Day of the Endangered Lawyer 2014

The “Day of the Endangered Lawyer” is a joint initiative of European Democratic Lawyers (AED-EDL, www.aed-edl.net), the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH, www.eldh.eu) and the European Bar Human Rights Institute (IDHAE, www.idhae.org), who together represent lawyers all over Europe.

To mark the third "Day of the Endangered Lawyer", Rommel Durán Castellanos, Colombian Human Rights Lawyer and member of the Colombian Association of Human Rights Lawyers (Acadehum), the 'Pueblos' Legal Team, and the Committee for Solidarity with Political Prisoners, will speak in London on the serious risk situation for lawyers in Colombia, and the role that the international legal community can play in this situation. 

Following Mr Duran's presentation, there will be a short panel discussion with Professor Bill Bowring, President of European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights, and Carlos Orjuela, Haldane Society, (Further speakers to be announced)

The event will be chaired by Professor Sara Chandler, Chair of the Law Society Human Rights Committee and of the Colombian Caravana UK Lawyers' Group.

To finish the event, we will show a new documentary entitled "Gotas que agrietan la Roca", about the José Alvéar Restrepo Lawyers' Collective (Cajar).

Friday, 24 January 201

6.30-8.30pm

The Seminar Room

Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LJ

Rommel Durán is a human rights lawyer who tirelessly works to achieve justice in human and environmental rights cases in Colombia. Mr. Durán represents rural communities in Colombia in cases of land restitution, including the Pitalito Community in the Department of César. He is also involved in trying to protect fragile ecosystems from being destroyed by indiscriminate mining projects. Because of this work, he and his colleagues have been repreatedly threatened and attacked. 

This event in London is co-organised by European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), the Haldane Society, the Colombian Caravana UK Lawyers' Group and Justice for Colombia, and is hosted by Garden Court Chambers. 

RSVP: colombian.caravana@gmail.com to secure your place at this important event

Drop the charges against revolutionary activists in Egypt: Defend the right to protest

We condemn the sentencing of leading revolutionary activists in Egypt under the terms of the 2013 Protest Law, legislation described by Amnesty International as “a grave threat to freedom of assembly”. According to the law, protest organisers must apply in advance for permission to hold a demonstration, and it allows courts to impose jail sentences and fines for non-compliance. The law also gives the security forces authority to use lethal force in dispersing ‘unauthorised’ protests.

Ahmed Douma, Ahmed Maher and Mohamed Adel from the 6^th April Youth Movement were sentenced to three years in prison and a 50,000 LE (£4000) fine on 23 December 2013, for organising a demonstration without police permission and allegedly attacking police officers. Mahienour el-Massry and Hassan Moustafa from the Revolutionary Socialists in Alexandria received 2 year jail sentences and 50,000 LE (£4000) fines on 2 January 2014 also for organising an unauthorised protest. Other activists from Alexandria who received 2 year jail sentences in connection with the same event include Lu’ay Al-Qahwagi, Amr Hafez, Nasir Abu-al-Hamd and Islam Muhamadein. They join hundreds of other opponents of the current military-backed regime who have been arrested in recent months, as part of a crackdown ostensibly targeting the Muslim Brotherhood.

As members of the legal profession, we note with particular concern that Mahienour el-Massry, a qualified lawyer who is well-known for her work on behalf of detainees in Alexandria, was arrested and beaten in March 2013 when attending a police station with a group of lawyers to represent arrested demonstrators. We call on the Egyptian authorities to take urgent steps to ensure that all those arrested and their legal representatives are treated with respect.

We call for all charges connected with the 2013 Protest Law to be dropped, and for the release of all those Egyptians detained or sentenced for the exercise of their democratic rights.

Further information: http://menasolidaritynetwork.com/2014/01/06/egypt-alexandrian-activists-face-two-years-in-prison/

Haldane Society Stands in Solidarity with Persecuted Turkish Advocate

Liz Davies, Chair of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, has sent a letter to the President of Turkey expressing our strong concerns regarding the treatment of Advocate Ramazan Demir.

Adv. Demir has been summoned to appear before the special prosecutor of the 15th Criminal Court in Silivri in relation to a statement he made in the course of his duties as counsel in court on 16 November 2012. No complaint was made by either the judge or the prosecutor at the time he made the statement, however, six months later, on 13 May 2013, the prosecutor placed him under formal investigation, alleging a violation of article 125 of the Turkish Criminal Code, namely “offending the dignity of a public authority in the performance of its duties”.

The alleged statement was made in what is known as the “KCK Press Trial” in which 44 journalists stand accused in Silivri. Adv. Demir on behalf of his client requested that an expert witness should be appointed. He stated the self-evident fact that it is not open to a prosecutor to simply assert that journalists lacked “independence” or behaved in any way inappropriate to their profession. Such an allegation must be proved by expert evidence on issues such as journalistic ethics and the international human rights guarantees of freedom of expression.

On the basis of his request, we understand that Adv. Demir now faces prosecution for an offence of “insulting or offending the dignity of a public authority in the performance of his duties.”

We will be bringing these matters to the attention of the appropriate United Nations Special Rapporteurs and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights. We will continue to monitor any further attempts to undermine the abilities of Adv. Demir and his professional colleagues to provide the professional representation to their clients and international standards of human rights require.

Download the full letter (PDF).

Call for Aid to Comrades in the Philippines

Haldane calls on our members to assist Karapatan, a radical grassroots political organisation in the Philippines with which we have fraternal relations.  If you would like to donate to assist Karapatan please contact treasurer@haldane.org.

The Executive and AGM have already agreed to send a donation to assist Karapatan's urgent action appeal, and this was added to by a collection at our recent AGM. 

Any assistance will be gratefully received.

[The image in this article details and gives a pictorial representation of the various items which Karapatan can use to assist victims of the devastation in the Philippines.]

Congratulations to Raji Sourani

The Haldane Society sends its congratulations to our comrade Raji Sourani, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, on the Right Livelihood Award, the alternative Nobel Prizes.  This is a major recognition of Raji's and PCHR's tenacity in resisting the crimes of the Israeli state in Palestine.

View the letter sent to PCHR.

Report on the Day of the Endangered Lawyer

The image in this article is a picture of one male and one female lawyer behind bars.  The text reads, "Day of the Endangered Lawyer.  24th January 2013.  Keep your hands off the lawyers".

The Report on 2013's Day of the Endangered Lawyer has been published.  The Haldane Society, alongside our international comrades, participated in the actions on the day and in the creation of the report.

Click here to download the report.

Emergency Protest Over the Current Guantánamo Bay Hunger Strike

The London Guantánamo Campaign invites you to join us at an emergency protest over the current hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay

Sunday 17 March, 2-4pm
US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE
(nearest tube: Bond St/Marble Arch)

We will have speakers and an open mic.

 Hunger strikes: “the weapon of those who have nothing but their bodies with which to protest” ("Borderline Justice", Frances Webber, 2012)

Almost all of the 166 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay have been on hunger strike since early February. This protest which has led to force feeding against the human rights of prisoners and some prisoners losing over 15kg in weight was prompted by the confiscation of personal items from cells and the desecration of copies of the Koran. In a letter sent by lawyers for the prisoners to the prison commander on 4 March, they state that the “situation is potentially life-threatening.” The US military denies the situation, which is clearly getting out of hand.

Over half of the prisoners have been cleared for release and less than a dozen face any charges after more than a decade of arbitrary detention. The desperation shown in the latest episode of this hostage crisis has been ignored by the mainstream media. We invite you to join us as we protest this injustice.

For more details, please call Aisha on 07809 757 176 or e-mail london.gtmo@gmail.com

Mass Arrest of Turkish Lawyers

The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers expresses its utmost concern about the new mass arrests of Lawyers in Turkey.

The image in this article is the logo of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD).

According to the Turkish media police forces launched raids in seven provinces early this morning against the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C).  Fifty-five people, including 15 lawyers, were detained in the raids on suspicion of links with the organization. Nine of fifteen lawyers are reportedly members of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD), including an executive board member of the association, Güçlü Sevimli, and Istanbul branch head Taylan Tanay.  An arrest warrant has also been issued for the ÇHD President, Selçuk Kozağaçlı, after police failed to locate him during the raid. 

ÇHD has for many years been a sister organisation to the Haldane Society through the European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights. Its President, our colleague Selçuk  Kozağaçlı, was an invited speaker to the Haldane Society's conference on Defending Human Rights Defenders in February 2012.

This is the second wave of arrests carried out by the Turkish authorities: mass arrests were carried out in 2012 against 46 lawyers accused of getting orders from Öcalan, transmitting the orders to the alleged [KCK] organization, leading to actions as a result of such orders and informing Öcalan about the results.

By arresting these lawyers the Turkish State not only prevents them from exercising their professional duties but also denies their clients the right to be represented by a lawyer of their choice. Both acts are a violation of human rights, under the European Convention of Human Rights Art. 6, Para 2, c and the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, 1, ” All persons are entitled to call upon the assistance of a lawyer of their choice”, and 18, “Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients' causes as a result of discharging their functions.”

The Haldane Society demands:

1. The immediate release of the arrested lawyers.
2. That lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients' causes as a result of discharging their functions.
3. The Turkish State shall ensure that lawyers (a) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; (b) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and (c) shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics.
4. The full implementation of all International and all European law ratified by Turkey concerning the right to a fair trial, i.e. Art. 14 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 6 European Convention on Human Rights.
5. The full implementation of the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers i.e. Art. 7, 8, 16, 182. That all persons arrested or detained, with or without criminal charge, shall have prompt access to a lawyer, and in any case not later than forty-eight hours from the time of arrest or detention.

The Haldane Society within its resources will give the arrested lawyers all possible assistance.