China: Sentencing of Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan | Joint Statement

Full .pdf Joint Statement Joint Statement on the sentencing of Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan 1 November 2024 We, the undersigned organisations, are seriously concerned about the recent sentencing of Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, sentenced … [Read more...]

Sudan: Statement on the arbitrary arrest and detention of Sudanese lawyer Montaser Abdullah | Joint statement

Full .pdf joint statement Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, the Sudanese Defenders … [Read more...]

Briefing notes for BC Election Candidates:  The 2024 Legal Professions Act (“Bill 21”) violates British Columbia’s international law obligations

Full PDF Briefing Notes on Bill 21 for BC Election Candidates 2024 Briefing Notes on Bill 21, “Legal Professions Act.” Catherine Morris, JD, LLM Past Executive Director and current UN Representative for Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) 25 September 2024 The 2024 Legal Professions Act … [Read more...]

Canada: British Columbia’s proposed legislation (Bill 21) violates international human rights law and standards on independence of the legal profession

Note: LRWC's 10 April 2024 letter and brief were published before LRWC was aware of the almost simultaneous tabling of Bill 21 in the British Columbia (BC) legislature on 10 April 2024. See LRWC's analysis of Bill 21 in its briefing paper of 17 April 2024.  LRWC sent a 12 April 2024 follow up … [Read more...]

Colombia: Report to UN Human Rights Committee | Joint submission

Full pdf joint report See the submission on the UN OHCHR site On 2 May 2022, Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) joined Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L) in a submission to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRCttee) in preparation for the next review of Colombia's implementation of the International … [Read more...]

China: Arbitrary detention of human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi and legal scholar Xu Zhiyong | Joint Statement

Full .pdf statement (EN) On 23 December 2021, Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada joined The 29 Principles, Lawyers for Lawyers, and Human Rights Now in a joint statement calling on China to ensure fair trials and end all arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment. The statement outlines the … [Read more...]

The 30th Anniversary of the UN basic principles on the role of lawyers | Joint statement

See the full PDF (ENG) for all signatories Full PDF (FR) The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE), recognised as the voice of the European legal profession, unites the Bars and Law Societies of 45 European Countries, including the 27 EU Member States. Through them, the CCBE … [Read more...]

30th anniversary of UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers | Press release

See video (8 min, 20 sec) IBAHRI marks 30th anniversary of UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada has joined the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) in launching a number of initiatives, including a recent video calling on the … [Read more...]

Turkey: Discontinue criminal investigations against Ankara and Diyarbakir Bar Associations | Joint letter

Full PDF (ENG) Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada is among ten lawyers' organizations expressing concern about criminal investigations launched in Turkey against the Ankara Bar Association and the Diyarbakir Bar Association for “openly disrespect[ing] the religious belief of a group” (article … [Read more...]