EU: Better support structures for children in conflict with the law are needed
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) organized a series of workshops for social workers and probation officers working with children from Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands and Slovakia. The goal was to share experiences, identify common challenges, and highlight effective practices in supporting children in conflict with the law.
Topics discussed included methods of conducting individual assessment of children, diversion options as alternatives to formal criminal proceedings, the availability of support organizations, the role of parents throughout justice processes, and the impact of institutional discrimination on children in conflict with law.
EU: Access to a lawyer in juvenile justice proceedings remains a key concern in several EU Member States
In April 2025, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and partners organized two online workshops for legal practitioners from six EU Member States who work with children in conflict with the law. These workshops follow up on the Transnational Exchange Roundtable held in March 2025 in Brussels and aim to explore specific issues in greater depth and strengthen legal assistance for children in conflict with the law.
CRPD: Joint third-party intervention on comprehensive assessment of displaced persons with disabilities
On 25 April 2025, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), together with the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe Centre (AIRE Centre) and the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) submitted a joint third-party intervention before the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the case of H.A.M. v. Denmark. The case concerns the expulsion on criminal grounds of a Somali individual with disabilities from Denmark, after over 30 years of asylum.
HRC58: The UN Human Rights Council ends a six-week intense session in perilous times for multilateralism
On Friday last week, the 58th session of the main UN human rights body, the Human Rights Council (HRC), came to an end after six weeks of intense work, from 24 February to 4 April 2025. This intensity illustrates the importance of the HRC’s work, including in...
Kazakhstan: Criminal proceedings against lawyers Zhanna Urazbakhova and Gabit Bekitayev must be dropped
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemns the initiation of criminal proceedings by Almaty Police Department against lawyers Zhanna Urazbakhova and Gabit Bekitayev in Almaty. The ICJ believes that these proceedings are likely to have been undertaken in response to the lawful exercise of their professional duties.
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