Russia: Voted off UN ECOSOC’s Committee on NGOs after 75 years
15/04/2022
News update: On 13 April 2022, the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) elected 19 members of the UN Committee on NGOs, a body mandated to accredit NGOs to the UN. Russia was voted off the Committee after being a member since the establishment of the Committee in 1947. There are no term … [Read more...]
UN General Assembly suspends Russia from Human Rights Council
07/04/2022
News update: On 7 April 2022, the UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from its membership in the UN Human Rights Council based on UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251, which provides that all members of the Council "shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human … [Read more...]
Thailand: Angkhana Neelapaijit appointed to UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances
07/04/2022
LRWC welcomes the 1 April 2022 decision of the UN Human Rights Council to appoint Angkhana Neelapaijit, a prominent human rights advocate in Thailand, to the UN Working Group on enforced and involuntary disappearances (WGEID). Angkhana Neelapaijit has served as the Chair of the Working Group for … [Read more...]
Saudi Arabia: Raif Badawi released | Update
15/03/2022
Raif Badawi released after 10 years of arbitrary detention but he remains subject to 10-year travel ban Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada welcomes the 11 March 2022 release of blogger and human rights defender Mr. Raif Badawi, now 38, after serving a ten-year prison sentence. He was also sentenced to … [Read more...]
China: Arbitrarily detained lawyer Yu Wensheng released | Update
04/03/2022
Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada welcomes the news that Chinese human rights lawyer Mr. Yu Wensheng has been released from prison after completing a four year prison sentence for "inciting subversion of State power." He was reunited with his wife Ms. Xu Yan in Beijing. However, there are significant … [Read more...]
Belarus and Myanmar lawyers honoured: U Khin Maung Zaw (Myanmar) and Maksim Znak and Liudmila Kazak (Belarus) | Video
19/11/2021
L4L Laureates from Belarus: Also honoured were shortlisted lawyers collective from Algeria and Myanmar lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw On 18 November, Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) honoured Myanmar lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw as a short-listed candidate in its annual Prize awarded to a lawyer who has made … [Read more...]
Saudi Arabia: Samar Badawi released after three years of arbitrary detention | Update
14/07/2021
LRWC welcomes news on 27 June 2021 that women’s rights defender Samar Badawi has been released from prison in Saudi Arabia after being arbitrarily detained for nearly three years. She was released following the expiry of her sentence. Since 2016, LRWC has conducted advocacy for her release since … [Read more...]
Canada: Implementation of UNDRIP is now the law
29/06/2021
LRWC calls upon all Canadian authorities to ensure prompt action to implement Canada's Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [UNDRIP]. The Act is now the law in Canada. The Act received Royal Assent on 21 June 2021 after being passed by the Senate on 16 … [Read more...]
Myanmar lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw shortlisted for human rights prize
04/06/2021
Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada welcomes news that Myanmar lawyer, U Khin Maung Zaw has been shortlisted for the 2021 Lawyers for Lawyers Prize. Based in the Netherlands, Lawyers for Lawyers advocates for lawyers at risk around the world. LRWC nominated U Khin Maung Zaw for the prize in April … [Read more...]
Thailand: Supreme Court dismisses defamation suit against Andy Hall
12/05/2021
Full PDF Finnwatch press release (ENG) Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada welcomes the decision of Thailand's Supreme Court to dismiss the last remaining defamation lawsuit against UK human rights defender Andy Hall in a series of cases of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) … [Read more...]
