BHRC released its trial observations from the first substantive proceedings against journalists in Turkey in June 2017. The trial observation report raises serious concern over violations of international law and fair trial rights in Turkey. BHRC trial observer Pete Weatherby QC attended the first three days of the proceedings against seven journalists in the case...
London, 1st September 2017 BHRC today welcomes the release from detention in Yaounde of 54 Cameroonians from the South West and North West Anglophone regions. The individuals were on trial for alleged crimes associated with terrorist actions against the State, to which BHRC and other organisations have raised concerns. All charges have been dropped against...
Since the failed coup in July 2016, the Turkish government has detained and charged thousands of journalists, lawyers, judges and human rights defenders with accusations of involvement in the coup or providing support to terrorist organisations linked to the coup. After months in detention, trials are finally starting to commence. Many human rights organisations, including...
BHRC has published a statement raising serious concern over the continued detention of human rights defenders in China and their inability to access defence lawyers of their choosing, particularly Wang Quanzhang, the longest-detained lawyer of the 709 Crackdown, and Wu Gang, an administrative assistant and human rights advocate whose trial is scheduled to begin today. Wang Quanzhang...
A joint letter signed by the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and the Bar Council of England and Wales has been sent to the President of Zimbabwe calling for him to veto a Bill proposing changes to judicial appointments that would threaten the independence of the judiciary and undermine the rule of...
Today is the third anniversary of the massacre at Mount Sinjar where ISIS fighters murdered thousands of Yazidi men and enslaved thousands of Yazidi women and girls. Despite the fact that the UN and the European Parliament have accepted that crimes committed against the Yazidis constitute genocide, there has not been a single prosecution of...
BHRC will host a panel discussion on the continuing challenges faced by child refugees of the Syrian crisis and the role of barristers in responding to this ongoing disaster. This discussion will cover everything from the Dubs Amendment in the UK to BHRC’s fact-finding mission to the Jungle camps of Calais as well as broader...
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) has found that the Honduran State failed to comply with its previous ruling to reinstate four judges dismissed after the coup in 2009. The Honduran government was forced to reinstate the judges; however, they failed to reinstate three of the judges, claiming that it was impossible to do...
21 July 2017 (updated 24 July 2017) BHRC has sent a letter to the President of Poland and released a Statement of Concern to the British Ambassador in Poland, raising serious concern over proposed changes to the Polish judiciary. The changes would give the Polish government substantial influence over the appointment of judges, eroding the independence of...
BHRC has sent an open letter to the Minister of Justice in Turkey calling for the release Amnesty Turkey director Idel Eser and the “Istanbul 10”. On 5 July, 10 human rights defenders, including the director of Amnesty Turkey Idel Eser, were arrested and accused of ‘committing crimes as part of a terrorist organisation without...
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.