Ukraine/Russia: Ukraine’s military prosecutor arrested in absentia in Russia for illegal criminal charges

July 23, 2017

Moscow’s Basmanny Court sanctioned arrest in absentia of Ukraine’s Prosecutor of the Chief Military Prosecution Ruslan Kravchenko and Investigator for particularly important cases of the Prosecutor General’s Office Vadim Priymachok, charged with prosecution of a person who is knowingly innocent of criminal responsibility, the Court’s Press Secretary Yunona Tsareva told TASS on Sunday.

“At the request from the investigator, the court chose in relation to Kravchenko and Priymachok, who are on the international wanted list, a preventive measure in the form of detention in absentia,” she said.

The press secretary said the charges presented to Kravchenko and Priymachok are under the Criminal Code’s article on criminal charges and illegal criminal case accusing a person of grave or especially grave crime. The responsibility under this article is between five and ten years in prison. The press secretary said she did not have details on the criminal case.

The media reported earlier, Military Prosecutor Kravchenko and investigator Priymachok were probing in Ukraine into a criminal case against Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Besides, the military prosecutor is head of the group investigating the case on treason of Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovich.

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http://tass.com/world/957399

India: Lawyers bodies against changes proposed by Modi Govt. to Advocates Act, 1961

July 21, 2017

Government has told Lok Sabha that the Bar Associations across the Country, including one in Supreme Court, had opposed Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

Government further added that lawyer bodies also oppose Law Commission’s 266th Report which has recommende the stringent disciplinary action against the lawyers disrupting the court work, including barring them from practising.

The Law Commission has recommended amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961 to allow lawyers a day’s token strike in the compelling circumstances with prior approval of the Bar Council concerned.

…

http://www.latestlaws.in/lawyers-bodies-changes-proposed-modi-govt-advocates-act-1961/

http://www.livelaw.in/bci-rejects-law-commission-india-report-amendments-advocates-act-resolves-make-recommendations/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/bar-council-meeting-to-discuss-advocates-act-reforms/articleshow/59460646.cms

India: Bar v. Bench at Allahabad High Court: Agarwal J pens scathing letter to Chief Justice

July 23, 2017

The Allahabad High Court has been witnessing a tussle between the Bar and the Bench for the past few days. While the Bar alleges that the conduct of Justice Sudhir Agarwal has been inappropriate and insulting towards the lawyers, the judge feels the stance of the Bar to be contempt of Court.

Recently, lawyers went on strike as a mark of protest against the Bench, which they allege had passed adverse remarks against them.

The members of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association represented by their President Anil Tiwari had also requested Chief Justice DB Bhosale to intervene and restore convention.

Then on Friday, Justice Agarwal wrote a letter to the Chief Justice communicating his desire for taking appropriate action against the lawyers involved in the strike. Justice Agarwal, while narrating his experience, states that the conduct of the lawyers amounts to criminal contempt and is a “veiled threat to the Court” warranting necessary action to be taken against them.

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https://barandbench.com/tussle-bar-bench-allahabad-high-court/

Egypt: EGIPTO: LA DEFENSORA AZZA SOLIMAN NECESITA NUESTRA AYUDA (PETICION)

Por su trabajo a favor de los derechos de las mujeres, puede ser condenada a 15 años de cárcel.

Cada día, Azza Soliman arriesga su seguridad y su libertad para defender a las sobrevivientes de violencia en Egipto. Es confundadora de un centro que proporciona asistencia letrada gratuita para mujeres egipcias e imparte clases de alfabetización, para mujeres que viven en la pobreza y sobrevivientes de malos tratos.

A causa de su labor altruista y valiente, Azza y otros defensores y defensoras egipcios de los derechos humanos han sido calificados de espías y de amenazas para la seguridad nacional. Han sido blanco de campañas de desprestigio y vigilancia gubernamental, y del acoso constante de las fuerzas de seguridad y los medios de comunicación progubernamentales. Muchas de estas personas se exponen a cadena perpetua.

Azza ha sido detenida e interrogada recientemente. Ahora está acusada de cargos como mancillar la imagen de Egipto por afirmar que las mujeres del país están expuestas a la violación. Se le ha prohibido viajar, han congelado sus bienes y podría ser condenada a una pena de hasta 15 años de prisión.

¡Firma! Reuniremos las firmas y las entregaremos al presidente de Egipto.

https://www.es.amnesty.org/actua/acciones/egipto-azza-soliman-valiente-may17/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=comp&utm_medium=social_com&utm_term=Womens_rights&utm_content=Web_petition-firma_egipto_may17

Poland: Protests in Warsaw as government moves on courts

July 22, 2017

Bogdan Klich looked on as hundreds of protesters confronted a long line of impassive police officers ringing the Polish parliament. It was early Friday morning, not long after midnight, and Klich seemed a man in his element.

It wasn’t the first time the 57-year-old minority leader of the Polish senate had taken on his government. Klich led student strikes in 1980 and joined the underground opposing communist martial law later that decade. What he hadn’t expected was having to return to the streets again, 27 years after Poland’s break with communism.

“I always felt Polish democracy was based on strong foundations, and that no one would try to overturn that,” he said, as a small group of demonstrators called him over, worried the police might try to remove them. “I was wrong,” he said.

Hours earlier, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Warsaw and other Polish cities to protest the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party’s effort to impose tighter political controls over the judicial system. The lower house of parliament, where PiS has a majority, adopted a law Thursday that would force all Supreme Court judges into retirement except those selected by the justice minister.

…

http://www.politico.eu/article/protests-in-warsaw-as-government-moves-on-courts/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/22/polish-senate-approves-bill-to-give-government-influence-over-courts

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/21/europe/poland-judicial-bill-pass-upper-house/index.html

https://www.ft.com/content/8ddc360a-6e0d-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0

https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21725333-question-whether-eu-will-do-anything-about-it-polands-government-putting-courts

http://www.npr.org/2017/07/22/538773014/critics-say-new-poland-law-dissolves-separation-of-judiciary-and-ruling-party

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/07/272791.htm

http://information.tv5monde.com/info/reforme-de-la-justice-en-pologne-tusk-juge-deplorable-la-cooperation-avec-bruxelles-182304 (FRANCAIS)

http://fr.euronews.com/2017/07/21/pologne-vote-reforme-cour-supreme-manifestations-union-europeenne (FRANCAIS)

http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/europe/reforme-de-la-justice-en-pologne-lech-walesa-rejoint-les-protestations-contre-la-loi-sur-la-cour-supreme-en-pologne-938254.aspx (FRANCAIS)

http://www.rfi.fr/europe/20170722-pologne-casse-tete-commission-europeenne-tusk-duda-cour-supreme (FRANCAIS)

Venezuela: Venezuela row as National Assembly appoints judges

July 22, 2017

Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly has appointed 33 judges to the Supreme Court, prompting accusations of an attempted power grab.

The assembly says it has the right to name and fire justices under the country’s constitution.

But the court, which is largely made up of pro-government members, has described the move as illegal.

The opposition is stepping up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to call early elections.

Mr Maduro has refused and is instead going ahead with plans to form a constituent assembly which would have the power to rewrite the constitution and bypass the National Assembly.

The impasse has left Venezuela in a political crisis and scores of people have died in months of anti-government protests.

Following the National Assembly’s announcement, the government said it would not allow serving judges to be unseated.

The Supreme Court has ordered “civil and military authorities” to carry out “coercive actions” in response to the appointments, but it is unclear what that will entail.

…

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40690251

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN1A6205

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=15943&SEO=venezuelaas-supreme-court-declares-oppositionas-judges-invalid

http://www.lalibre.be/actu/international/crise-au-venezuela-la-communaute-internationale-hausse-le-ton-alors-que-la-barre-des-100-morts-a-ete-franchie-5972e4ffcd70d65d24e970c1 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/venezuela-100-morts-depuis-le-debut-des-manifestations-de-l-opposition-21-07-2017-2144895_24.php (FRANCAIS)

Turkey: Turkey Detains Two Released Human Rights Defenders Again

July 22, 2017

Two of the four human rights defenders who were previously detained and released in İstanbul, were detained again since Friday according to reports in Turkish media. The detained rights defenders are Nalan Erkem from the Citizens’ Assembly and İlknur Üstün of Women’s Coalition who were taken to police stations in İstanbul and Ankara respectively. Another six rights defenders had already been imprisoned on charges of terrorism on Tuesday.

İstanbul’s Adalar Chief Prosecutor’s Office has issued detention warrants for four human rights defenders who were released on judicial probation on Tuesday after they were detained along with six others on July 5 during a workshop on İstanbul’s Büyükada. Detention warrants were issued for Nalan Erkem, Şeyhmus Özbekli, Nejat Taştan and İlknur Üstün.

Six human rights activists, including Amnesty International’s (AI) Turkey director İdil Eser, who were detained on July 5 during a workshop at a hotel on İstanbul’s Büyükada, were put in pre-trial arrest by an İstanbul court on Tuesday. The court however ordered the release of the four on judicial probation and banned them from international travel.

Turkish police, acting on an anonymous tip, raided a hotel on Büyükada, one of the Princes’ Islands off İstanbul, and detained Eser from AI, İlknur Üstün from the Women’s Coalition, lawyer Günal Kurşun from the Human Rights Agenda Association, lawyer Nalan Erkem from the Citizens Assembly, Nejat Taştan from the Equal Rights Watch Association, Özlem Dalkıran from the Citizens’ Assembly, lawyer Şeyhmuz Özbekli, and Veli Acu from the Human Rights Agenda Association. Two foreign trainers — a German and a Swedish national — as well as the hotel owner, who was later released, were among the detainees.

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https://stockholmcf.org/turkey-detains-rights-activist-erkem-who-was-released-only-four-days-ago/

https://turkeypurge.com/turkey-detains-right-activist-who-was-released-only-4-days-ago

https://turkeypurge.com/turkey-issues-detention-warrants-for-4-previously-released-rights-defenders

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/07/turkey-rearrest-of-four-human-rights-defenders-a-cruel-and-retrograde-step/

https://www.thelocal.de/20170722/eu-backs-germanys-tough-stance-on-turkey

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/berlins-turkey-stance-understandable-eu-commissioner-hahn-says.aspx?PageID=238&NID=115831&NewsCatID=351

https://turkeypurge.com/judge-suffering-cancer-jailed-in-kocaeli-wife-under-detention-in-tokat