The Bar Human Rights Committee joined other professional bodies in raising concern for the safety of Colombian Lawyer Daniel Prado Albarracin, currently representing victims of crimes committed by the paramilitary group “The 12 Apostles.” The open letter was sent to the President of the Republic of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, and was signed by BHRC, the...

BHRC has issued a public statement expressing serious concern at the recent arrests by Turkish authorities of academics and activists. The arrests appear consistent with a sustained attack on dissent as a means of silencing critical voices within Turkey. On 16 November 2018 fourteen high-profile activists and academics were arrested in Turkey. Turkish authorities issued...

EVENT: 21 November 18:00-Turkey’s Continuing Crisis: Freedom of Expression and the Rule of Law under Threat

Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales and ARTICLE 19 will host a panel discussion highlighting urgent and continuing concerns about freedom of expression and the rule of law in Turkey, which has jailed more journalists than any other worldwide in the last two years.  The panel event, chaired by Ms Ann Clwyd MP, is hosted...

BHRC announces its panel and speakers for Bar Conference 2018

The Bar Human Rights Committee will be hosting a panel discussion at the Annual Bar and Young Conference 2018 in London on 24 November 2018. The panel “A Global Mission: Championing Women in the Fight for Human Rights” will be a dynamic discussion on how women in the legal professions represent and champion women, including...

On the 16th World Day Against the Death Penalty, BHRC has issued a statement raising awareness about conditions of confinement in Bahrain, Egypt, Jamaica and the United States–countries where BHRC has taken an active role in advocating against the death penalty. In its statement, BHRC reaffirms its condemnation of the death penalty in all circumstances and...

BHRC sends joint submission to Special Rapporteur on Judges and Lawyers regarding the situation of lawyers in Turkey

The Bar Human Rights Committee alongside the Law Society of England and Wales and the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute have sent a joint submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers concerning the independence of the legal profession in Turkey. The submission raised concern for the fair trial rights of lawyers...

BHRC has issued a statement raising concern for the continued detention of human rights lawyers on the third anniversary of the 709 Crackdown, a nationwide programme of arrests beginning on 9 July 2015. During the period of a few weeks, nearly 250 Chinese human rights lawyers, their staff and human rights defenders were arrested and...

BHRC has issued the following statement regarding the ongoing trial observation in Kuwait: The Trial  The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) is monitoring the trial of 70 Kuwaiti defendants convicted of public order offences following protests at the Kuwaiti National Assembly in 2011. 13 of those convicted are current or former members of...

Written by: Işıl Aral, Daniel Bramhall, Andrew Stevens, Joseph Lynch-Watson   Introduction Osman Kavala has been a prominent figure in Turkish civil society since the 1980s, founding a plethora of cultural and arts-based initiatives. Along with this, he is well known for his role at the head of the Kavala Group companies following his attendance...