ELDH statement on the new EU ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’

The Pact on Migration and Asylum published on 23 September 2020, provides a framework to facilitate and justify the obstruction of access to asylum procedures, unlawful returns and refoulement. Although labelled a ‘fresh start’,[1] it retains many highly contentious aspects of the old border policy including a discriminatory fast track border procedure, military and technological …

LAWYERS’ ASSOCIATIONS PROTEST ARREST OF TURKISH LAWYER SEDA SARALDI

The following statement was issued by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), European Democratic Lawyers (AED-EDL), and the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH) on 31 October 2020:  Another lawyer from Turkey has been arrested Free Seda Saraldı ! We, the undersigned international lawyers’ associations, have for many years …

ELDH Appeal to the Serbian Government

ELDH is deeply concerned about reports from 28 July 2020[1] that the Serbian government suspects numerous human rights organizations in Serbia of money laundering and terrorist financing. A total of 37 civil organizations, media and foundations and 20 private individuals were affected. In a letter to all commercial banks in Serbia, they were asked to …

Conference Report – Rethinking labour law in the digitalisation era – 15 and 16 October 2020

On 15 and 16 October 2020 a very well attended video conference with about 650 registrations was organised by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), the European Lawyers for Workers (ELW) Network and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), with the support of the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH). Simultaneous …

Letter to the Permanent Representative of Germany to the UN: necessary measures for a fair and timely peace settlement in Western Sahara

Excellency,As representatives of human rights organisations, civil society andsolidarity groups from Germany, we are writing to ask you and allMembers of the Security Council to take the necessary measuresfor a fair and timely peace settlement in Western Sahara! In the run-up to the UN Security Council vote on the renewal of theMINURSO mandate, this is …

ECtHR – Court President Robert Spanó’s recent controversial visit to Turkey

Independence, Impartiality and the ECHR: Court President Robert Spanó’s recent controversial visit to Turkey Dr Özgür Heval Çınar (member of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers) Today the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is seen as one of the most effective mechanisms in the protection of human rights in Europe. We may also say …

European lawyers protest against US sanctions on the International Criminal Court

On 2 September 2020, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the imposition of sanctions, namely inclusion in the Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List (SDN), on International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the Court’s prosecution jurisdiction director Phakiso Mochochoko, for investigating allegations that U.S. troops committed war crimes in Afghanistan. The …