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...
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...
BHRC has issued a public statement raising concern over the continued detention, prosecution and treatment of Madhesi human rights activist, Dr Chandra Kant Raut, in Nepal. Dr Raut was arrested on 7 October 2018 on a charge of a crime against the state for his alleged involvement in a gathering that took place in support of...
BHRC has issued a public statement regarding the current and ongoing situation in Zimbabwe, following a national protest called for by trade union, civic and church leaders. In its statement, BHRC raises concern over reports of shootings and beatings of civilians and the detention of large numbers of people, including children. There is also concern for fair...
On 31 December 2018, the Court of Cassation in Bahrain upheld the 5 year sentence of human rights activist Nabeel Rajab for tweets critical of the Saudi Arabia attack on Yemen and accusing the Bahraini prison authorities of torture. BHRC Chair Kirsty Brimelow QC issued the following statement: “Bahrain’s Court of Cassation is in violation...
BHRC has issued a public statement expressing serious concern at the recent arrests by Turkish authorities of academics and activists. The arrests appear consistent with a sustained attack on dissent as a means of silencing critical voices within Turkey. On 16 November 2018 fourteen high-profile activists and academics were arrested in Turkey. Turkish authorities issued...
Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales and ARTICLE 19 will host a panel discussion highlighting urgent and continuing concerns about freedom of expression and the rule of law in Turkey, which has jailed more journalists than any other worldwide in the last two years. The panel event, chaired by Ms Ann Clwyd MP, is hosted...
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.