Intervention letters – defending lawyers and human rights
We have joined Lawyers for Lawyers, the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights, Fédération des Barreaux d’Europ in expressing our concern about the arrest and detention of lawyer Bedirhan Sarsilmaz in Türkiye.
We urge the relevant authorities to immediately release Mr Sarsılmaz and halt all acts of intimidation and harassment, including arbitrary arrest and detention, against lawyers in Türkiye, and ensure that lawyers in Türkiye are not unlawfully identified with their clients or their clients’ causes.
Read the full intervention letter (PDF 96 KB)
The Law Society, together with seven other organisations, have expressed our grave concern about human rights lawyer and legal scholar, Xu Zhiyong, who is currently on hunger strike in Lunan prison, Shandong province in China. Mr Xu started his hunger strike on 4 October 2024 to call attention to the inhumane treatment he is being subjected to in prison.
We urge the relevant authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Xu Zhiyong and provide urgent medical attention related to his hunger strike, as well as to halt all acts of harassment against Xu Zhiyong’s family members and ensure that all lawyers in China can carry out their professional duties without intimidation or improper interference.
Read the full intervention letter (PDF 167.8 KB)
We joined several organisations in expressing our concern about the case of Şiar Rişvanoğlu in Türkiye. He has been detained following a police raid on his residence and subsequent arrest at the Çukurova airport in Tarsus.
Our organisations urge the Turkish authorities to release Mr Rişvanoğlu, ensure that he is afforded a fair trial, ensure the rights of persons deprived of their liberty are respected at all times, and guarantee that all lawyers in Türkiye are able to carry out their professional duties without fear of reprisals, undue restrictions, or judicial harassment, in compliance with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
We have sent a joint intervention letter with Lawyers for Lawyers, International Bar Association Human Rights Institute, Asian Lawyers Network, 29 Principles, the Rights Practice and Lawyers Rights Watch Canada concerning the arrest and detention of Chinese lawyer, Lu Siwei.
We urge the relevant authorities to release Lu Siwei from detention and drop the charges against him.
Pending his release, we ask them to ensure that Lu Siwei is held in adequate conditions of detention that comply with international human rights standards.
Read the full intervention letter (PDF 176.1 KB)
We have joined eight other organisations expressing concern at the arbitrary arrest and detention of Sudanese lawyer Montaser Abdullah since 7 September 2024 by the Sudanese Armed Forces, which we believe is linked to his work as a lawyer.
We call on call Sudanese authorities to release Mr. Abdullah, end the harassment of lawyers, enforced disappearance and other forms of ill-treatment and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice, in trials conforming with international law.
Read the full joint statement (PDF 140.6 KB)
We have joined other organisations to strongly condemn the Tyumen Regional Bar Council’s decision to disbar Russian human rights lawyer Aleksey Ladin in retaliation for his human rights work.
We call on the Russian authorities to revoke this decision, cease harassment against him and guarantee that all lawyers in Russia and Russia-occupied territories can conduct their legitimate professional activities without fear of reprisals.
Read the full intervention letter (pdf 282 KB)
The Law Society, SHOAA for Human Rights and Lawyers for Lawyers have sent an intervention letter to the authorities in Algeria to express our concern at the travel restrictions that have been imposed on lawyer, Mr Mourad Zenati.
Mr Zenati is a human rights lawyer and a member of “The Collective for the Defense of Hirak Detainees", a lawyers’ group formed after the first wave of arrests of peaceful Hirak demonstrators in 2019.
We are concerned that this travel ban may have been imposed on Mr Zenati because of his professional duties and his association with the Collective.
Read the full intervention letter (pdf 183 KB)
We sent an intervention letter about the continued detention of three lawyers in Russia, following their initial arrest on 13 October 2023: Vadim Kobzev; Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser.
All three lawyers represent the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the Law Society is concerned that these arrests relate to the work that these lawyers have conducted as part of their professional duties.
In our letter, we call on Russia to end all acts of intimidation and harassment against the lawyers.
Read our full intervention letter (pdf 162.9 KB)
The Law Society of England and Wales, the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Lawyers for Lawyers, Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute sent a joint letter expressing grave concern about a summons being issued by the Iranian judiciary for the reimprisonment of 76-year old human rights lawyer Mohammad Seifzadeh despite his ailing health.
The Law Society issued an intervention letter expressing concern about the arrest and detention for several days of lawyers Naim Eminoğlu and Doğa İncesu in Turkey.
On 2 July 2024, armed police officers executed early-morning raids on the residences of both lawyers and took them into custody.
They were denied access to a lawyer and had their laptop and the mobile phones seized. We are concerned that their arrest and detention was linked to their professional duties and work on human rights cases.
We have joined other organisations to express concern about the continued failure of the Turkish authorities to ensure accountability for the unlawful killing of lawyer, Tahir Elҫi, on 28 November 2015, and the lack of due process surrounding the ongoing criminal prosecutions.
In a joint statement and through intervention letters, we—along with our partner organisations—have requested urgent action in the criminal trial of those accused of killing lawyer Tahir Elҫi, ahead of the next hearing on the 12 June 2024.
Aleksey Ladin
We have signed a joint statement expressing our concern of the continuing harassment and intimidation of lawyer Aleksey Ladin.
Mr Ladin is facing a disciplinary hearing by the Council of the Tyumen Regional Bar Association following a motion issued by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.
We are concerned that this latest action has been triggered by Mr Ladin’s work to provide legal aid to Ukrainians who are alleged to have been subject to criminal prosecution by Russia.
Nasrin Soutoudeh
We have signed a joint statement expressing our grave concern of the recent arrest of distinguished Iranian human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh. Nasrin has faced ongoing harassment because of her work, and was arrested on 29 October in Tehran, while attending the funeral of Armita Garavand, a 16-year-old girl who died following an incident with the Iranian Morality Police.
Xu Zhiyong
We have expressed our grave concern over the continuing detention of Xu Zhiyong, a lawyer in China. On 11 April 2023, Xu was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
We are concerned that Zhiyong’s detention is related to his professional duties as a lawyer, that his trial did not meet international fair trial standards and that he was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during his pre-trial detention.
We are also troubled that his trial was held in secret and that his own lawyers have been forced to sign confidentiality agreements, preventing them from publishing details documents relating to the charges, trial and verdict.
Hao Jingsong
We are gravely concerned about the continuing detention of Hao Jinsong, a lawyer in China. In July 2023, Mr Jinsong was sentenced to nine years in prison.
As with Xu Zhiyong, we are worried that Mr Jinsong’s detention is related to his professional duties as a lawyer and that his trial did not meet international fair trial standards. We are alarmed that offences he has reportedly been charged with lack sufficient legal certainty, rendering his arrest and detention arbitrary.
We sent an intervention letter about the recent arrest of lawyers in Turkey. The Law Society is concerned about the arrest of Ceren Yilmaz, Fatih Gökçe, Bilgi Topçu and Ilgin Gökçe on 13 October 2023. These latest arrests form part of a pattern of harassment and intimidation of lawyers in Turkey.
We also sent an intervention letter about the recent arrest of three lawyers in Russia on 13 October 2023: Vadim Kobzev; Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser. All three lawyers represent the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the Law Society is concerned that these arrests relate to the work that these lawyers have conducted as part of their professional duties. In our letter, we call on Russia to end all acts of intimidation and harassment against the lawyers.
We co-signed a statement expressing our concern about the arrest of lawyer Claudia González in Guatemala City on 28 August 2023.
Ms González is renowned for her work against impunity and corruption and was the recipient of the prestigious Lawyers for Lawyers award in May 2023. The Law Society and our partner organisations are concerned that her arrest is part of a pattern of intimidation and harassment she has faced because of her work.
We released a joint statement on the ongoing trial of lawyer and human rights defender Hejaaz Hizbullah from Sri Lanka. The Law Society and its partner organisations are concerned about the ongoing violations of fair trial rights in the ongoing trial of Sri Lankan lawyer and human rights defender Hejaaz Hizbullah. Key witnesses have been subject to threat, coercion, intimidation and arrest.
We released a joint statement on the interception of Chinese human rights lawyer Li Heping and his family, who were prevented from leaving the country by border police at Chengdu's Tianfu International Airport on June 9th. They were subjected to travel restrictions on the grounds that their departure might endanger national security. These restrictions amount to a violation of their right to freedom of movement and raise questions about the legality of such measures.
Chang Weiping
We wrote to the authorities in China about the arrest, detention, prosecution and torture of lawyer Chang Weiping (PDF 123 KB).
Chang Weiping is a lawyer whose clients have included those facing discrimination due to their gender or sexual orientation.
Ding Jiaxi
We wrote to the authorities in China about the arrest, detention, prosecution and torture of lawyer Ding Jiaxi (PDF 121 KB).
Ding Jiaxi is a lawyer and human rights defender campaigning for greater governmental transparency, rule of law and the rights of migrant workers in China.
Shahanur Islam
We delivered an Intervention Letter on the continuing threats and harassment of Shahanur Islam in connection with his legitimate activities as a lawyer in Bangladesh.
Read the full letter (PDF 182 KB).
Joint statement on Li Yuhan
We have signed a joint statement by The 29 Principles to call for the release of Chinese human rights lawyer Li Yuhan, who was detained by Chinese authorities in 2017.
The statement also calls on the Chinese authorities to release all lawyers and human rights defenders who have been arbitrarily detained.
Lawyers at risk in Iran
At least 23 lawyers have been arrested and detained in the last month, in detention conditions that remain inadequate and inhuman. We are also alarmed by the many human rights defenders who have been arrested.
We called on the Iranian authorities to, inter alia:
- immediately and unconditionally release all lawyers and human rights defenders
- guarantee psychological and physical integrity
- ensure access to legal representation
- ensure respect for fair trial guarantees
- guarantee that lawyers and human rights defenders can carry out their professional duties without intimidation, hindrance or improper interference
Read our full statement on lawyers at risk and lack of access to legal representation in Iran (PDF 201 KB).
We've written a joint statement with Lawyers for Lawyers, calling on the Iranian government to halt the arbitrary arrest, detention and ill treatment of lawyers in Iran (PDF 274 KB) and allow protesters access to legal representatives.
We wrote to President Kais Saied of Tunisia about the arrest, detention and prosecution of lawyer Abderrazak Kilani (PDF 326 KB).
Mr Kilani is a lawyer and former president of the Law Society of Tunisia from 2010 until 2012, as well as a former ambassador of Tunisia to the UN in Geneva.
Our Lawyers at Risk programme supports lawyers and human rights defenders who are subject to intimidation, arbitrary arrest or detention, or whose lives are at risk.
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