Zheng Enchong, who as a lawyer had been involved in the defense of economic and social rights of persons displaced as a result of Shanghai’s urban development projects, was arrested on 6 June 2003 and charged with “illegally providing state secrets to entities outside of China”. Zheng Enchong was … [Read more...]

Juana Calfunao Paillalef, a community leader from the Mapuche ethnic group, and her family, have suffered a campaign of intimidation, including the apparent murder of her uncle and an arson attack on her home. On June 26, 2004, a fire started in her house which burned it to the ground. A charred … [Read more...]

Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Certificate and Special Advocate) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act (Bill C-3): Senate Special Committee on Ant-Terrorism Hearing on February 11th 2008. The Supreme Court of Canada, on February 23, 2007, in … [Read more...]

January 18th, 2010 The case involving the August 2002 arrest of well known Vancouver human rights lawyer Cameron Ward was argued in the Supreme Court of Canada on January 18th. Mr. Ward was arrested, handcuffed, strip searched, held for close to 4 hours and released without charge in what the … [Read more...]

On August 1st, 2002, Cameron Ward was arrested in Vancouver while attending a public event in Chinatown. Reports indicated that Mr. Ward was handcuffed, searched by three police officers, held in custody for five hours and finally released without charge. Mr. Ward’s car was seized from the street … [Read more...]

Protocols put in to place by the City of Vancouver Legal Department have put wide-sweeping restrictions on the ability of the Pivot legal society to perform its mandate as an advocate for marginalized residents of the Downtown Eastside. Pivot lawyers, including David Eby, are counsel to a number … [Read more...]

Louise Arbour, former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada was appointed as the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNHCHR) for a four year term commencing July 1, 2004. In March 2008 Mme Arbour announced that she would not be seeking a second term and so would be retiring as the … [Read more...]

At approximately 2:00 pm on December 2, 2003 Rocco Galati defense counsel on several prominent cases involving allegations of links to terrorists and other breaches of national security legislation, received a threatening message from his voicemail. In a gravely voice the caller said: "Well, Mr. … [Read more...]

On 4 July 2007, Seng Saron was shot to death by an unknown person while at home. Mr. Saron was a human rights defender, community leader and member of the Culture and Environment Preservation Association. He actively encouraged people in his community to protest about forestry, fishing and land … [Read more...]

Francisco Lúcio França, Isabel Peres and José de Jesus Filho are involved in the prosecution of two police officers accused in the September 27, 2002 murder of Anderson do Carmo, 16, and Celso Gioelli Magalhães Júnior., 20, in Mongagúa municipality in São Paulo State. On March 21, 2005, after the … [Read more...]