International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute

International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute The International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)

About us:

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) works with the global legal community to promote and protect human rights and the independence of the legal profession worldwide. What we do:

We provide human rights training and technical assistance for legal practitioners and institutions, building their capacity to effectively promote and protect human rights under

a just rule of law. A leading institution in international fact-finding, we produce expert reports with key recommendations, delivering timely and reliable information on human rights and the legal profession. We support lawyers and judges who are arbitrarily harassed, intimidated or arrested through advocacy and trial monitoring. A focus on pertinent human rights issues, including the abolition of the death penalty, poverty, and sexual orientation forms the basis of targeted capacity building and advocacy projects. Why we are here:

Lawyers and judges play a fundamental role in facilitating access to justice, ensuring accountability of the state and upholding the rule of law. When the legal profession is not able to function independently or effectively, this gives rise to human rights violations, impunity and injustice. As part of the world's leading organisation of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies, the IBAHRI is uniquely placed to build the capacities of the legal profession to promote and protect human rights and professional independence worldwide.

EVENT: Presentation of the Independent Legal Mission on the Peace Process in Türkiye’s inaugural reportThursday 4 June 2...
02/06/2026

EVENT: Presentation of the Independent Legal Mission on the Peace Process in Türkiye’s inaugural report

Thursday 4 June 2026 | 1500 – 1615 (CEST) | Room 5E1, Altiero Spinelli building, European Parliament,

The Independent Legal Mission on the Peace Process in , of which the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) is part, will present its inaugural report at the European Parliament on Thursday 4 June 2026.

Follow online - https://forms.gle/2Wq9eVGype26GCLr6

Attend in person - contact [email protected] and fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/JXN6rRCtwh5yCvN16

Key areas of focus in the report’s findings include:
1. The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission’s Report
2. Representation
3. Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration
4. Democratisation
5. Political, cultural and linguistic rights
6. Regional dimensions

The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the Mission’s principal recommendations, followed by an opportunity for questions and exchange with members of the Mission.

Co-organisers: IBAHRI, MAF-DAD, European Lawyers for Democracy and Human Rights (ELDH), Unione delle Camere Penali Italiane and EsCULcA

EVENT: Pelicot Wasn't an Outlier – The Threat to Women Globally as Online 'R**e Academy' ExposedWednesday 17 June | 1030...
02/06/2026

EVENT: Pelicot Wasn't an Outlier – The Threat to Women Globally as Online 'R**e Academy' Exposed

Wednesday 17 June | 1030–1200 BST | UK Parliament, London
RSVP to [email protected]

Join the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) for an event at the Houses of Parliament in aiming to shine a spotlight on the global phenomenon of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault ( ).

In the fight against gender-based violence, DFSA has emerged as a new challenge yet to be addressed with comprehensive and policies. National responses to DFSA are inadequate, including in terms of monitoring, reporting, investigating and prosecuting this criminal behaviour. Panellists at this session will discuss the nature and scale of this issue, and the urgent responses needed to prioritise ’s safety and protect their fundamental .

Chair:
- Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, IBAHRI Director

Speakers:
- Saskya Vandoorne, Niamh Kennedy, and Kara Fox, CNN journalists, authors of the article 'Exposing a global ‘rape academy’
- Zoe Watts and Amanda Stanhope, survivors of DSFA
- Mark Stephens CBE, lawyer and IBAHRI Co-Chair
- Professor Clare McGlynn, Professor of Law, Durham University

As three key judicial selection processes unfold in , the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) ha...
13/05/2026

As three key judicial selection processes unfold in , the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) has published the final report of its monitoring mission, which assesses the integrity, transparency and independence of the country’s ongoing judicial selection processes.

The report presents an analysis of good practices observed alongside structural and operational challenges affecting the integrity of appointments. It sets out a series of recommendations to the State of Guatemala and to the international community aimed at improving the judicial selection processes, including by undertaking structural reforms and strengthening transparency and civic participation.

Eleonora Scala, IBAHRI Programme Lawyer and co-leader of the monitoring mission, remarked: ‘A clear finding from our mission is that formal eligibility is not enough. The authority of a judge or prosecutor rests as much on public trust as on legal qualification. A selection process that is opaque, politically manipulated or captured by vested interests does not just produce bad appointments: it corrodes the very legitimacy that judicial institutions depend on to function. This is why thorough integrity vetting, transparency and meaningful civic participation are not just procedural formalities but essential conditions for legitimate appointments.’

Find out more: https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-publishes-report-Guatemalas-Democracy-at-a-Crossroads-Challenges-and-Opportunities-in-the-2026-Judicial-Selection-Processes

WATCH the webinar of the launch of the IBAHRI report ‘Guatemala’s Democracy at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunitie...
12/05/2026

WATCH the webinar of the launch of the IBAHRI report ‘Guatemala’s Democracy at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2026 Judicial Selection Processes’

Watch and share the link: https://vimeo.com/1187627057?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) has issued the final report of its monitoring mission to , assessing the integrity, transparency and independence of the country’s 2026 judicial selection processes.

The report’s co-authors – Francesca Restifo, IBAHRI Senior Human Rights Lawyer and Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, and Eleonora Scala, IBAHRI Programme Lawyer – presented the report’s findings in Guatemala. They outlined priority actions for the country and the international community at a launch event.

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom (HLP) — the independent advisory body to the Coalition of 50+ m...
09/05/2026

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom (HLP) — the independent advisory body to the Coalition of 50+ member countries — has published its first Advisory Note on the protection of journalists under International Humanitarian . It is the first in a series of Advisory Notes on matters of priority for globally.

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) serves as Secretariat to the High Level Panel.

Read and share the Advisory Note: https://ibanet.org/document?id=HLP-Advisory-Note-on-IHL-and-Protection-of-Journalists-in-Conflict

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 was the deadliest year on record for working in conflict zones. The HLP states: ‘The current international crisis for journalists working in the context of armed conflict has reached epidemic proportions [...] journalists are civilians — not combatants — and are entitled to protections under both international and domestic law.’

In , , , , and , the world has witnessed targeted killings, arbitrary detention, cyberattacks and press access restrictions met overwhelmingly by impunity.

The HLP’s Advisory Note sets out the legal obligations binding on states and makes concrete recommendations for action.
On the question of access, the HLP is clear: ‘Concerns about journalists' safety alone cannot provide a basis on which to deny journalists access. Any such restrictions must still satisfy the three-part test of legality, legitimate aim, and necessity and proportionality.’

More information here: https://www.ibanet.org/HRI-Secretariat/Opinions-to-States-on-Legislation

TODAY: Webinar ‘If Authoritarian Systems Fracture: Gender Justice in Moments of Political Transition’Thursday 7 May 2026...
07/05/2026

TODAY: Webinar ‘If Authoritarian Systems Fracture: Gender Justice in Moments of Political Transition’

Thursday 7 May 2026 | 1030 – 1200 CDT | online

Dr Ewelina U. Ochab, Senior Programme Lawyer at the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ), is on the panel assembled for the forward-looking webinar focused on policy and the advancement of during times of political upheaval.

Hosted by Andiana Foundation

Register: https://www.andianafoundation.org/events

's at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2026 Judicial Selection ProcessesA new report from the Intern...
06/05/2026

's at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2026 Judicial Selection Processes

A new report from the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) assesses the integrity, transparency and independence of three key judicial selection processes in Guatemala. Building on the IBAHRI’s long-standing work on the situation in the country, the report is the result of a monitoring mission which combined desk-based analysis, remote interviews, and in-country fieldwork in Guatemala City and the territories of Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán, Panajachel, and Santa Lucía Utatlán.

Highlighting the potential long-term impact of this year’s judicial selection processes, Francesca Restifo, IBAHRI Senior Human Rights Lawyer and Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said:

‘The 2026 judicial appointment processes are closely linked to the broader question of whether the rule of law in Guatemala can be effectively safeguarded and strengthened, or whether patterns of institutional capture risk becoming further entrenched. Their outcome will have far-reaching implications for the protection of fundamental human rights and the functioning of democratic governance. In this light, these processes should be regarded not solely as a domestic legal matter, but as an issue of shared and pressing concern for the international community.’

Read the report: https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-publishes-report-Guatemalas-Democracy-at-a-Crossroads-Challenges-and-Opportunities-in-the-2026-Judicial-Selection-Processes

IBAHRI publishes report, ‘Guatemala’s Democracy at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2026 Judicial Selec...
04/05/2026

IBAHRI publishes report, ‘Guatemala’s Democracy at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in the 2026 Judicial Selection Processes’

Read and share the report: https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=IBAHRI-report-Guatemalas-Democracy-at-a-Crossroads

This is a defining moment for ’s as key appointments are made, states IBAHRI report.

As three key judicial selection processes unfold in Guatemala, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) has published the final report of its monitoring mission, which assesses the integrity, transparency and independence of the country’s ongoing judicial selection processes.

The monitoring mission was led by IBAHRI Senior Lawyer and Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Francesca Restifo, and IBAHRI Programme , Eleonora Scala.

Read more here: https://www.ibanet.org/IBAHRI-publishes-report-Guatemalas-Democracy-at-a-Crossroads-Challenges-and-Opportunities-in-the-2026-Judicial-Selection-Processes

DATE & TIMES: 5 May 2026 | 15:45 arrival, 16:00 start, ends 17:00BRIEFING: The Assault on Press Freedom in Georgia and t...
04/05/2026

DATE & TIMES: 5 May 2026 | 15:45 arrival, 16:00 start, ends 17:00

BRIEFING: The Assault on Press Freedom in Georgia and the Case of Mzia Amaglobeli

LOCATION: The Council Room, One Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ, England, United Kingdom.

RSVP and INTERVIEWS: [email protected]

To mark 2026, this briefing will address the detention of Mzia Amaglobeli, founder of independent media outlets Netgazeti and ბათუმელები • Batumelebi.ge, and the assault on in . Her colleague and spokesperson, Irma Dimitradze, will be in London, calling for more to be done by the UK and other States to support Mzia Amaglobeli and the press in Georgia before they are forced to cease their work. She will be joined by experts on and 's creeping influence in the region.

Speakers:
• Irma Dimitradze, journalist with Netgazeti and Batumelebi, spokesperson of Mzia Amaglobeli.

• Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, and International Counsel for Mzia Amaglobeli.

• Maria Ressa, Journalist and Founder of Rappler news site, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• Sir Bill Browder KCMG, Head of Global Campaign.

Chaired by:
• Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC, Member of the House of Lords, and Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ).

2026 World Press Freedom DayIBAHRI renews calls for protection of journalists and accountability for crimes against them...
03/05/2026

2026 World Press Freedom Day

IBAHRI renews calls for protection of journalists and accountability for crimes against them

On United Nations , marked annually on 3 May, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute ( ) reiterates its grave concern over the global erosion of press freedom, underscoring the essential role of a free and independent press in safeguarding , and the .

Read and share the statement: https://tinyurl.com/y77fkt2y

Ranging from targeted killings to the widespread deployment of legal and digital threats, attacks against media workers are being used to silence dissent against autocratic regimes.

The IBAHRI reiterates that the defence of press freedom requires urgent, sustained action and calls on governments to move beyond commitments, take concrete steps to end impunity, repeal restrictive laws and ensure safe environments for journalists to operate.

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