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Persecution of lawyers

In many Eastern European countries, the work of a lawyer is fraught with many risks: murders and attempted assassinations, criminal prosecution, beatings, threats, pressure on relatives, illegal searches, surveillance, attempts to withhold licenses of attorneys, and slanderous media campaigns. Legislation deficiencies in professional activities of counsels, ineffective law enforcement agencies, and the difficult general situation with respect for human rights all subject lawyers to danger.
The tightening trend of authoritarian regimes insome of the eastern countries is accompanied by an increase in the number of cases of political repression. Lawyers involved in politically motivated cases become, in turn, victims of persecution and pressure.
Several examples are the cases of lawyers being prosecuted in Russia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Ukraine, as well as cases of prosecution in the territory of European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic) by extra-European authoritarian regimes (Kazakhstan).

News

Following our support of the Resolution on the independence of judges, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on January 26th, ODF ...

PACE resolution on the independence of judges and ODF – debunking

2 April 2021
On 4 March 2021 we organised an online hearing for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European Parliament advisors and selected journalists under the ...

Prosecutorial standards in Poland are closer to those in Belarus than in the EU. ODF’s hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish prosecutors

5 March 2021
On 28 January 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on judges in Poland and the Republic of Moldova. The ...

Polish & Moldovan judges must remain independent. A firm resolution adopted by PACE

26 February 2021
In the latest instance of the Polish authorities’ open disregard for the rule of law, 14 Cracow judges have been exposed to politicised prosecution and ...

A Breach Too Far: Call to the EC on the Assault on Judges Adjudicating on Prosecutor Krasoń’s Case

28 January 2021
On October 8, 2020 we had the pleasure of organising an online hearing for Members of the European Parliament under the title “How should the EU support the ...

ODF holds online hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish judges

9 October 2020
The Open Dialogue Foundation provided inputs to the first annual Rule of Law Report, the European Commission’s latest oversight mechanism and a part of its ...

Further erosion of the Polish democracy: providing feedback for the first EU Rule of Law Report

5 May 2020
On the 20th February 2020, on the occasion of the 19th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, together with the members of the Dutch Delegation, ...

ODF co-hosts side-event at the 19th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna

2 March 2020
As is by now tradition for us, we were proud to be present during the 2020 Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, held on 27-31 ...

Functioning of democratic institutions in Poland: ODF fights for a resolute PACE report

3 February 2020
On December 18-19, 2019, the Open Dialogue Foundation’s team, together with human rights defenders from Moldova, conducted very constructive meetings in the ...

ODF in the EP in Strasbourg: the Fall of Sandu’s Government in Moldova

19 December 2019
In light of the ongoing assault on the independence of the judiciary in Poland by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party – and especially the ...

“Law and Justice’s Campaign against Polish Judiciary” – ODF’s hearing in the European Parliament

17 December 2019
ODF is proud to have organised a high-level mission to Brussels of the most famous "disobedient" Polish judges & prosecutors – the leading victims of the ...

ODF welcomes persecuted Polish judges and prosecutors in Brussels

16 December 2019
On 6 November 2019, Members of the Federal Parliament of Belgium’s asked questions to the Minister of Justice Koen Geens, during a Justice Committee hearing. ...

Belgian Parliament interrogates Minister of Justice over the case of Bota Jardemalie

13 November 2019
During the last PACE Autumn session (30-4 October), together with the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL) and the Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU) we ...

ODF, CCL & FIDU at PACE: strengthening international human rights mechanisms

18 October 2019
Between Monday 16 and Friday 27 September 2019, representatives of the Open Dialogue Foundation Xheni Dani, Joanna Cuper and Maksym Sytnikov participated in ...

Open Dialogue Foundation at the OSCE HDIM 2019

15 October 2019
Due to the intensification of attacks on judges and prosecutors belonging to the Association of Polish Independent Prosecutors, Lex Super Omnia, we held a ...

Attacks on judges and independent prosecutors in Poland. An ODF event at the OSCE forum

30 September 2019
Judges Waldemar Żurek, Piotr Gąciarek and Dariusz Mazur, as well as prosecutor Krzysztof Parchimowicz, will participate in the event hosted by the Open ...

Hate Speech as a Political Weapon Directed Against Independent Judges and Prosecutors in Poland: side event at OSCE HDIM 2019 in Warsaw

20 September 2019

Publications

MEPs address HR/VP Mogherini on the case of dismissed judge Malik Kenzhaliyev

26 February 2019

Russia: Stop the prosecution of lawyers and human rights defenders

11 December 2018

Open letter to Nazarbayev: MEPs denounce human rights violations in Kazakhstan

18 July 2018

Defence for the defenders: Lawyers and attorneys under attack for participation in politically motivated cases

29 June 2018

Defending the right to defend: IOL demands end to harassment of lawyers Botagoz Jardemalie and Ana Ursachi

14 June 2018

Report: The authorities of Moldova roll back the democratisation process and fail to fulfill their obligations to the EU

17 May 2018

MEPs write to the EU VP/HR concerned with lawyers endangered in Azerbaijan

19 April 2018

Moldova: In violation of the right to defence, court issued an order to arrest counsel Ana Ursachi

30 March 2018

In the media

Polish media about the conference organised by the ODF in the EP with the participation of persecuted Polish judges

13 December 2019

Do you have questions?

Martin Mycielski

martin.mycielski@odfoundation.eu

+32 488 884 161

Bartosz Kramek

bartosz.kramek@odfoundation.eu