Pakistani military court. The … [Read more...]

Canada’s Forgotten Child Hostages | Op-ed by Catherine Morris

Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were travelling in Central Asia when they were captured in Afghanistan in 2012. This family is no less entitled to protection against human rights violations than diplomats, aid workers or journalists. Full PDF Version Canada’s forgotten child hostages … [Read more...]

India: LRWC, HRW and ICJ call for Release of Human Rights Defender Khurram Parvez | Joint Letter

Full PDF Version JAMMU and KASHMIR STATE, INDIA: LRWC, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists call for the immediate and unconditional release from arbitrary detention of human rights defender Khurram Parvez. Mr. Parvez, an internationally known human rights advocate, was … [Read more...]

Turkey: Amicus Brief in the Case of Ayşe Acinikli and Ramazan Demir

Full PDF Version (English) Full PDF Version (Turkish) LRWC and the Law Society of England and Wales prepared an amicus brief (in Turkish and English) for submission to the Constitutional Court of Turkey in the case of human rights lawyers Ayşe Acinikli and Ramazan Demir. The brief … [Read more...]

International Right to Legal Aid in Relation to the British Columbia Missing Women Commission of Inquiry | Report

Full PDF Version This summary of Canada’s international law duties to provide legal aid arising from provisions of United Nations and Organization of American States treaties was prepared for an investigation by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women … [Read more...]

Canadian Jurisprudence Regarding the Right to Legal Aid | Report

Full PDF Version Canadian Jurisprudence Regarding the Right to Legal Aid  Prepared by Erika Heinrich, B.Com., J.D.  Introduction: 1. In recent years, the decline of legal aid funding in Canada[1] has renewed interest in access to justice and whether there is a constitutional right to … [Read more...]