Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the International Commission of Jurists, the Law Society of England and Wales, the Fédération des Barreaux d’Europe, Front Line Defenders, and the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk strongly condemn the violent raid on 7 November on the home of Crimean human rights defenders and lawyers Lilia Hemedzhy and Rustem Kyamilev, resulting in the arbitrary arrest and detention of Rustem Kyamilev. The incident marks the latest in a pattern of harassment apparently aimed at pressuring them into ceasing their human rights work. Read the full statement:     

Paris, 15 November 2024 – The International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger has learned that Iranian lawyer Mohammad Najafi was recently admitted to hospital following a serious heart condition. This hospitalisation occurred in a context of continuous pressure and particularly harsh conditions of detention.    Despite his critical condition, Mr Najafi was chained to his hospital bed, his hands and legs shackled, while two security guards watched over him in his room. This particularly inhumane and dangerous method is generally used on political prisoners hospitalised in Iran.   Mohammad Najafi has been repeatedly persecuted since 2016. He has been convicted on several occasions for taking a peaceful stance and defending demonstrators against the regime. His convictions, totalling several decades in prison, are based on spurious and unproven charges aimed at suppressing his freedom of expression and his right of defence.    Mr Najafi’s conditions of detention are particularly worrying: he has been deprived of contact with his family since September 2022, and has also been denied the medical care that health professionals consider necessary. Given his pathology, his treatment during hospitalisation is seriously endangering his life.    The Observatory strongly condemns these inhumane conditions of detention, which violate Mohammad Najafi’s fundamental rights.   […]

As part of the international day against the death penalty on 10 October, the OIAD has co-signed a report analysing the situation of human rights defenders who have spoken out against the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This report comes as lawyers in the DRC are being targeted for their opposition to the lifting of the moratorium. Read the report:  

Burkinabe lawyers Gontran Somé and Christian Kaboré were kidnapped between Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso on 10 October 2024. They were released on 5 November 2024, after 26 days in captivity. Mr Gontran Somé and Mr Christian Kaboré were travelling to Bobo-Dioulasso from Ouagadougou. The lawyers had to change their route due to bad weather, which made the road impassable. The lawyers’ car crossed the path of a non-state armed group in an area renowned for its insecurity. One of the passengers with Gontran Somé and Christian Kaboré, who was spared by the members of this group, reported their abduction. Burkina Faso’s lawyers operate in a context marked by serious and multiple threats. They are particularly subject to the pressure exerted by the transitional government and the authorities on legal professionals. Lawyers working on sensitive cases, particularly human rights cases, often face intimidation and even repression. In addition, the crisis-ridden judicial system does not always respect procedures, thereby undermining the defence of fundamental rights. In addition to this, attacks by armed groups pose a direct threat to lawyers in several parts of the country. Travel becomes risky and exposes lawyers to physical danger. The Observatory welcomes the release of lawyers Gontran Somé and Christian […]

The International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger (OIAD), Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, the Sudanese Defenders Center for Legal Aid, REDRESS and the Law Society of England and Wales express deep concerns over the arbitrary arrest and detention of Sudanese lawyer Montaser Abdullah since 7 September 2024 due to his work as a lawyer and taking up human rights and political cases. On 7 September 2024, Mr. Abdullah was reportedly abducted from his office in the middle of the day, and subsequently detained incommunicado until 3 October 2024 by the Sudanese Armed Forces. It has been reported that Mr. Abdullah has been a victim of gross mistreatment during his detention, having repeatedly been beaten and showing physical signs of abuse. He is currently being kept in the most secured section of Port Sudan prison, without an official charge filed against him. Since the beginning of the war in Sudan in 2023, lawyers have been amongst those most targeted by both the Rapid Support Forces (SF) and Armed Forces (SAF) […]