The IBA’s response to the war in Ukraine
News releases
IBAHRI calls for creation of a dedicated accountability mechanism for Afghanistan, in joint letter
Excellencies, The signatory organisations call your attention to the deplorable state of human rights in Afghanistan and in particular the absolute lack of accountability for gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses, including crimes under international law, occurring in Afghanistan, especially...
Released on Sep 7, 2022
Kiribati: IBAHRI condemns escalation in disregard for judicial independence as all three Court of Appeal judges are suspended
The suspension of three sitting Court of Appeal judges by the government of the Republic of Kiribati is condemned by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) for escalating the judicial and constitutional crisis facing the Pacific Ocean island. The judges had delivered a ruling blocking the...
Released on Sep 7, 2022
IBA Executive Director arrives in Ukraine for a week of high-level meetings focused on expanding IBA’s support
Today, the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Executive Director, Dr Mark Ellis, arrived in Ukraine for a week of high-level meetings as a show of the IBA’s continued engagement with Ukraine’s legal profession and continuing humanitarian support for those affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Released on Sep 5, 2022
New IBAHRI report on Myanmar raises concerns about right to a fair trial
On 2 September 2022, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) published a report entitled ‘Crackdown on Human Rights Defenders, Opposition, and the Right to a Fair Trial in Myanmar’. The report sheds light on the deteriorating situation in Myanmar since the coup d’état on 1 February 2021.
Released on Sep 2, 2022
IBAHRI calls on UN Member States to prevent and combat enforced disappearances
To mark the United Nations International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Tuesday 30 August 2022, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) calls upon UN Member States to take effective legislative, administrative, judicial and other measures to prevent, criminalise, investigate...
Released on Aug 30, 2022
IBA condemns detention of Russian lawyer who spoke out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The International Bar Association (IBA) condemns the arrest and pre-trial detention of Russian lawyer Dmitry Talantov, President of the Bar Association of the Republic of Udmurtia, following comments he posted on the social media platform Facebook on 3 April 2022 that criticised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Talantov...
Released on Aug 23, 2022
Singapore: IBAHRI condemns rise in executions and calls for halt in enforcement
The IBAHRI condemns the increasing number of executions in Singapore, with 10 death row inmates having been executed since 30 March 2022, following a two-year hiatus. Most of the executions were for drug-related offences, which do not meet the threshold of ‘the most serious crimes’ for which death sentences...
Released on Aug 11, 2022
Central African Republic: IBAHRI welcomes abolition of the death penalty
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) commends the Central African Republic (CAR) and President Faustin-Archange Touadéra (pictured) for passing Law 22.011, formally eradicating the death penalty in the country following a de facto moratorium since 1981.
Released on Aug 9, 2022
Uganda: Women underrepresented in senior legal positions in law firms, IBA report reveals
A new IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit report, focused on the remaining barriers to gender parity at senior levels of the legal profession, reveals that law firms in Uganda have the lowest number of women employed at all levels (41 percent), with only 23 per cent of senior roles occupied by women.
Released on Aug 8, 2022
Ukraine: New ILAC report surveys impact of war on justice institutions
The International Bar Association (IBA) has announced the publication of a new report by the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) that documents the impact of the five-month Russia-Ukraine conflict on the Ukrainian justice system. As a founding organisation of ILAC, the IBA contributed to the report’s...
Released on Jul 27, 2022
Myanmar: IBAHRI condemns junta’s execution of four men following unfair trials
The IBAHRI condemns the junta’s execution of four men in Myanmar after being tried, convicted and sentenced to death by closed-door military tribunals. Myanmar state media reported the deaths on 25 July 2022.
Released on Jul 27, 2022
International criminal law is the focus of the second in series of joint IBA and Ukrainian National Bar Association seminars
As further support of Ukraine’s legal profession, the International Bar Association and the Ukrainian National Bar Association, supported by the UNBA’s Higher School of Advocacy, will deliver a legal training session covering the topic of international criminal law.
Released on Jul 26, 2022
IBAHRI calls for worldwide implementation of rule prohibiting admission of torture-tainted evidence
The IBAHRI calls for the exclusionary rule, which prohibits torture-tainted evidence from being admitted in any proceedings, to be strengthened in application and practice in criminal justice systems.
Released on Jul 25, 2022
IBA and Ukrainian National Bar Association partner to deliver a series of training seminars for lawyers
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the International Bar Association (IBA) and the Ukrainian National Bar Association (UNBA) have partnered to host a series of online seminars. The first two will focus on defence (21 July) and international criminal law (28 July).
Released on Jul 21, 2022
‘New normal’ post-pandemic working presents fresh challenges for human resources, says new IBA GEI report
Issues connected to the ‘new normal’ way of working following the global Covid-19 outbreak of December 2019 present fresh challenges for human resources (HR) law, according to the tenth annual report by the International Bar Association Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI). Remote working arrangements, the right to disconnect from work and data privacy challenges related to requirements to be tested or vaccinated are identified as three key issues facing the HR sector in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Released on Jul 19, 2022
IBAHRI takeaways from the 50th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
At the conclusion of the 50th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held from 11 June – 8 July 2022, the IBAHRI outlines contributions, interventions and side events held during the session, and reflects on the key discussions, outcomes and resolutions passed.
Released on Jul 12, 2022
Bullying, harassment and discrimination in the legal profession - IBA launches major reports highlighting regulatory responses
The International Bar Association (IBA) has published two comprehensive reports designed to aid the global legal profession's ongoing efforts to address bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination. Beyond Us Too? Regulatory Responses to Bullying and Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession and A Global Directory...
Released on Jun 27, 2022
North Korea: IBA report calls for investigation of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and other high-level officials for crimes against humanity
A new report from the International Bar Association’s (IBA) War Crimes Committee and the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) has found there is reasonable basis to conclude that Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, and other North Korean officials, should be investigated for crimes against humanity committed in the country’s detention centres.
Released on Jun 27, 2022
IBAHRI welcomes the abolition of the death penalty in Kazakhstan
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) commends the Republic of Kazakhstan for its ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR-OP2), aiming at the abolition of the death penalty without reservation. With the ICCPR-OP2 entering into force today, 24 June 2022, Kazakhstan becomes the 90th State Party to it.
Released on Jun 23, 2022
Myanmar: IBAHRI condemns rise in death sentences and calls for halt in enforcement
The IBAHRI condemns the rise in death sentences in Myanmar following the February 2021 military coup and a junta announcement that it will execute four people.
Released on Jun 20, 2022
Belarus: IBAHRI condemns extended application of death penalty
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) condemns amendments to the Criminal Code of Belarus that expands the application of the death penalty in Belarus. The legislative amendments follow a series of non-lethal acts of alleged sabotage on the Belarusian railway to obstruct supplies to Russian forces in Ukraine.
Released on Jun 17, 2022
IBAHRI urges UK government to apply Magnitsky Sanctions against Sudan coup leaders
Amid reports of the killing of at least 100 protesters and allegations of sustained human rights violations in Sudan since the 25 October 2021 military coup, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has called for the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Magnitsky Sanctions, to apply targeted sanctions against General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (widely known as ‘Hemedti’). Respectively, they are the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces and de facto head of the caretaker government, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and de facto deputy head of the caretaker government.
Released on Jun 14, 2022
IBA and IBAHRI strongly condemn the illegal ‘trial’ and sentencing to death of Aiden Aslin, Shaun Pinner and Brahim Saaudun
The International Bar Association (IBA) and the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) strongly condemn the ‘trial’ and sentencing to death of three men fighting on the Ukrainian side of the Russian-Ukrainian war who were captured by Russian forces.
Released on Jun 13, 2022
IBA launches new project examining the role of lawyers as ethical gatekeepers
The International Bar Association (IBA) has announced that it has embarked on a project to examine the professional role of lawyers as ethical gatekeepers within wider society and to help clarify the ethical responsibilities and obligations of lawyers when providing legal services. The new project is designed to be a proactive effort, seeking ways to engage in meaningful dialogue with those criticising the profession, while also elucidating the dangers behind any undermining of its core values.
Released on Jun 2, 2022
2022 IBA ICC Moot Court Competition won by The Honourable Society of King’s Inns
The Honourable Society of King’s Inns (Ireland) has been named winner of the 2022 International Bar Association (IBA) International Criminal Court (ICC) Moot Court Competition.
Released on Jun 2, 2022
eyeWitness to Atrocities app reaches 10,000 milestone of verifiable photos and videos relating to war in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to hundreds of human rights defenders in the embattled country downloading the eyeWitness to Atrocities camera app and submitting 10,000 verifiable videos, photographs and audio files of alleged war crimes. These pieces of potential evidence represent the largest haul for the app in a single conflict zone to date. The 10,000 milestone demonstrates Ukrainian human rights defenders’ desire to ensure that declared violations are captured and processed in a way that is acceptable for investigators and courts of law.
Released on May 31, 2022
IBAHRI and other rights groups call for release of Qatari lawyers and quashing of their life imprisonment sentences
In a joint statement the IBAHRI has called for the conviction and life imprisonment sentences given to Qatari lawyers, and brothers, Hazza bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri and Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri to be overturned.
Released on May 27, 2022
IBAHRI and BHRC raise concerns about threats to human rights in Sri Lanka in letter to UK Foreign Secretary
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales (BHRC) have issued an open letter to United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, in support of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) urging Sri Lankan authorities to commence ‘an open and genuine dialogue with peaceful protesters, human rights defenders and civil society’ to promote the rule of law as the economic crisis and unrest deepens in Sri Lanka.
Released on May 16, 2022
ASP President says this is a time to redouble efforts to demonstrate worth of the ICC to fight impunity
Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi, President of the ICC Assembly of States Parties, spoke of the need for the ICC to ‘demonstrate its worth’ during a keynote address on Sunday 8 May 2022 at the online opening ceremony of the IBA ICC Moot Court Competition
Released on May 12, 2022
IBAHRI calls for revocation of scheduled execution of Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to revoke its decision to execute Swedish-Iranian academic and researcher Ahmadreza Djalali.
Released on May 12, 2022