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…
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…
Northern Ireland – International Human Rights Mission 2022 – Report
International lawyers assert multiple breaches of human rights and international law by the UK Government in Northern Ireland ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. It is not the usual lawyers and activists based in Northern Ireland raising their concerns about human rights breaches by the UK Government in the region, but…
7th anniversary of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement
in Turkish – in Greek March 18 2023 marks the 7th anniversary of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement. In 2016, Turkey assumed the role of the European Union’s border guard. It received billions of Euros from the EU on the condition that it held migrants in Turkey and received those who were deported back. Turkey, however,…