Publications

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

From April to October 2019, Human Rights Embassy monitored the criminal trial of Mikhail Benyash as part of the Clooney Foundation for Justice's TrialWatch initiative. Mr. Benyash is a well-known human rights lawyer in Russia. He has frequently represented activists arrested during demonstrations. In December 2018, Mr. Benyash was criminally indicted for allegedly assaulting police officers who had arrested him in connection with a protest. The evidence, however, suggested that it was in fact Mr. Benyash who had been assaulted by the police. He was convicted in October 2019. The proceedings against Mr. Benyash entailed significant violations of his rights under international law, including his right to be free from inhuman or degrading treatment; his right to be free from arbitrary detention; his right to be presumed innocent; and his right to an impartial court.

Mr. Benyash was detained by plainclothes officers on the basis of allegations that he organize...

The Clooney Foundation for Justice's TrialWatch initiative monitored the trial in Russia of lawyer Mikhail Benyash. Benyash was convicted of the "use of violence ... against [a] representative of [the] authority" under article 318 of the Criminal Code of Russia and fined 30,000 rubles. While Mr. Benyash was given only a fine, the conduct of this trial raises serious questions regarding the impartiality of the court and respect for the right of the defendant to examine witnesses.

A full text of the Statement is available HERE

The Clooney Foundation for Justice's TrialWatch initiative monitors criminal prosecutions of vulnerable persons around the world. This proceeding was monitored by Human Rights Embassy as part of the TrialWatch initiative.

Attachments: FileDescriptionFile size 20191011-Benyash-Statement-RU.pdf 292 kB ...

The pressure on lawyers working on human rights or representing individuals claiming their rights were violated in most of the countries we are considering has only intensified in recent years. Human rights lawyers from the countries represented in this document - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, are increasingly subjected to harassment, threats and intimidation, regular and extraordinary re-certification, discredit, disciplinary proceedings and disbarment from their professional organisations, administrative punishment and even criminal persecution, including imprisonment.

Lawyers and Jurists provide professional defence of human rights, ensuring the right to qualified legal assistance to victims of human rights violations, as a key principle of the right to a fair trial. In their professional activities, human rights lawyers promote the application of international standards in national court system and make extensive use of international mechanisms, such ...

The mini-conference entitled "Support to the Protection of Public Interest and Further Development of PRO BONO Culture in Moldova" took place in Chisinau on November 8, 2018. The conference was co-organized by Human Rights Embassy, Union of Lawyers of the Republic of Moldova, Turcan Cazac Law Firm and American Chamber of Commerce in Moldova (AmCham Moldova), and supported by PILnet Foundation (Hungary), Visegrad Fund and Government of the Netherlands.  

The event was attended by lawyers, commercial law firms and NGO representatives, which discussed common problems in the protection of public interest in Moldova and in mobilizing legal professionals' expertise for the benefit of the Civil Society, presented best models of legal volunteering and shared know how on pro bono activities of other countries, learned by Moldovan delegates to various International Pro Bono Exchanges dedicated to pro bono legal assistance in 2017-2018, shared already existed pro bono practice in Moldova...