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Following the article by Mark Hollingsworth, published by The Spectator on 14 January 2023, we would like to highlight the fact that the Open Dialogue Foundation has little to no history of cooperation with former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, one of the main suspects in the so-called Qatargate affair. It is necessary to note that […]

Since the Law and Justice (PiS)-led United Right coalition took power in 2015, we have witnessed an unprecedented level of politicisation of the public prosecution service, which has been transformed into a tool serving political and personal interests of the ruling camp and its members. This resulted in a growing number of politically motivated cases of investigations carried out primarily against those regarded as opponents of the government.

1. Foreword The independence of the judiciary in Poland has been systematically dismantled over the last six years, during which previously independent bodies, referred to as safety fuses of democracy, have been brought under political control by the ruling camp (such as the Constitutional Tribunal and the National Council of the Judiciary). At the same […]

The list of disobedient ‘judges of freedom’ continues to grow. Ewa Siedlecka receives reports about judges of common courts, who, in their judgements, showed courage and chose independence, rather than the ‘peace of mind’. The list of judges subjected to oppression is also growing.

Last Tuesday, on February 19th, a group of Members of EP constituted by Ana Gomes, Barbara Lochbihler, Mady Delvaux-Stehres, Tunne Kelam, Elmar Brok, Patricia Lalonde, Brando Benifei and Julie Ward, addressed a letter to Federica Mogherini, concerning the removal of judge from office in Kazakhstan.

Lev Ponomaryov and Emil Kurbedinov were subjected to shocking cases of administrative arrest for posting on social networks. In this way, the authorities continue to apply the policy of intimidation and punishment of individuals who dare criticise the actions of the regime.

Statement of the Human Rights Agenda platform concerning the persecution of lawyers who work with politically motivated cases in occupied Crimea.

On 12 July 2018, eight MEPs signed an open letter addressed to President Nazarbayev decrying the human rights situation in Kazakhstan. MEPs J. Stetina, P. Austrevicius, T. Kelam, W. Klinz, A. Gomes, H. Hautala, V. Mazuronis and J. Nart denounced the reduction of the space for civil liberties.

The right to defence is one of the fundamental human rights that is enshrined in a number of international agreements. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims the principle of equality of all before the law, the presumption of innocence, and the right to be examined openly.

The International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger (IOL) recently published two statements expressing its concern for Ana Ursachi and Botagoz Jardemalie, both lawyers and human rights defenders, from Moldova and Kazakhstan, respectively.

Year in and year out, Moldova cannot shake off the shackles of corruption, oligarchy, and selective justice. International partners expressed their readiness to render assistance to the country in carrying out the necessary reforms, but they have faced sabotage and inactivity

On March 13, 2018, MEPs submitted a written question to the EU VP/HR, Ms Federica Mogherini, on the harassment and persecution of lawyers taking place in Azerbaijan. In their address, P. Auštrevičius, J. Ward and T. Zdechovský made reference to individual cases of persecuted lawyers.

A Moldovan court has sanctioned the arrest of counsel Ana Ursachi. The court session was carried out in the absence of her defenders. The authorities engaged a public defender in the judicial process, which can be regarded as a way to legalise the court decision

Persecution of lawyers: selected cases from Moldova, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan

The work of a lawyer in the Eastern European member countries of the Council of Europe is fraught with many risks: murders and attempted assassinations, criminal prosecution, pressure on relatives, illegal searches, attempts to withhold an attorney’s license, and slanderous media campaigns.