The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) has released a statement today, 15th December 2014, in response to the arbitrary arrest and continued detention of Dr. Amin Mekki Medani in Sudan. It is understood that Dr Medani was arrested at his home in Khartoum on 6th December 2014, that no warrant...
‘This is a summary of an event held by the International Law Programme at Chatham House in association with Doughty Street Chambers.1 The meeting examined the implications of the UN General Assembly’s decision to accord Palestine the status of non-member observer state in 2012, issues concerning Palestine’s prospective accession to the Rome Statute, and the...
Representatives of BHRC were invited by UNICEF to attend a high level meeting and day of celebration on 20th November at the United Nations in New York to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. BHRC was invited due to the child protection training project it has carried out in Nigeria...
On 25th November 2014, BHRC and Peace Brigades International (PBI) held a round-table on the topic of resource extraction and human rights with guest speaker Donald Hernandez, a criminal and environmental lawyer from Honduras. Donald provides legal representation and capacity building to indigenous and environmental rights groups affected by the impact of the extractive industry....
The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) has released a statement today, 11th November 2014, calling for the immediate suspension of the death sentences handed down against Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Motiur Rahman Nizami by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). See the full statement here.
The Bar Human Rights Committee hosted an engaging and thought-provoking seminar at this year’s Annual Bar Council Conference on 8th November, entitled ‘Human Rights and Reconciliation: mediation on the world stage’. Chaired by Kirsty Brimelow QC, the panel of high-level speakers included: Professor Philippe Sands QC of University College London and Matrix Chambers Mark Muller...
On 6 November 2014, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) sent an open letter to the Prime Minister of Nepal in response to the arrest and prosecution of Madhesi activist Chandra Kant Raut. On 14 September 2014, Dr Raut was placed under detention and then subsequently charged for allegedly inciting separatism...
The BHRC was praised during a debate in the House of Lords for its work proposing and advising on civil orders for FGM. Over the last year the BHRC working group on FGM has submitted reports to the Home Affairs Committee, the Ministry of Justice and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. See...
During the second week of October 2014, the BHRC turned its attention to Zimbabwe by holding two inspiring events featuring renowned Zimbabwean human rights lawyers. The first event was a visit from David Coltart, a human rights lawyer from Zimbabwe who has represented many people facing politically motivated prosecutions throughout the years of Robert Mugabe’s rule. In the...
On Tuesday 1st October 2014, the Opening of the Legal Year in England in Wales commenced with a breakfast at the Law Society for leaders of bar associations and law societies across the world. Chair of the Bar Council, Nicholas Lavender QC, gave a speech in which he commended the work of the BHRC. See...
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.