Our Colleagues should be acquitted: Peaceful protest shall not be criminalized as terrorism propaganda!Our Colleagues should be acquitted:
Download the statement The European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH) with members in 22 European countries, is gravely concerned at the probable outcome of the hearing at the Istanbul 13th Heavy Criminal Court which is due to take place on 30 November 2023. On October 10, 2015, a bomb attack organized by ISIS…
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…
Urgent request for intervention in favour of Mrs Nasrin Sotoudeh
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…
Rwanda Decision of the Court of Appeal (UK) 29 June 2023
Comment of the Rwanda decision of the Court of Appeal (UK) 29 June 2023 (download) UK. By a majority of 2:1 (Lord Chief Justice dissenting) the Court of Appeal held that it was unlawful to remove 10 asylum seekers to Rwanda for their claims to be determined there as Rwanda is not a safe country…
European Lawyers: grave concern at the prosecution of the human rights activist Oleg Orlov
Download the statement The European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), with members in 22 European countries, expresses its grave concern at the prosecution of the human rights activist Oleg Orlov, who will be brought to a criminal Court on 8 June 2023, and faces three year imprisonment. Orlov is co-chair of the Memorial…
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…