South Sudan: Disappearances of South Sudanese Critics Demand a Response

January 23, 2019

(Aggrey Ezbon Idri (L) and Dong Samuel Luak. © Private/Human Rights Watch)

Two years ago, South Sudanese lawyer Dong Samuel Luak disappeared off the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. I recently sat with Kur Lual, Dong’s law partner, in South Sudan’s capital, Juba. Holding his head in his hands, he asked me, “How does someone like Dong disappear just like that?” It’s a question many others inside and outside of South Sudan are still asking themselves.

Dong fled South Sudan in August 2013, but continued to denounce human rights abuses and corruption there from his new home in Nairobi. Just one day after his disappearance on January 23, 2017, a South Sudanese government critic and political opposition member, Aggrey Ezbon Idri, also went missing in Nairobi.

The Kenyan government denied having both Dong and Aggrey in custody despite reports from their families that they were being held by the police and awaiting deportation. Meanwhile, other reports indicate that by January 25, the two were already being held by South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS), forces known to commit abuses including unlawful detentions and torture. A Kenyan court ordered the police to investigate the disappearance of the two, but questions about how they disappeared, who was responsible for their abduction, and how they got into South Sudan remain unanswered.

…

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/23/disappearances-south-sudanese-critics-demand-response?fbclid=IwAR3XaELVj7Y48JOYx69BL-09ed6pydD5rFzWQKBmkV6X1YUHOe6EAzU0kCA

http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ID/21756/Default.aspx

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article66958

https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/disappearances-south-sudanese-critics-demand-response

https://www.whispereye.com/2019/01/23/makerere-university-might-need-us-all-nkunyingi-muwada/

#Sudan: The @CCBEinfo expresses its concern regarding the disappearance of Dong Samuel Luak, a #lawyer who has been missing for over a year. We urge the government to ensure that his whereabouts are revealed and that he is released immediately.

➡️https://t.co/tIZrUbY7kA

— CCBE (@CCBEinfo) April 24, 2018

Greece/Turkey: Εκδήλωση για τις διώξεις δικηγόρων και δικαστών στην Τουρκία

23/01/19

Συντάκτης:

efsyn.gr

Με αφορμή την Παγκόσμια Ημέρα του δικηγόρου σε Κίνδυνο (Day of the Endangered Lawyer), το  ελληνικό τμήμα της ΑED  (AVOCATS EUROPEEN DEMOCRATES) διοργανώνει την πρώτη του παρέμβαση με μία εκδήλωση αφιερωμένη στις διώξεις δικηγόρων και δικαστών στην Τουρκία.

Στην εκδήλωση θα μιλήσουν ο Κ.Ε. (δικαστής από την Τουρκία), ο Cengiz Aktar (καθηγητής Πολιτικών Επιστημών στο ΕΚΠΑ), η Γιώτα Μασουρίδου (μέλος της Ένωσης Δικηγόρων για την Υπεράσπιση των Θεμελιωδών Δικαιωμάτων) και ο Βασίλης Παπαστεργίου (μέλος του Δ.Σ. του ΔΣΑ).

Επίσης, μέσω Skype θα παρέμβει η δικηγόρος Elvan Olkun από την Τουρκία, ενώ χαιρετισμό θα απευθύνει ο πόεδρος του ΔΣΑ, Δημήτρης Βερβεσός.

Η εκδήλωση θα πραγματοποιηθεί αύριο (Πέμπτη 24 Ιανουαρίου) στις 3.00 το μεσημέρι στον ΔΣΑ (Ακαδημίας 60), στην αίθουσα «Μιχάλη Επ. Ζαφειρόπουλου».

Τα στοιχεία της εκδήλωσης

…

http://www.efsyn.gr/arthro/ekdilosi-gia-tis-dioxeis-dikigoron-kai-dikaston-stin-toyrkia

https://www.evrytanika.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1299610:%CE%B5%CE%BA%CE%B4%CE%AE%CE%BB%CF%89%CF%83%CE%B7-%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1-%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%82-%CE%B4%CE%B9%CF%8E%CE%BE%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%82-%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B7%CE%B3%CF%8C%CF%81%CF%89%CE%BD-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9-%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%83%CF%84%CF%8E%CE%BD-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BA%CE%AF%CE%B1&catid=53:2011-11-23-14-55-18&Itemid=146

basic-report_turkey2019

https://eldh.eu/en/2018/11/22/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-2019/

Updated Report: Incarceration of Turkish Lawyers | Unjust Arrests and Convictions (2016-2018)

https://eldh.eu/fr/2018/11/22/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-2019/

https://www.wnd.com/2019/01/eu-court-orders-turkey-to-follow-human-rights-treaty/

http://www.idhae.org/OBSAV-DEL190124-TUR.htm?fbclid=IwAR2lT2R_herNRCBWt1zG_ma-sTKaPBW0id9a1EBmy0Z2LDZk1w6CvqL60iw (FRANCAIS)

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

#EndangeredLawyers

#24OcakTehlikedekiAvukatlarGünü

#24thJanuaryEndangeredLawyersDay

#İstanbulBarosu

Turkey: ‘Endangered Lawyers’ Brought to Parliament

January 23, 2019

After the Day of the Endangered Lawyer was dedicated to the lawyers in Turkey, main opposition CHP MP Tanrıkulu has submitted a parliamentary question, asking how many attorneys are arrested because of the defenses they raised.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu has submitted a parliamentary question regarding January 24 Day of the Endangered Lawyer.

CLICK- Day of the Endangered Lawyer Dedicated to Lawyers in Turkey

In his question, Tanrıkulu said that The European Democratic Lawyers (AED), the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy & World Human Rights (ELDH) and the European Bar Human Rights Institute (IDHAE) dedicated the Day of the Endangered Lawyer to the lawyers in Turkey.

How many lawyers are arrested, how many are convicted?

Tanrıkulu has directed the following questions to Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül:

*How many lawyers are arrested in our country?

*What are the reasons of the lawyers’ arrests?

*How many lawyers are convicted in our country?

…

http://bianet.org/english/law/204747-endangered-lawyers-brought-to-parliament

Day of the Endangered Lawyers 2019

http://www.bandw.in/2019/01/10-cartoons-supporting-arrested-lawyers.html

http://bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/204744-tehlikedeki-avukatlar-meclis-e-tasindi?bia_source=rss&fbclid=IwAR2CasNXRlR3b6zIRj4x8V7xduE-UlSb1Bk2VWPK73db6LSiTyiVZxcmP9s (TURKCE)

https://www.abcgazetesi.com/politika/tutuklu-avukatlar-aclik-grevine-basliyor/haber-119464?fbclid=IwAR0y3aGCi9x9-Zy7DfCNQkZanQt73ziFvHzHRD5sJfN3VEAVmvxL_e17VDg (TURKCE)

https://www.evrensel.net/haber/371844/24-ocak-tehlikedeki-avukatlar-gunu-sesimiz-kesilirse-nefes-de-kesilir (TURKCE)

basic-report_turkey2019

https://eldh.eu/en/2018/11/22/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-2019/

Updated Report: Incarceration of Turkish Lawyers | Unjust Arrests and Convictions (2016-2018)

https://eldh.eu/fr/2018/11/22/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-2019/

https://www.wnd.com/2019/01/eu-court-orders-turkey-to-follow-human-rights-treaty/

http://www.idhae.org/OBSAV-DEL190124-TUR.htm?fbclid=IwAR2lT2R_herNRCBWt1zG_ma-sTKaPBW0id9a1EBmy0Z2LDZk1w6CvqL60iw (FRANCAIS)

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

#EndangeredLawyers

#24OcakTehlikedekiAvukatlarGünü

#24thJanuaryEndangeredLawyersDay

#İstanbulBarosu

İstanbul Barosu İHM olarak, adil yargılanma hakkının korunması ve adaletin tesisinde avukatların kilit rolüne bir kez daha dikkat çeker; bu doğrultuda avukatların seslerinin kesilmemesi adına mücadelemizi sürdüreceğimizi kamuoyunun bilgisine sunarız.#tehlikedekiavukatlargünü pic.twitter.com/n8gR3dtXTY

— İnsan Hakları Merkezi (@lstanbulBarosu) January 23, 2019

24 Ocak Tehlikedeki Avukatlar Günü

SAVUNMAYA ÖZGÜRLÜK talebimizle; hapiste, meydanlarda, emekçilerin-ezilenlerin yanında, duruşma salonlarında direnen arkadaşlarımızla dayanışmak için cübbelerimizle saat:16:00'da Galatasaray meydanından İstanbul Barosu önüne yürüyoruz. pic.twitter.com/M05gzgPT92

— Demokrasi İçin Hukuk (@DiHukukcular) January 23, 2019

24 Ocak Tehlikedeki Avukatlar Günü için spoiler veriyorum 🙂 pic.twitter.com/rFPMlGgb5R

— A. Üsame Ceran (@usameceran) January 23, 2019

🔴 ⚠️ Journée internationale de l'avocat en danger : RDV demain à 13h devant le consulat de #Turquie (rue Montoyer n° 4 à 1000 Bruxelles) pour la défense de la défense! #avocatsendanger #JMAvocatsDanger pic.twitter.com/1ueS1ubICs

— AVOCATS.BE (@oBarreaux) January 23, 2019

#JMAvocatsDanger : A l’occasion de la journée mondiale de l’avocat en danger, @Avocats_Paris rappelle la situation particulièrement difficile des #avocats en Turquie. Résolution du #ConseildelOrdre votée à l’unanimité.
RDV place de Bolivie à 13h le 24/01.https://t.co/iOyDwejmzo

— Avocats de Paris (@Avocats_Paris) January 22, 2019

Les avocats voient leur avenir en noir :« Nous sommes en danger »
la Journée internationale de l’avocat en danger,
le 24 janvier, sera consacrée aux avocats turcs.
Malmenés dans les tribunaux, poursuivis, emprisonnés, ils ont
de plus en plus de mal à exercer leur profession. pic.twitter.com/g66JGxDs38

— ismail dogan (@ismaildogan1) January 23, 2019

 

The Philippines: Rodel Batocabe slay ‘brains’ arrested

January 23, 2019

The alleged mastermind in the murder of Ako Bicol party-list representative Rodel Batocabe was arrested yesterday for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo’s arrest came following a search by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on his home in Doña Maria Subdivision, Barangay Tagas at around 2:30 p.m.

The search resulted in the recovery of two .45 caliber pistols with eight bullets and ammunition for an M203 grenade launcher and rifle, according to Chief Supt. Arnel Escobal, Bicol police chief.

Baldo will be charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Arnold Ardiente, CIDG-Bicol chief, said the ammunition for a grenade launcher is considered as an explosive, the possession of which is a non-bailable offense.

“Baldo was arrested not because of the Batocabe murder case, but because of the firearms, ammunition and explosive recovered by our team during the serving of a search warrant,” Ardiente told The STAR.

Ardiente said Baldo would be placed under their custody while documents required for his inquest are being prepared by the CIDG legal team.

…

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/01/23/1887411/rodel-batocabe-slay-brains-arrested

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/23/19/gun-used-in-batocabe-slay-found-in-albay-fish-pond-police

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/inside-track/221665-house-fails-raise-bounty-batocabe-killers

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1076284/batocabe-slay-suspect-mayor-baldo-rushed-to-hospital-after-arrest

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/01/22/1887237/daraga-mayor-tagged-batocabe-slay-arrested-illegal-firearms-possession

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/682367/daraga-mayor-baldo-suspect-in-batocabe-slay-nabbed-in-albay-home/story/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodel_Batocabe

https://rmn.ph/baril-na-ginamit-sa-pagpatay-kay-ako-bicol-partylist-representative-rodel-batocabe-narekober-na-ng-pnp/ (TAGALOG)

Iran: Iran Sentences Men Who Supported Women’s Protests Against Compulsory Hijab to Six Years Prison

January 22, 2019

Reza Khandan and Farhad Meysami have both been sentenced to six years imprisonment in Iran and banned from leaving the country or engaging in online activities for two years for peacefully protesting the country’s compulsory hijab law.

“Iran wants to silence these men by jailing them for standing by women who want the hijab to be a choice, not a requirement,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

“The only crime they committed is peacefully exercising their rights of freedom of speech and expression,” said Ghaemi. “Iran’s judiciary should heed their calls for a fair and public trial and release them.”

In an interview with CHRI, Khandan, the husband of imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, said he was unlawfully denied a public trial.

On January 22, 2019, he and Meysami were both convicted of “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the state” at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran presided by Judge Abolqasem Salavati—notorious in Iran for bending to the wishes of security agencies.

“The law says that political cases should be tried publicly in a criminal court in the presence of a jury,” said Khandan. “But for years the judiciary has turned political cases into national security ones in order to try them through the revolutionary court system.”

…

https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2019/01/iran-sentences-men-who-supported-womens-protests-against-compulsory-hijab-to-six-years-prison/

https://www.france24.com/en/20190123-husband-jailed-iran-rights-lawyer-gets-six-years

https://www.rferl.org/a/iranian-rights-activist-reza-khandan-gets-six-year-prison-sentence/29726991.html

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/01/23/Husband-of-jailed-Iranian-human-rights-lawyer-gets-six-years-.html

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/01/irans-year-of-shame-more-than-7000-arrested-in-chilling-crackdown-on-dissent-during-2018/

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/01/iran-labour-rights-activists-at-imminent-risk-of-further-torture/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/17/iran-unrelenting-repression

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-women-rights/no-turning-back-for-irans-hijab-protesters-despite-crackdown-activists-idUSKCN1PI2T2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasrin_Sotoudeh

https://persian.iranhumanrights.org/1397/11/farhad-meysami-reza-khandan-sentence-of-six-years-imprisonment/?fbclid=IwAR0l3CziZ45fb9VzuGcmhgwJLhPH-ls8rFez6CbcNVk9LE-o_alY4vPp-68 (FARSI)

https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2019/01/23/le-mari-de-nasrin-sotoudeh-militante-des-droits-de-l-homme-emprisonnee-a-teheran-a-ete-condamne-merc_1704971 (FRANCAIS)

http://www.rfi.fr/moyen-orient/20190123-iran-6-ans-prison-le-mari-celebre-militante-nasrin-sotoudeh-reza-khandan-farha (FRANCAIS)

https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2019/01/17/iran-une-repression-implacable (FRANCAIS)

https://www.hrw.org/fa/news/2019/01/17/325889 (ARABIC)

https://www.tt.com/ticker/15251771/mann-iranischer-menschenrechtlerin-sotoudeh-zu-langer-haft-verurteilt (DEUTSCH)

https://www.agenpress.it/notizie/2019/01/24/amnesty-denuncia-la-brutale-repressione-del-dissenso-in-iran-il-2018-anno-della-vergogna-oltre-7000-arresti/ (ITALIANO)

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/celstraf-voor-iraanse-mannen-na-protest-tegen-hoofddoek~bfb206ef/ (NEDERLANDS)

https://www.amnesty.nl/actueel/irans-jaar-van-schaamte-meer-dan-7-000-arrestaties-in-2018 (NEDERLANDS)

https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2019/01/24/amnesty-jaar-van-schaamte-voor-iran-a3651612 (NEDERLANDS)

#FreeNasrin

La prisonnière politique Nasrin Sotoudeh interdite de visite en prison en Iran https://t.co/26DpsSHGIB

— AM Bilodeau (@AnneBilodeau) January 21, 2019

Defense attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh continues to be denied family visits in #Iran’s #Evin Prison, where she has been held on trumped-up national security charges since June 2018. #HumanRights #IranUpdatehttps://t.co/MbaJL9ZnXm

— FDD's Iran Program (@FDD_Iran) January 21, 2019

イランの民主化運動をやっていたときに、人権派弁護士のNasrin Sotoudehがちょうど刑務所でハンストを始めて、ものすごく長引いたので（最終的に４週間続いた）その間は「もういいよ！食べて！」のような辛い気持ちでいた。その後もNasrinはやっぱり逮捕されて去年の８月もハンストしていたらしい。

— YukiYamaguchi(山口侑紀） (@yukiyamagu) January 22, 2019

Turkey: Tehlikedeki Avukatlar Günü (Antalya)

https://www.evrensel.net/yazi/83180/tehlikedeki-avukatlar

http://bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/204744-tehlikedeki-avukatlar-meclis-e-tasindi?bia_source=rss

https://www.abcgazetesi.com/politika/tutuklu-avukatlar-aclik-grevine-basliyor/haber-119464

basic-report_turkey2019

https://eldh.eu/en/2018/11/22/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-2019/

Updated Report: Incarceration of Turkish Lawyers | Unjust Arrests and Convictions (2016-2018)

https://eldh.eu/fr/2018/11/22/day-of-the-endangered-lawyer-2019/

https://www.wnd.com/2019/01/eu-court-orders-turkey-to-follow-human-rights-treaty/

http://www.idhae.org/OBSAV-DEL190124-TUR.htm?fbclid=IwAR2lT2R_herNRCBWt1zG_ma-sTKaPBW0id9a1EBmy0Z2LDZk1w6CvqL60iw (FRANCAIS)

#DayoftheEndangeredLawyer

#EndangeredLawyers

#24OcakTehlikedekiAvukatlarGünü

#24thJanuaryEndangeredLawyersDay

Avukat Didem Baydar Ünsal:
“24 Ocak Tehlikedeki Avukatlar Günü itibariyle tutsak 5 avukat arkadaşımız açlık grevine başlayacak. Bu derin sessizliğe ses olabilmek için bu adaletsizliği, hukuksuzluğu teşhir etmek için kendi bedenlerini açlığa yatıracaklar." pic.twitter.com/slDPJsYKCH

— DEVRİM HAMALI (@DevrimEmekcisi) January 22, 2019

"Bu sene Türkiye’deki avukatların gördüğü zulüm nedeniyle uluslararası avukat kuruluşları "Tehlikedeki Avukatlar Günü'nü" Türkiye’deki avukatlara ithaf etti."
🖊 Kamil Tekin Sürek yazdı: Tehlikedeki avukatlarhttps://t.co/a6Jj4Rurn4 pic.twitter.com/pWEeiOEV3r

— Evrensel Gazetesi (@evrenselgzt) January 23, 2019

Tehlikedeki Avukatlar Günü: Savunma saldırı altında https://t.co/KFhdCfcvMH pic.twitter.com/bhYcJkfBSH

— duvaR (@gazeteduvar) January 23, 2019