On 25-29 September 2011, HRHF and its partners from Belarus, South Caucasus and the Russian Federation took part at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation meeting in Warsaw. It its intervention, HRHF particularly addressed the issue of the increasingly deteriorating situation of human rights lawyers in Belarus and Azerbaijan, and difficulties of lawyers defending human rights in Georgia and Armenia.

Download HRHF intervention to the right.

On 3-5 October 2011, the representatives of HRHF and HRHN partners in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia took part at the CoE Parliamentary Assembly session of October 2011. The delegation held meetings with several parliamentarians and country rapporteurs, the rapporteurs on human rights defenders, rule of law, political prisoners respectively in order to ensure better focus, among others, on the situation of human rights lawyers in the countries. It also provided updated information about the human rights situation in the South Caucasus.

Download statement to the right.

Repression against human rights lawyers

Since the presidential elections on 19 December 2010, in Belarus, repression has escalated not only against human rights defenders and their organizations but also against lawyers who defend political opposition, human rights defenders and activists. Seven Belarusian lawyers, who provided legal counsel in politically motivated cases, have been disbarred since last December 2010[1].

Similar tendency to hinder lawyers to carry out their work is seen in Azerbaijan in the last months. Two lawyers have so far been disbarred and one has received warnings. Lawyers are subject to threats and blackmailing; one lawyer has received criminal charges of defamation. The policy of persecution against active defense counsels has chilling effect on other lawyers as well.

In Georgia, human rights lawyers recently also faced difficulties in defending their clients. In several administrative and criminal cases with high state interest, smear campaigns have been used to undermine the work and credibility of some lawyers. Human rights organizations have reported about difficulties to get access to clients after the dispersal of demonstrations on 29 May 2011. One lawyer was sentenced to 10 days of administrative imprisonment for alleged misbehavior in the courtroom while he was defending the interest of his clients, accused of inflicting damage during the protests.

In Armenia, several lawyers, actively involved in defense of human rights, were subject to pressure and threats. The office of one human rights lawyer has been raided twice since December 2010; two lawyers were not allowed to meet their defendants – seven activists of the oppositional Armenian National Congress who were arrested in Yerevan that day. Unknown persons subjected Another lawyer who currently defends a person accused in murder in a high profile case was subjected to threats by unknown persons in September 2011.

Joint recommendations on better protection of human rights defenders developed

On 29 September 2011, HRHF, Frontline Defenders and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH – OMCT) in cooperation with the Youth Human Rights Movement (the Russian Federation) organized a joint side event on the protection of human rights defenders in the OSCE region. Representatives from Azerbaijan (Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety), Belarus (Human Rights Centre Viasna), Georgia (Article 42 of the Constitution), Kyrgyzstan (Citizen Against Corruption) and the Russian Federation (Committee Against Torture) addressed the main issues related to security of human rights defenders and discussed best and less successful practices of their protection.

During the side event, several measures were discussed on how to improve the protection mechanisms, and recommendations to OSCE Chairmanship and all participating states, as well as OSCE institutions were suggested in order to better protect human rights defenders at risk. The recommendations, among others, call upon the establishment of the OSCE Special Representative on human rights defenders and adoption of OSCE Guidelines for Human Rights Defenders as guiding principles for states’ policies towards the protection of human rights defenders.

Download the summary of recommendations to the right.

[1] http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/16901.html

http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/16794.html 

http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/16011.html 

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