Defend the defenders of peoples' rights. Secure, encrypted email: jsrussell301254@protonmail.com (end-to-end encryption)
le 28 février, 2018
L’avocate Nalova Bih et le Dr Ojong, annoncés à Yaoundé parmi les leaders arrêtés au Nigeria, se trouvaient toujours au Nigeria entre les mains des forces de sécurité nigérianes et auraient été libérés hier.
(Comité de Libération des Prisonniers Politiques – CL2P Facebook)
February 27, 2018
The wife of a jailed Chinese rights lawyer caught up in the July 2015 crackdown says he is suffering from memory loss in prison, raising concerns that the authorities may be dosing him with psychoactive medications.
Jiang Tianyong was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on charges of “incitement to subvert state power” last November, after he pleaded guilty at what his family said was a show trial in August.
Jiang has yet to be transferred to prison from the Changsha No. 1 Detention Center, where he was held under pretrial detention and pending appeal, but was recently permitted a visit from his sister, who found his health deteriorating and his memory unreliable, his U.S.-based wife Jin Bianling told RFA.
Jin said Jiang’s memory has shown “serious deterioration” since the last visit by a lawyer or family member, leading the family to suspect he has been force-fed with psychiatric medications — a method the Soviet Union used against political prisoners that China has also employed.
She said fellow rights lawyers detained in a nationwide police operation that began in July 2015 have reported being force-fed various types of medication.
“All of the lawyers detained in the July 2015 crackdown have been force-fed medication,” Jin said. “That’s why I suspect that Jiang Tianyong has too.”
…
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/lawyer-memory-02272018130237.html
http://tibet.net/2018/02/hold-china-accountable-international-rights-groups-urge-un-member-states/
Click to access EN_HRL_20180226_China_Disbarment-of-Sui-Muqing.pdf
February 27, 2018
On 23 February, the bail application of senior counsel and human rights lawyer Upendra Nayak was rejected by the Junior Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Mohana in Gajapati district in Odisha state. He was arrested on 20 February by Paralakhemundi Police. His next bail application will be filed before the District Judge.
On 21 February 2018, Upendra Nayak appeared before Gajapati Judicial Magistrate and was sent to R. Udaygiri Jail.
On 20 February, Upendra Nayak was arrested in relation to ten criminal cases where he himself was the defense lawyer and has been charged under sections 121, 121-A, 124-A of the Indian Penal Code which are related to sedition, waging war against the State, and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. These cases were registered between 2009 and 2010 wherein he successfully defended adivasi individuals who were arrested under anti-Maoist operations. All the trials ended in acquittals.
This is not the first case where a lawyer representing or working with adivasi people has been subjected to judicial harassment in India. Most recently, Advocate A. Murugan was arrested in 2017 in relation to criminal cases in which he had been defending the accused.
Front Line Defenders condemns the arrest of of human rights defender Upendra Nayak, as it strongly believes that it is directly linked to hispeaceful and legitimate work as a human rights lawyer in Odisha state in India.
…
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/bail-denied-human-rights-lawyer-odisha-state
February 27, 2018
ARRESTED LAWYER SULEYMAN GOKTEN WAS BATTERED IN PRISON CELL BY THE PRISON GUARDS
Kept in Tekirdağ No. 1 Type T Prison, Süleyman Gökten has told his lawyers that he and the inmates staying in the same cell were battered by guards last morning (February 26).
Speaking to bianet, lawyer Tamer Doğan and Ezgi Çakır conveyed that six of those battered in the cell were kept in room of sponge with their hands and feet handcuffed for six hours. Doğan and Çakır said that they will file a criminal complaint against the prison administration and guards.
According to Gökten’s lawyers Çakır and Doğan, as many as 50 guards entering the cells for morning roll call assaulted and battered them.
Lawyer Doğan added that those who were battered weren’t taken to infirmary on the pretext that there was no doctor in the prison.
…
Newsletter | The Persecution on Turkish Lawyers (13-28 Feb)
https://ahvalnews.com/rule-law/turkeys-crumbling-rule-law-global-issue-human-rights-lawyer
http://www.dw.com/en/we-must-speak-up-for-free-expression-in-turkey/a-42765598
http://www.idhae.org/pdf/OBSAV-SPECIALTURQUIE2017.pdf (FRANCAIS)
https://www.amnesty.fr/liberte-d-expression/actualites/defendre-la-liberte-dexpression-en-turquie (FRANCAIS)
February 26, 2018
Romanians rallied across the country and abroad on Sunday to denounce government attempts to sack the nation’s top anti-corruption prosecutor and pursue reforms that could benefit scandal-plagued politicians from the ruling party.
Thousands gathered on a snowy evening in the capital, Bucharest, and smaller protests took place in other cities and outside Romanian embassies, including in Dublin, in the latest round of demonstrations against the governing Social Democrats (PSD).
Justice minister Tudorel Toader sparked the protests by calling last week for the dismissal of Laura Codruta Kovesi, for allegedly exceeding her powers as head of Romania’s national anti-corruption directorate (DNA). The DNA has been highly praised by international experts for prosecuting numerous deputies, ministers and two ex-prime ministers for alleged wrongdoing in recent years, but Ms Codruta Kovesi has made powerful enemies along the way.
…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Codru%C8%9Ba_K%C3%B6vesi
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Codru%C8%9Ba_K%C3%B6vesi (ROMANESC)
le 19 février, 2018
Maître Bruno Dayez a publié un livre « Pourquoi libérer Dutoux ? » dans lequel il plaide pour une réforme du système judiciaire.
Bruno Dayez, l’avocat de Marc Dutroux, a dénoncé dans son livre (« Pourquoi libérer Dutroux ? ») les conditions de détention de son client, invitant à réformer le système judiciaire.
Vendredi soir, un blogeur a été interpellé par la police après avoir diffusé une vidéo dans laquelle on le voit brûler le livre de l’avocat. Dans la vidéo en question, le blogueur fait valoir que des actes plus conséquents pourraient suivre, notamment à l’encontre de Bruno Dayez. Il appelle les citoyens à se révolter au nom des victimes de ce « monstre », indéfendable selon lui.
Suite à cet incident, Me Dayez a été placé sous protection policière. L’avocat qui confirme sa mise sous protection a déclaré à Sudpresse : « Il faut vraiment être dégénéré pour penser que l’avocat fait corps avec son client au point de s’y identifier. »
…
http://www.lavenir.net/cnt/dmf20180215_01126162/un-adversaire-resolu-des-assises
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Dutroux
http://www.elmundo.es/opinion/2018/02/27/5a9435b2ca4741a93d8b4603.html (ESPANOL)
The Council of Europe, the CCBE and the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia is organising the conference with the aim to provide a platform for sharing information and experience on the current challenges of the bars and law societies, explore detrimental issues in the bar associations and propose concrete steps for strengthening the cooperation and ties amongst the bar associations and law societies of the Council of Europe member states.
The main objective of the Conference is to facilitate a dialogue and exchange of the best practice between the bars and law societies of different Council of Europe member states. The exchange that will take place between professionals from different countries shall create a solid platform for argumentation and it seeks to generate – and contribute to – a wider debate about the potential improvements in the bar associations and for the profession of an advocate. Even if the directions and the policies of the bar reforms may differ from country to country, discussion on the primary concepts and challenges unites different Council of Europe member states.
The scope of the Conference: The one day-long discussion will include presentations by leading members of CCBE, experts and representatives of bars and law societies of different Council of Europe member states.
The discussions and debates will be held on the following topics:
…
http://www.ccbe.eu/actions/events/
Click to access Concept-Note-on-Conference-in-Armenia-9-March-2018.pdf
February 27, 2018
The House justice committee is set to vote next week on the existence of probable cause in the impeachment complaint lodged against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
According to Committee chairman Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the panel will hear for the last time on Tuesday the impeachment complaint against Sereno which was filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon.
Umali said next week’s hearing gives members of the justice committee enough time to think about how they would be voting.
“Since it would all depend on the individual appreciation of the committee, I encourage everyone to be mindful of our timeline today so that we will be able to make an informed decision or judgment when we vote on the probable cause,” he told members of the committee.
Sereno is facing impeachment for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
…
https://www.rappler.com/nation/196982-sereno-impeachment-justice-committee
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/02/26/house-justice-committee-sereno-impeachment.html
https://www.rappler.com/nation/196963-charter-change-forum-dlsu-davide-judiciary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Lourdes_Sereno
Press Statement
27 February 2018
On reports that SC Justices asked the Chief Justice to go on leave indefinitely
The NUPL is disconcerted at reports that some magistrates of the High Court have asked the Chief Justice to take an ‘indefinite’ leave in an apparent effort to browbeat her in her own turf.
If true, this
exposes the widening cracks in the institution which impact on
the independence of the Judiciary, the Court’s very integrity, and ironically, on respect for the Constitution apparently because of political designs, personal considerations, or convenient acquiescence to the dark side.
We submit that the Justices are bereft of any basis in law where they could prevent any of their colleagues from discharging their oath of office under the guise of an official leave, much less declaring the post of a sitting justice vacant.
If the reports are accurate, we seriously regret that the concerned Justices have prejudged the impeachment proceedings that is yet to be concluded at the House of Representatives or of a possible trial in the Senate.
Worse, the said Justices have practically impeached their own colleague, instead of letting the process take its course in accordance with the Constitution they swore to uphold and to stand as supposed symbols of law and justice.
The losing party here is not the Chief Justice nor any Justice of the Court. It is also not the Court or the entire judicial system. It is the residual faith of the people in already unresponsive institutions whose roles are being wilted away, willingly or unwillingly, to de facto authoritarianism.#
References:
References:
Atty. Neri Javier Colmenares
NUPL Chairperson
+639178350459
Atty. Edre U. Olalia
NUPL President
+639175113373
(National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers Facebook)
February 26, 2018
Today, 26 February 2018, the decision was taken by the occupation Minister of War, Avigdor Lieberman, to renew the administrative detention order of Salah Hamouri. His order has been renewed for four months, to begin on 28 February 2018. This means that Salah will continue to remain in prison till at least 28 June 2018, at which point he would have been in prison for ten months.
Despite the claim that Salah represents a ‘security threat’, Addameer maintains that Salah has been imprisoned as a result of his human rights promoting activists and his activism. As a documentation field officer, Salah’s is responsible for meeting with ex-prisoners and detainees, and their families, to collect information regarding their detainment and the conditions in which they were kept. Additionally, Salah passed the exam for entrance to the Palestinian Bar Association three days before his arrest.
Due to the fact that his wife has been banned from entering Palestine, this extension of his imprisonment means that there will be another four months where he cannot see his young son. It means another four months where his family will be split across continents. Ultimately, Salah could just leave this all behind as he is a French national. Though this is why his sacrifice is all the more admirable. Despite the cost, he chooses to stay and struggle towards self-determination.
It is evident that closed door diplomacy has achieved little. The requests from French authorities have fallen on the deaf ears of the occupation.
We call on the occupation authorities to cancel their renewal and release Salah immediately. Additionally, the French and EU representatives must publicly condemn the illegal imprisonment of their citizen.
https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2697608&language=en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah_Hamouri
https://oumma.com/detention-administrative-de-salah-hamouri-renouvelee/ (FRANCAIS)
http://www.chroniquepalestine.com/salah-hamouri-menacenouvel-ordre-detention-administrative/ (FRANCAIS)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salah_Hamouri (FRANCAIS)
http://www.ism-france.org/temoignages/La-detention-de-Salah-Hamouri-est-renouvelee-article-20532 (FRANCAIS)
https://lepeuplebreton.bzh/2018/02/27/mobilisation-pour-salah-hamouri-a-brest/ (FRANCAIS)
https://oumma.com/salah-hamouri-boycotte-tribunal-israelien/ (FRANCAIS)
https://lemuslimpost.com/mairie-stains-priee-retirer-banderole-soutien-salah-hamouri.html (FRANCAIS)
http://www.desinfos.com/spip.php?article61183 (FRANCAIS)
https://www.amnesty.org/es/documents/mde15/7967/2018/es/ (ESPANOL)
FRANCE/ISRAEL: Me SALAH HAMOURI, EN DETENTION
[AUDIENCE DU 01/03/18]
📍 Salah Hamouri a été présenté ce matin devant le tribunal à Jérusalem. Salah a annoncé devant la cour qu’il boycottait ce tribunal qui n’est qu’une mascarade de justice et qui ne lui permet en aucun cas de prétendre à un procès équitable.
➡️ Cette audience a uniquement pour but de prendre acte de la décision émise le 26 février par le ministre israélien de la Défense, Avidgor Liberman, de prolonger de 4 mois la peine de Salah. Comme toutes les précédentes, elle ne permet en aucun cas qu’un véritable procès se tienne puisque les éventuelles charges contre les détenus administratifs ne sont jamais énoncées et publiques de sorte que la défense ne peut donc pas faire triompher la justice.
Afin de dénoncer ce simulacre de justice ainsi que tout le système de la détention administrative, les 450 Palestinien-ne-s incarcérés sous ce régime mènent actuellement un mouvement de boycott des tribunaux. Le juge a annoncé que cette audience était donc repoussée au 5 mars. Salah a annoncé qu’il boycottera une nouvelle fois l’audience.
#LibérezSalah
(Liberté pour Salah Hamouri 1/3/18 Facebook)
February 26, 2018
The High Court in Nairobi has directed the government to issue lawyer Miguna Miguna with a travel document to enable him re-entry into Kenya pending the hearing and determination of a case he filed challenging his deportation.
Justice Chacha Mwita on Monday ruled that should the government fail to issue Miguna with a travel document, then the self-declared NRM general should be at liberty to use his Canadian passport to regain entry into Kenya.
The court also ordered the government to facilitate Miguna’s return to the country on a date and time notified to the respondents by the petitioner.
“During the petitioner’s first re-entry into Kenya, the chairperson of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission be allowed access to the immigration and customs clearance areas at the port of petitioner’s re-entry in order to observe the extent of the respondents observance of the relevant constitutional human rights and immigration laws applicable to the petitioner’s rights to reenter Kenya,” ordered the judge.
Justice Mwita also suspended orders issued by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on February 6, 2018 declaring that Miguna was not a Kenyan citizen and that his presence in the country was contrary to national interest.
…
https://citizentv.co.ke/news/miguna-now-free-to-return-to-kenya-192025/
http://allafrica.com/stories/201802260659.html
http://www.kbc.co.ke/court-orders-govt-facilitate-miguna-miguna-return/
http://allafrica.com/stories/201802270097.html
http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/what-happened-to-kenyan-canadian-lawyer-miguna-miguna/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguna_Miguna
https://www.voaswahili.com/a/mahakama-kenya-yaamrisha-miguna-miguna-kurudishwa-nchini/4270717.html (SWAHILI)
http://www.expansion.com/agencia/europa_press/2018/02/27/20180227041336.html (ESPANOL)
http://prensa-latina.cu/index.php?o=rn&id=156706&SEO=kenya-siete-meses-de-disenso-postelectoral (ESPANOL)
#MigunaMiguna #ObeyCourtOrders #ObeyTheLaw
IAPL Website
IAPL Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers 