The ICJ condemns the arrest and the criminal charging of Dmitry Talantov, the President of the Bar Association of Udmurtia region, on 28 June 2022, for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The ICJ calls for his immediate release and the dropping of all charges.
The months following the Russian Federation’s military invasion in Ukraine have been marked, in Russia itself, by a wave of protests against the invasion and systematic official suppression of expressions of opposition to the invasion. The government has hastily adopted new restrictive laws limiting expression of views on the conflict, followed by immediate enforcement through thousands of mostly arbitrary arrests and criminal charges related to the protests. In many cases, those arrested have not had access to prompt and confidential legal advice, and their right to an effective defence in court has been impeded. While obstruction of the work of lawyers in defence of human rights is a long-standing problem in Russia, the problem has become particularly acute in relation to the recent arrests of protesters.
The ICJ today denounced attacks on lawyers across the world, in particular in the Russian Federation, Myanmar, Nepal, Venezuela and Turkey, in its statement during the dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.
The statement before the UN Human Rights Council reads as follows:
“Mr President,
The ICJ welcomes this timely report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, which demonstrates that lawyers are targets of attacks, harassment, and arbitrary prosecutions and disbarment worldwide.
In the Russian Federation, contrary to international law and standards on the role of lawyers, law enforcement officials routinely impede the work of lawyers attempting to represent people detained or charged in connection with anti-war protests, including by using violence.
In Myanmar, where the judiciary is subservient to the executive, lawyers and their families face daily threats of arrest, detention and harassment solely for their professional activities.
In Nepal, the police have injured the Bar Association’s executive members, including its General Secretary, when they used excessive force against lawyers protesting against the corruption in the Supreme Court, and calling for an investigation of the Chief Justice. Similar violations occur in Venezuela.
In Turkey, legislative reforms have been introduced undermining the independence of the legal profession. Moreover, prominent human rights lawyers are subject to arbitrary prosecutions, including Cihan Aydin and Öztürk Türkdoğan.
The ICJ calls on this Council and all its Special Procedure to pay particular attention to attacks on lawyers whose work is essential for access justice and effective remedies to protect everyone’s human rights.
I thank you.”
Contact:
Massimo Frigo, ICJ UN Representative, e: massimo.frigo(a)icj.org, t: +41797499949
The ICJ today delivered a statement before the UN Human Rights Council calling for co-ordinated international efforts to ensure collection of evidence and the independent investigation of crimes under international law in Mariupol, and throughout Ukraine.
The ICJ condemned the declaration of yet another state of emergency on Tuesday 24 May by the government of Hungary, and called on the government to desist from using it as a basis to undertake any measure that would further erode the already dismal state of rule of law in the country.
Today, the ICJ and IBAHRI called on all States to do more to ensure accountability for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, and crimes under international law in the Ukraine conflict, and to significantly support the work of the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry.
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