BHRC has published its report raising concern for fair trial rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe following an observation mission to Harare in January 2019. The observation mission, conducted by Michael Ivers QC, followed unrest during anti- government protests between 14 and 17 January 2019, where acts of violence against property and persons were...
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) has sent a letter to the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, calling on him to revoke recent changes to the Penal Code, which took effect on 3 April 2019, imposing stoning to death as a punishment for practising homosexuality or acts of adultery. In its...
Representatives from the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and the Colombian Caravana (UK) have returned to Medellin to continue observing the trial of Santiago Uribe Vélez, the brother of former President and current Senator, Álvaro Uribe Vélez. Santiago Uribe is accused of heading a paramilitary group in North Antioquia during the early...
The Accused (Photo from El Pais, EMILIO NARANJO GTRES) The Bar Human Rights Committee has published the formal trial observation notes from its observations at the Catalan Referendum Trial in February 2019. The observations of the hearing of the 12 former members of the Catalan government took place from 19 to 20 February at the Supreme...
The Bar Council of England and Wales and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) have sent a letter to President Erdogan of Turkey urging immediate action by Turkish authorities to protect lawyers and safeguard the rule of law in Turkey. The letter comes as Turkey marks its annual Day of the...
The Bar Council and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales have sent a public letter to the UK Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt urging him to take action in support of Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years imprisonment and 148 lashes for undertaking her professional obligations to her clients...
In honour of International Women’s Day, the Bar Human Rights Committee and Garden Court Chambers co-hosted a panel discussion showcasing the work of human rights advocates and defenders fighting for women’s rights & women human rights defenders around the globe. Panellists included Rothna Begum, senior researcher of the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, who...
BHRC published its amicus brief to the Guantanamo Bay Military Tribunal in the case of Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al Baluchi. Kirsty Brimelow QC, former Chair of BHRC (2012-2018) and co-writer of the amicus said: “Guantanamo Bay remains a stain in legal history. Currently prosecutions are attempting to secure a footing...
Michael Ivers QC, an executive officer of the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC), returned Monday from Zimbabwe where he has been conducting a number of trial observations over the last week in and around Harare. These follow unrest during anti- government protests in the days after 14th January, where acts of...
BHRC has joined a statement with 31 other organisations calling for the acquittal of Wang Quanzhang, a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer arrested during the 709 Crackdown. On 28 January 2019, Mr Wang was found guilty of “subversion of state power” and sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison and 5-year deprivation of political...
The Bar Human Rights Committee is the independent,
international human rights arm of the Bar of England
and Wales, dedicated to promoting justice and respect
for human rights through the rule of law.