International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute

03/09/2026

Five years after the returned to power in Afghanistan, the systematic dismantling of the rights of women and girls has become increasingly entrenched through law and policy.

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) renews its call for sustained international action and accountability. women and girls continue to be denied access to secondary and higher education, large areas of employment, freedom of movement, participation in public life and effective legal remedies.

Recent legal measures deepen these concerns. In 2026, the Taliban introduced Decree No 18, removing the minimum age for marriage, while a new criminal code further reduced protections from domestic violence. The IBAHRI has characterised this system of systematic discrimination as gender apartheid.

The IBAHRI urges States to maintain diplomatic pressure; advance accountability through the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women ( ) process, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court; support documentation and investigation of violations; strengthen access to justice; maintain rights-based humanitarian assistance; and ensure Afghan women and girls are meaningfully represented in decisions concerning their rights and future.

▪️ Mark Stephens CBE, IBAHRI Co-Chair, stated: ‘Five years of Taliban rule have demonstrated that these are not isolated abuses but a systematic assault on fundamental rights, increasingly entrenched through law and policy. Afghanistan remains bound by its international obligations.'

▪️ Hina Jilani, IBAHRI Co-Chair, said: ‘The international community must stand with Afghan women and ensure that their voices are central to every effort to secure justice and accountability.’

Read the news release and share: tinyurl.com/mpez4aky

03/09/2026

30/08/2026

30 August marks the United Nations International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.**

On this day the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) remembers those who were disappeared and stands with the victims, survivors and their families living with the unbearable uncertainty of not knowing where a loved one is, all the while continuing to demand truth, justice and accountability.

Read and share: https://tinyurl.com/2my7b847

The burden must not fall on victims and families to find the truth. States have a duty to deliver it. The IBAHRI calls on them to uphold their obligations under , ensuring that enforced disappearance is neither tolerated nor met with impunity.

States are required to act. They must:
🔷ratify and implement the UN Convention (https://tinyurl.com/55zpths5);
🔷criminalise enforced disappearance;
🔷investigate every case independently and effectively;
🔷prosecute those responsible;
🔷provide reparations; and
🔷guarantee truth, justice and non-recurrence.

A crime under international law, and a serious violation of multiple , enforced disappearances leaves families without answers, often for years or even decades. Beyond the harm caused to individuals, families and societies, undermine the and erodes trust in the institutions meant to protect human rights.

**An enforced disappearance occurs when a person is arrested, detained, or abducted by state agents — or by groups acting with state support — and the government refuses to acknowledge the detention or reveal the person's fate or whereabouts.

The prevalence of enforced disappearances worldwide is alarming. For further information visit the pages of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner ( ) here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-disappearances/about-enforced-disappearance

22/08/2026

22 August 2026: Today marks the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, and we honour those targeted for their faith. Writing on this occasion, Dr Ewelina Ochab* highlights the urgent need for action, noting that victims/survivors have already outlined what needs to be done. She calls for a complete response that covers prevention, early warning systems, thorough investigations, legal prosecutions and robust survivor support.

Read and share the article: https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=Marking-the-International-Day-Commemorating-the-Victims-of-Acts-of-Violence-Based-on-Religion-or-Belief-2026

Acts of based on religion or belief are on the increase, including in some of their most extreme manifestations: the genocides against the Yazidis, Rohingya, Ughyurs and the Hazara. Religious persecution is often intertwined with ethnic or gender-based targeting and remains a recognised early warning sign of .

As domestic courts increasingly hold perpetrators to account, and victims/survivors worldwide lead efforts for justice and memorialisation, continued action is needed to close the gap between commitments and outcomes.

*Dr Ochab is Senior Programme Lawyer at the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute ( )

12/08/2026

Leading international experts have urged the government of the to reinforce its commitment to international mechanisms for preventing and responding to atrocity crimes. During the second oral hearing of the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes, held at the UK Houses of Parliament, the role of international law in preventing and responding to atrocity crimes was examined.

Read more: https://www.ibanet.org/Standing-Group-on-Atrocity-Crimes-urges-UK-government-to-strengthen-support-for-international-legal-mechanisms

Hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on International Law, Justice and Accountability and supported by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute #(IBAHRI), the hearing formed part of the Standing Group’s independent review of the UK’s approach to atrocity prevention and response.

The hearing was co-chaired by IBAHRI Director, Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, alongside Lord David Alton of Liverpool. Speakers included:
- Judge Theodor Meron, former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals;
- Professor Claus Kress, Chair for German and International Criminal Law and Director of the Institute of International Peace and Security Law at the University of Cologne;
- Dr Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director and Head of Policy and Research at Protection Approaches; and
- Professor William Schabas, Professor of International Law at Middlesex University and Professor of Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law at Leiden University.

06/08/2026

NEW article: The rule of law has a gender gap

‘Gender equality within legal professions is not only a matter of fairness and equal opportunity. It is a prerequisite for effective, independent, and trusted justice systems,’ remarks Francesca Restifo, Senior Human Rights Lawyer and UN Representative at the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ), in an article by Claudia La Via for Legalcommunity.ch.

Referencing the IBA’s Raising the Bar: Women in Law global research project on gender parity in the legal profession, Sara Carnegie, Director of the IBA’s Legal Policy and Research Unit, said: ‘Gender parity in law firms is consistently lower than in other sectors, especially in senior positions.’

Read more (pg40 - 44):https://legalcommunity.ch/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/MAG-CH-25-1.pdf

06/08/2026

: Third-Party Intervention Before the ECtHR on the Independence of the Legal Profession

The Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project (TLSP) and partners, including the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ), have intervened before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of 15 and one secretary of the People’s Law Office (Halkın Hukuk Bürosu) detained on charges relating to activities carried out in a professional capacity and in defence of .

Read and share the intervention:
https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=IBAHRI-joint-intervention-ECtHR-Turkey-Jul2026

The intervention submits that the ECtHR’s assessment of alleged violations of the lawyers’ rights should be informed by the standards on the independence of the profession and the pattern of undue interference in Türkiye. Since 2016, interference in the country’s legal profession has intensified, with lawyers facing widespread judicial persecution including arbitrary detention, conviction and sentencing simply for carrying out their professional duties.

The intervention has been jointly lodged by: TLSP, IBAHRI, European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), the International Commission of Jurists, and Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L).

04/08/2026

🇰🇭 : IBAHRI condemns decision to uphold 14-year sentences for journalists in Cambodian Supreme Court case and calls for reform

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) condemns the decision of the Supreme Court of Cambodia to uphold the 14-year prison sentences imposed on Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara, despite accepting an amicus curiae brief submitted by the IBAHRI setting out Cambodia’s obligations under international .

🔗 Read more: https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-condemns-decision-to-uphold-14-year-sentences-for-journalists-in-Cambodian-Supreme-Court-case-and-calls-for-reform

Following the judgment in this case, the IBAHRI urges Cambodian authorities to:
➤ grant Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara a royal pardon;
➤ urgently review the convictions and sentences in light of Cambodia’s obligations under the ICCPR, including Articles 14 and 19;
➤ cease the use of the Criminal Code and national security allegations to prosecute journalists engaged in legitimate public-interest reporting, unless the authorities can demonstrate, by clear and specific evidence, a direct and immediate connection between the publication and a legitimate national security harm;
➤ review and amend/remove legislation that unduly restricts freedom of expression; and
➤ ensure that journalists can carry out their work free from censorship, intimidation and arbitrary criminal prosecution.

03/08/2026

United States: IBAHRI and partners express grave concern for Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) and partners are gravely concerned about the arrest of Chinese Wu Shaoping by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ) on 15 July 2026, and the serious risks surrounding his ongoing immigration proceedings and any potential deportation to .

Read and share the statement: https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=IBAHRI-joint-statement-Wu-Shaoping-Jul2026

Mr Wu fled China in late 2019 amidst an intensifying crackdown on human rights lawyers in the country. His forcible repatriation to the country would violate the principle of non-refoulement and put him at severe risk of persecution, torture or other irreparable harm.
The IBAHRI and partners urge the US authorities to:
➤ Ensure that Mr Wu remains protected against deportation or any other form of forced return to China;
➤ Ensure that Mr Wu's fair trail rights are fulfilled during the immigration proceedings against him; and
➤ Guarantee that when considering Mr Wu's asylum application, due weight is given to the broader context for human rights lawyers in China and to the specific risks faced by Mr Wu.

Signatories: The Law Society of England and Wales, Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L), Asian Lawyers Network - ALN, Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada, CCBE - Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe and The Rights Practice

28/07/2026

In an article for the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA), Mark Stephens CBE, Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) and CLA Vice President for Europe, reflected on the recently held webinar: ‘Towards Qualified Capital Defence in Asia: Introduction to the KL Guidelines’.

In the piece, Mr Stephens highlighted the key takeaways from each speaker stressing the importance of the KL Guidelines in improving capital defence and strengthening fair-trial protections in Asia. He commented: ‘If the state seeks to impose the ultimate punishment, then lawyers, bar associations and courts must insist on the ultimate safeguards.’ He added: ‘fair-trial guarantees – access to counsel, disclosure, expert evidence, meaningful appeals and clemency processes – are not technicalities but essential safeguards against irreversible injustice’.

The session, which he moderated on 15 July 2026, brought together expert , advocates, bar association representatives and academics from across to discuss the effective representation of individuals facing the death penalty in the region.

📖 Read the article: https://www.commonwealthlawyers.com/cla/towards-qualified-capital-defence-in-asia-launching-the-kl-guidelines/

🎬 Watch the webinar recording: https://www.ibanet.org/conference-details/CONF2911

Webinar hosts: IBAHRI, IBA Asia Pacific Regional Forum, IBA Criminal Law Committee, IBA Forum for Barristers and Advocates, IBA Human Rights Law Committee, the CLA and LAWASIA.

Speakers: Ricky Gunawan, Shreya Rastogi, Khaizan Sharizad and Teppei Ono