Lawyer Zainur Zakaria was summarily convicted of 'contempt in the face of the court' on November 1998 and sentenced to 3 months in jail. As defense counsel for former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, he was bringing an application to have two of the prosecutors removed from the case on the … [Read more...]

Tiawon Gongloe, a leading Liberian human rights lawyer was arrested without charges on April 24 and believed to have been beaten while in custody. Amnesty International believes that his treatment was precipitated solely by his human rights advocacy. Constance Marlatt (Toronto) wrote asking the … [Read more...]

On May 25, 2004, the Observatory was informed by the Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR) of the death of Khamphouvieng Sisa-At, one of the leaders of the “Lao Students Movement for Democracy of 26 October 1999,” a group that organized a peaceful march on October 26, 1999, in Vientiane, to denounce … [Read more...]

Lawyer Tahir Asanov was attacked in court after calling for an investigation into police brutality against his client and nine other men during their trial in Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan. The accused and Tahir Asanov are at imminent risk of further violence as the trial continues. On September 29th, … [Read more...]

Human Rights Advocacy Training Programme Yaoundé, Cameroon, March 14th to 18th 2005 Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, in partnership with the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) and the British Council organized a one week Human Rights Advocacy Training Programme for jurists, … [Read more...]

Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani, lawyer at the Bar of Tehran and a founding member of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), who has been detained in solitary confinement, incommunicado, since July 30, 2005, at the prison of Evin, Tehran. Mr. Abdolfattah Soltani was arrested while he was taking … [Read more...]

Ms. Bahareh Hedayet, a women's rights defender, was condemned to a two year suspended sentence on 26 May 2007 by a Revolutionary Court for “acting against national security by participating in an illegal gathering.” Ms. Bahareh Hedayet is the leader of the human rights section of the Tahkim-e … [Read more...]

On October 4, 2004, Mr. Baghi, a well-known human rights activist, had his passport confiscated and was prevented from leaving Tehran. Mr. Baghi was on his way to Montreal to participate in the Second World Congress Against the Death Penalty, organized by Penal Reform International and Ensemble … [Read more...]

Mr. Mansoor Osanloo, Chairperson of the Union of Bus Drivers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (“Sherkat-e Vahed Syndicate”), which is an affiliate of the International Transport Federation, is once again imprisoned in Evin prison in Iran for trade union activities. Mr. Mansoor Osanloo was … [Read more...]