The conference allowed the participants of the Human Rights House Network Program “International Law in Advocacy” to discuss common problems, to get acquainted with the specific facts of the persecution of human rights defenders, and to develop a plan of action and activities aimed at improving the guarantees and immunities of the advocates and lawyers. 

“The Forum has become the platform for our work and we expect to continue working in this direction. The representatives of lawyers’ groups and human rights communities from different countries made their presentations, and this helped to conduct a comparative analysis and define problems that need attention. The lawyers’ problems are a threat to the whole society, and it is important to notice, that behind the facts of one-time violations and cases of harassment stand violation of the principles of independence of the legal profession. Here there is a need to mention Belarusian experience, where about a dozen lawyers have suffered for their professional activities. After this work was carried out to identify the reasons, then the lawyers stopped perceiving themselves as victims, and began to act as bearers of ideas and now they – active members of civil society, lawyers, human rights defenders – strengthen the work of the human rights community, contribute to the raising awareness of the legal community about international guarantees and standards of the profession, “- said Liudmila Ulyashyna, the manager of the Human Rights House Network Program “International Law in Advocacy” (left).

The conference was attended by representatives of the The Norwegian Mission of Rule of Law Advisers to Moldova (Norlam), the Council of Europe, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), as well as lawyers and advocates, representing the number of non-governmental organizations of the participating countries. 

“I think it’s very important to protect lawyers and human rights defenders from threats and harassment, so that they can work effectively and protect human rights. In particular, the lawyers play a crucial role in the protection of the right to liberty, and to the protection from ill-treatment of the imprisoned people, and protection of the right to a fair trial. If lawyers, who strive for the protection of these rights, are themselves under a threat of attack or face prosecution, the justice system will not be effective in protecting human rights. This problem is always on the agenda of our organization. The harassment of lawyers is a question, which we seek to solve in many parts of the world, including the CIS countries. At the international level, states have obligations under the international human rights law for the protection of the right to access a lawyer, to protect lawyers and to ensure equality of parties in civil and criminal proceedings. In addition, the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, protect the independence and rights of lawyers. However, in reality these guarantees are poorly implemented. I think it is very important to deliver this information and to ensure that the government, judicial bodies and the Bar Association are aware of these laws, standards and obligations, under which they have to protect the independence of lawyers, “- said Róisín Pillay, the director of the Europe Regional Program of the International Commission of Jurists (right).

The conference was held in solidarity with those, who suffered for their human rights activism. Thus, there was a seat at the table symbolically reserved for a human rights defender from Azerbaijan, a well-known lawyer, an expert of the Council of Europe program Intigam Aliyev along with other conference participants. Since August 2014 the human rights defender has being under arrest in the Baku detention center on charges of tax evasion, abuse of office and conducting an illegal business. According to a statement of Intigam Aliyev, there is no legal basis for the charges, they are the result of his human rights activities, especially those related to lodging complaints to the ECHR and critical speeches during the sessions of the Council of Europe.  Members of the Human Rights House Network, lawyers of many European countries have expressed their support and solidarity with the human rights defender.

Graduates and experts of the project are now a part of the international observation mission of the trial of Intigam Aliyev. They also help develop the legal position which would reflect the real reasons for the arrest and prosecution of the well-known defender of victims of violations of civil and political rights in Azerbaijan. The conference participants are anxiously watching the situation in Azerbaijan and have decided to start a campaign to support the lawyer Khalid Bagirov, who also became a victim for his professional activities, as he protected the human rights defenders, who were arrested throughout Azerbaijan. 

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The Electronic Human Rights Education for Lawyers (EHREL) is a project under the Human Rights House Network program “International Law in Advocacy” prepared and implemented in cooperation with Human Rights House Foundation’s partner organizations.

The project aims to establish a link between lawyers from the CIS countries, providing them with educational materials on Human Rights, prepared by international and national experts, via the Internet. The project contributes to efforts to implement the standards adopted in the framework of the United Nations, the Council of Europe and other international organizations, to support the implementation of the human rights standards in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The aim of the project is to strengthen the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights under the rule of law through professional development of lawyers and human rights defenders, through training, networking and cooperation between them, as well as through building their conviction and practical skills in direct application of international human rights standards at the national level.

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