Joint Statement – Widespread mistreatment of lawyers in Turkey

Widespread mistreatment of lawyers in Turkey This week, a delegation of 21 bar associations, human rights organisations and legal groups representing eight countries gathered in Turkey for a fact-finding mission on the Turkish government’s treatment of criminal law and human rights lawyers. * A joint statement by the delegation said: “As the mission draws to …

Turkey: Top Court Upholds Rights Defender’s Life Term

Conviction of Osman Kavala and Four Others Needs Urgent International Response download statement in Turkish (Istanbul, October 10, 2023) – The prosecution of the rights defender and businessman Osman Kavala and four codefendants in connection with mass protests a decade ago has been unfair and essentially a political show trial from the beginning,  a group …

International Fair Trial Day – 2023 – Statement on Mexico

Joint Statement (download in English – in Spanish) Legal professional organizations, bar associations, and civil society organisations from Mexico and across the world who gathered for the 2023 International Fair Trial Day conference held in Mexico City on 14 June are united in our condemnation of the injustices and grievous human rights abuses and violations …

ELDH Statement: Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023

The European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH) condemns the actions of the UK Government in proceeding to enact the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (the Legacy Act) following Royal Assent on 18 September 2023. Members of ELDH conducted a fact-finding mission to Ireland in October 2022 as part of an …

Expert opinion on why Turkey cannot be considered as a ‘safe third country’

The extended scope and application of the ‘safe third country’ concept is an essential component of the EU’s ‘New Pact on Migration and Asylum’ and the reform of the Common European Asylum System. The ‘safe third country’ concept, in practice, allows asylum applications of people who have travelled through such a ‘safe third country’ to …

No Criminalisation of Anti-Monarchists in UK

download the statement ELDH unequivocally condemns the arrests in London of anti-monarchist activists, hours before the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6 May. Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, the leading anti-monarchist NGO, stated that as Republic prepared for a peaceful and lawful protest, he and a number of Republic’s team were arrested and …

Statement – Lawyer’s Day in Turkey

Download the statement On today’s Lawyers’ Day in Turkey, we send our solidarity greetings to the lawyers in Turkey who risk their freedom and lives to stand up for democracy, the rule of law and human rights. We send our greetings to the lawyers of Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği (ÇHD and Özgürlükçü Hukukçular Derneği (ÖHD) who …