Nov 23, 2018 | News
The ICJ is concerned at increasing government interference with the independence of the legal profession, including through intimidation and harassment of the leadership of the National Bar Association and individual lawyers in Kazakhstan.
In the last two months, there have been a series of resignations in the leadership of the National Bar, including Anvar Tugel, ex-President of the National Bar Association who publicly announced that his resignation was the result of “disagreement with the reform proposed by the Ministry of Justice”.
He explained that the “reform” aimed to remove the leadership of the Bar Association.
In his public statement, Tugel points out that several presidents of the local bar associations, faced pressure.
Indeed, Yakubenko Raisa and Vladimir Zolotov presidents of Aktyubinsk and Pavolodar bar associations respectively faced disbarment proceedings in the Kazakhstan courts, initiated by the Ministry of Justice.
The disciplinary charges against them are related to their administration of the bar associations.
He also pointed out that pressure was also exerted on individual lawyers, who had been invited to the Ministry of Justice and instructed which decisions to vote for at the National Conference of delegates of the regional bar associations.
Furthermore, Sergei Sizintsev, the Executive Director of the National Bar Association, has been unexpectedly dismissed from his position following the resignation of Anvar Tugel.
“Instructions about the outcome of the vote, apparently unjustified disciplinary proceedings against high profile lawyers and other such actions constitute interference with the independence of the legal profession and are of concern” Temur Shakirov, ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme Senior Legal Adviser, said today.
“These developments cannot but create a chilling effect on the lawyers in Kazakhstan, including those independent lawyers who openly spoke against the reform of the legal profession,” he added.
Such measures are inconsistent with international law and standards on the independence of the legal profession, including the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.
The ICJ calls on the State authorities, including the Ministry of Justice, to refrain from interference with the internal matters of the Bar, especially with the election of its governing bodies.
The interim leadership of the National Bar Association should ensure that elections to positions in the governing bodies are fair and transparent and are not a result of inappropriate interference from whatever quarter.
The ICJ will continue to monitor developments regarding the Kazakhstan legal profession, including disbarment proceedings against heads of regional bar associations, and other instances of apparent pressure on lawyers related to their opposition to reforms of the profession earlier criticized by the ICJ.
Background
The UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers state that lawyers are entitled to form and join self-governing professional associations to represent their interests, promote their continuing education and training and protect their professional integrity.
The executive body of the professional associations shall be elected by its members and shall exercise its functions without external interference (Principle 24)
International principles on the role of lawyers also require the State to ensure that neither disciplinary sanctions, nor other measures such as criminal penalties, are unfairly or arbitrarily imposed on lawyers for action taken in accordance with their professional duties, and in accordance with accepted standards of professional conduct, including those enshrined in the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers
According to Principle 16 of the UN Basic Principles it is the obligation of the governments to ensure that lawyers “are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference” and that they do 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”.
The Law ‘On the Professional Activities of Advocates and Legal Assistance’ was signed into law on 10 July 2018.
Earlier the ICJ expressed concern in respect to the new law, as contradicting international law and standards on the independence of the legal profession, by enabling the executive to influence or to have control over who is allowed to practice law and substantial influence on disciplinary proceedings against lawyers. Read the full text here.
Read also
ICJ statement following the mission to Kazakhstan on the independence of the legal profession.
Nov 23, 2018 | Новости
Сегодня МКЮ совместно с Центром исследования правовой политики и Союзом адвокатов Таджикистана проводит в Душанбе региональную конференцию по вопросам независимости и роли адвокатов.
Адвокаты из Таджикистана и других стран Центральной Азии, СНГ и Европы обсудят правовые гарантии, которые должны быть предоставлены адвокатам, чтобы обеспечить их способность защищать права человека в отношении своих доверителей, а также роль адвокатских объединений с точки зрения защиты безопасности и независимости адвокатов.
Они рассмотрят вопрос о роли комитетов по защите прав адвокатов, образованных в составе адвокатских объединений ряда стран региона, а также о том, как обеспечить наиболее эффективную работу данных специализированных органов.
По итогам конференции будут подготовлены рекомендации по защите адвокатов региона.
Контакты:
Тимур Шакиров, старший правовой советник, Программа по Европе и Центральной Азии
temur.shakirov(a)icj.org
Nov 20, 2018
The ICJ said today that the Nepal Army’s petition before the Supreme Court seeking to overturn convictions of soldiers for the 2004 killing of 14-year-old Maina Sunuwar was riddled with legal flaws. Its success would be a blow to the fight against impunity in Nepal.
On the 12th Anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the ICJ released an analysis of the Nepal Army’s legal arguments in the petition to upend the convictions issued by the Kavrepalanchowk District Court for the killing Maina Sunuwar while in Army custody.
“The Nepal Army has sought to overturn the convictions of Maina’s killers by putting forth specious legal arguments that do not hold up under Nepali or international law, or in light of the past decisions of the Supreme Court,” said Frederick Rawski, ICJ Asia Pacific Director.
In the legal briefing, the ICJ sets out (i) Nepal’s obligations under international law and the Nepal Supreme Court’s jurisprudence to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of human rights violations; (ii) the impropriety of jurisdiction by a military court-martial in cases of serious human rights violations; and (iii) refutes the argument that the convictions violated principles of ‘double jeopardy’.
The briefing sets out international law and jurisprudence establishing the Government’s duty to prosecute serious human rights violations as distinct and separate from its obligation to establish the truth, including as part of a transitional justice process.
The briefing comes at a moment when the future of justice for conflict era crimes and human rights violations in Nepal is uncertain.
In July, a draft bill amending the existing legislative framework governing the transitional justice process was criticized by civil society, victim groups and human rights organizations – including in a joint analysis by the ICJ, Amnesty International and Trial International.
While a government panel elicited comments at consultations with victims and civil society, the government never produced a revised draft or conducted follow-up.
“How can the people of Nepal, and particularly conflict victims, have faith in government proposals to press forward on transitional justice when the Nepal Army continues to fight even minimal accountability with disingenuous legal arguments, such as in the case of Maina Sunuwar?” said Rawski.
“The foundation for any process moving forward must be the best interests of victims, a commitment to accountability, and respect for international human rights obligations. This has been affirmed many times over by the Supreme Court,” he added.
Contact
Frederick Rawski, ICJ Asia Pacific Director, t: +66 64 478 1121 ; e: frederick.rawski@icj.org
Background
Maina Sunuwar was subjected to enforced disappearance, torture and unlawful killing after a covert military operation, which included the involvement of then captain Niranjan Basnet on 17 February 2004.
The military refused to acknowledge Maina’s detention for many months.
After overcoming a number of procedural and political hurdles stretching over years, on 16 April 2017, the Kavre District Court sentenced three retired army officers to life imprisonment for Maina Sunuwar’s murder.
In September 2017, the Nepal Army filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Kavre Court on several grounds, including that military courts had proper jurisdiction over the original case, that the District Court convictions violated the principle of ‘double jeopardy’ because the defendants had already been tried by a court-martial, and that the court system no longer had jurisdiction over conflict-related cases following the establishment of transitional justice institutions.
Nepal-Petition to overturn convictions for Maina Sunuwar killing-Advocacy-Analysis brief-2018-ENG (Full Analysis brief, in PDF)
Nov 16, 2018 | Новости, Статьи
15 и 16 ноября МКЮ совместно с Советом Европы (СЕ) и Коллегией адвокатов Азербайджана (КА) проводит в Баку международную конференцию, посвященную «роли и независимости адвокатов: сравнительные подходы».
Данная конференция является первым мероприятием, посвященным роли и независимости адвокатуры, которая организуется в стране. В рамках конференции международные эксперты и представители адвокатских ассоциаций целого ряда стран, в том числе Совета Европы и Центральной Азии, а также представители международных организаций, обсудят сравнительные подходы к управлению адвокатурой и ее роли.
В рамках выступлений будут освещены различные взгляды на те требования и условия, которым должны соответствовать адвокаты при выполнении своей профессиональной обязанности по защите прав человека в отношении доверителей.
В частности, участники Конференции рассмотрят вопрос об организации и управлении адвокатурой, адвокатской этике и аттестации адвокатов.
Контакты:
Тимур Шакиров, старший правовой советник, Программа по Европе и Центральной Азии
temur.shakirov(a)icj.org
Azerbaijan-Conference Independence Lawyers-News-Agenda-2018-RUS
Azerbaijan-Conference Independence lawyers-News-Agenda-2018-AZE
Прямая трансляция: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POVlaKXjUrg&feature=youtu.be
Nov 16, 2018 | News
On 15 and 16 November, the ICJ, jointly with the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Azerbaijan Bar Association (ABA), is holding an international conference in Baku on “the Role and Independence of Lawyers: comparative perspectives”.
The conference, which is the first such event on the role and independence of the legal profession organized in the country, aims to bring together perspectives on the governance and role of the legal profession from international experts and representatives of bar associations from a wide range of countries, including the Council of Europe countries, Central Asian as well as representatives of international organizations.
The interventions provide a comparative view on the conditions and requirements that lawyers should comply with while carrying out their professional duty of protection of human rights of their clients.
Participants of the Conference will address in particular the organization and governance of the legal profession, lawyers’ ethics and qualification of lawyers.
Contact:
Temur Shakirov, Senior Legal Adviser, Europe and Central Asia Programme, temur.shakirov@icj.org
Live cast: https://youtu.be/POVlaKXjUrg
Azerbaijan-Conference Independence Lawyers-News-Agenda-2018-ENG (Agenda of the Conference, in PDF)
