BHRC has joined the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), MENA Rights Group, and 37 organisations from around the world, to issue a statement calling on governments in the Middle East and North Africa to take a number of urgent measures to protect their prison populations, and in doing so, their populations as...
The Bar Council and the Bar Human Rights Committee have written to the Polish President and Prime Minister, and Marshals of the Senate and Sejm, on the worsening rule of law crisis in the country. In particular they address their serious concerns as to the motion filed by the National Prosecution Office to the Disciplinary Chamber of the...
The undersigned bar associations and organizations, concerned with the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession, register their concern over the continued suspension of Ms Fatma Karume, a former president of the Tanganyika Law Society and a current senior partner at the law firm, IMMMA Advocates in Tanzania. On September 20, 2019,...
BHRC has joined the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), the International Campaign for Freedom in the United Arab Emirates (ICFUAE) and over 50 NGOs and individuals calling on the UAE authorities to demonstrate their respect for the right to freedom of expression as the Hay Festival Abu Dhabi opens this week. The text of...
BHRC has today released a statement condemning the arrest and detention of Osman Kavala in respect of a new criminal investigation, following his acquittal in the baseless ‘Gezi Park’ trial, thereby extending the 928 days he has already spent in detention. In a further worrying development, it was announced yesterday that the Turkish Council of...
On 20 November BHRC wrote to Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressing grave concern at the intensifying situation in Hong Kong and urging Ms Lam to take urgent steps to de-escalate the crisis. Ms Lam has now responded to BHRC’s letter. The response can be found here. BHRC received the letter on 2 December 2019.
As lawyers and delegates gather for the Global Lawyers Conference in Guangzou, China, BHRC calls upon the Chinese authorities to commit to upholding the rule of law and effective protection of human rights in and across China, in accordance with the ICCPR, and by way of seeking and promoting accountability for violations through its justice...
Chair of the Bar Council, Richard Atkins QC, and Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC), Schona Jolly QC, have today written to the Prime Minister of India, to express serious concern about multiple reports of the detention of 3000 civilians, including high ranking legal professionals, in the Kashmir Valley. The...
Update: BHRC received a response from Ms Lam on the 2 December 2019. Click here to read it. BHRC has today urgently written to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressing grave concern at the situation at the Hong Kong Polytechnic and across the city. The letter calls on Ms Lam to take urgent steps...
BHRC has today received information that: A judge reviewed an application for the re-arrest of Ahmet Altan, one of Turkey’s most well-known writers, just over a week after his release pending appeal on Monday November 4. Altan had in effect served over three years in pre-trial detention. The Prosecutor in the case sought his re-arrest,...
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.