Category: Human rights defenders
-
The Manirumva case must move forward
Bujumbura (Burundi) – ASF calls on the Burundian justice system to put an end to the many irregularities which have been blocking progress for over a year in the Ernest Manirumva murder case. This call follows the fifth postponement on 4 September of the Burundi Supreme Court hearing to review this landmark case. While this…
-
Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa’s trial must be fair
Bujumbura – On the day before Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa’s trial, ASF is calling on the courts of Burundi to operate in strict compliance with laws and with full respect for its independence. President of the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Incarcerated Persons (Association pour la protection des droits humains et des personnes détenues,…
-
Armed groups threaten human rights defenders
Uvira (East of the Democratic Republic of Congo) – In a region where armed groups continue to commit grave human rights violations, defend human rights of former child soldiers is a high-risk activity. For example, two human rights defenders (HRDs) have been violently attacked by armed men in the office of their NGO. This incident…
-
How to protect human rights defenders?
Interview of Dominique Kamuandu, the ASF International Justice Programme Coordinator in Congo, who recently spoke at a forum devoted to supporting and protecting human rights defenders (HRD) in Brussels.
-
“Giving legal aid is like giving hope”
Promoting free legal aid is paramount in supporting access to justice for people living in vulnerable situations. Avocats Sans Frontières, in partnership with the Uganda Law Society, is mobilizing lawyers to defend the basic rights of Ugandans. Akello Suzan Apita is one of the 16 lawyers engaged in this endeavor.
-
“We are caught between a rock and a hard place”
President of a human rights defence association, Rénovat Ninahazwe is a Burundian human rights defender at risk. As a result of serious threats, he has had to leave his country, finding temporary refuge in Uganda with the help of Avocats Sans Frontières. He and his family are being taken care of in the context of…
-
Access to justice on the post-2015 agenda
Avocats Sans Frontières, along with fellow human rights organisations all over the world, has called for the post-2015 development agenda to be embedded with a human rights framework to ensure both sustainability and justice. Especially important for ASF is the emphasis on the role of access to justice as a human right that guarantees all…
-
Why is justice without borders?
Who better to respond to this question than ASF’s Heads of Mission and Regional Representatives, based in different countries worldwide. They have gathered for ten days of intensive briefing at ASF’s headquarters in Brussels and they share their views about the core of the organisation’s mandate: the defense of human rights.
-
Being a lawyer, a high-risk profession
Whether they are members of civil society organizations, lawyers or media professionals, human rights defenders have a common objective: promote and protect human rights. They are often confronted with attempts to limit their work such as threats, harassment, and sometimes torture or even murder. That is why ASF and the East Africa Law Society are…
-
Chebeya, a landmark trial in danger of stalling
One year after the start of the Chebeya appeal trial, Avocats Sans Frontières fears the proceedings are stalling. The NGO is calling on the Congolese judicial authorities and the persons implicated in the proceedings to ensure the trial takes place without hindrance or intimidation.