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.

LAUNCH EVENT: Countering the Misuse of Commercial Spyware against Journalists through the Media Freedom CoalitionThe Hig...
22/06/2026

LAUNCH EVENT: Countering the Misuse of Commercial Spyware against Journalists through the Media Freedom Coalition

The High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom will launch its Advisory Note on Combatting the Cyber Targeting and Surveillance of Journalists at an event on countering the misuse of commercial spyware against .

📅 Tuesday 23 June 2026
🕐 1830 – 1930 (CEST), followed by drinks reception
📍 Frances-Amériques, 9 Av. FDR 75008, Paris

RSVP: Emily Foale, [email protected]

The intimidation, harassment, and assassination of independent has reached crisis levels worldwide, with strategic technologies increasingly used to track, target, and silence media workers and defenders. This event brings together leading voices to discuss the scale of this threat and to call for urgent action by the Media Freedom Coalition and its Member States.

Chair:
- Catherine Amirfar, Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel

Welcome remarks:
- Aubin Gonzales Lapos, Executive Director of Frances Amériques

Panellists:
- David Kaye, Member of the High Level Panel and former UN Special Rapporteur
- Antoine Bernard, Director of Advocacy, Reporters Without Borders
- Laurent Richard, Executive Director, Forbidden Stories
- Tarja Turtia, Chief of Section for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists, UNESCO

SIDE EVENT at UNHRC62: Judicial Selection and Appointment Processes that can Drive Success and Build Trust📅 Wednesday 24...
22/06/2026

SIDE EVENT at UNHRC62: Judicial Selection and Appointment Processes that can Drive Success and Build Trust

📅 Wednesday 24 June 2026
🕐 1200–1300 PM (CET)
📍 Palais des Nations, Room IX, Geneva
⚠️ In person only – side event at the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council ( )

Join Francesca Restifo, Senior Human Rights Lawyer and United Nations Representative at the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ), and other leading experts, to discuss selection and appointment processes.

Coinciding with the presentation of the Principles for Judicial Appointments report by the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, this session will explore how general principles for judicial selection and appointment can be put into practice to strengthen the and the credibility of systems.

Moderator:
- Mark Cassayre, Permanent Observer to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, International Development Law Organization - IDLO

Speakers:
- Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers
- Kate Fox Principi, Lead on the administration of justice, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- Francesca Restifo, Senior Human Rights Lawyer and UN Representative, IBAHRI
- Roman Toder, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN in Geneva

Organiser: IDLO

Co-sponsors: Permanent Missions of Austria, The Gambia, the United Kingdom, and the delegation of the Council of Europe (CoE), the IBAHRI and the OHCHR

SIDE EVENT at UNHRC62: Women in Law - Overcoming Gender-Based Barriers and Advancing Access to Justice📅 Thursday 25 June...
22/06/2026

SIDE EVENT at UNHRC62: Women in Law - Overcoming Gender-Based Barriers and Advancing Access to Justice

📅 Thursday 25 June 2026
🕐 1300–1400 PM (CET)
📍 Palais des Nations, Room IX, Geneva
⚠️ In person only, for attendees of the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council ( ).

Join the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) and partners for a discussion on in : Overcoming Gender-Based Barriers and Advancing Access to . This session offers an opportunity to reflect on persistent challenges and emerging opportunities to advance gender equality in the profession globally.

Women professionals play a central role in advancing jurisprudence, addressing gender-based violence and promoting accountability for violations.

Speakers:
- Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers
- Ivana Krstić, Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls
- Sara Carnegie, Legal Projects Director, International Bar Association (brief video message)
- Shabnam Moinipour, Iranian legal expert
- Sandrine Giroud, immediate past President of the Geneva Bar Association and Vice-President of the Women Bar Leaders Association (Association des Bâtonnières du Monde)
- Judge Radmila Dragicevic-Dicic, Commissioner, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)

Moderator:
- Francesca Restifo, Senior Human Rights Lawyer and UN Representative, IBAHRI

Co-organisers: IBAHRI, ICJ and Lawyers for Lawyers (L4L)

Date: 23 June 2026Time: 18:00 – 19:45Venue: Asser Institute, R.J. Schimmelpennincklaan 20-22, 2517 JN Den HaagRegister h...
18/06/2026

Date: 23 June 2026
Time: 18:00 – 19:45
Venue: Asser Institute, R.J. Schimmelpennincklaan 20-22, 2517 JN Den Haag
Register here: https://t.co/oVgFm4o431

FREE EVENT:
A discussion and launch of the report 'Truth Beneath Silence: Russia’s Weaponisation of Sexual Violence Against Men in Ukraine'. Authored by International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and Truth Hounds it is is the first comprehensive report on the issue of conflict-related sexual violence against males (CRMSV), showing that forces use this tactic on an unprecedented scale against men.

The event's co-hosts include the International Bar Association (IBA), the IBA’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), T.M.C. Asser Instituut, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Embassy of Lithuania in the Netherlands.

An intervention from a survivor and SPEAKERS include:
Andriy Kostin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Laimonas TALAT-KELPŠA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kate Orlovsky, Director, Hague Office, International Bar Association
Andrii Latsyba, Legal Counsel, Truth Hounds
Evan Harary, Legal Counsel, Truth Hounds
Mariam Bezhanishvili, Senior Legal Officer, IPHR
Anna Sosonska, Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine
Dr Ewelina U. Ochab, Senior Programme Lawyer, IBAHRI
Mark Ellis, Executive Director, International Bar Association

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) has expressed grave concern regarding legislation in es...
17/06/2026

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) has expressed grave concern regarding legislation in establishing a special military tribunal empowered to impose the .

In its statement, the IBAHRI highlights significant concerns under international , including the right to life, guarantees, due process protections and equality before the law. The Institute further notes that the use of capital punishment in proceedings that do not fully comply with international fair trial standards raises serious concerns regarding arbitrary deprivation of life.

Read the full statement: https://www.ibanet.org/Israel-IBAHRI-condemns-law-establishing-a-special-military-tribunal-empowered-to-impose-death-penalty

The IBAHRI reiterates its longstanding opposition to the death penalty and calls on Israel to ensure compliance with its international legal obligations and with the global trend towards abolition.

: IBAHRI joint statement on escalating attacks against The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) ...
16/06/2026

: IBAHRI joint statement on escalating attacks against

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ) and partners condemn the Tunisian authorities’ escalating attacks on the profession, the , the Tunisian National Bar Association and civil society.

The joint statement, signed by 39 organisations including IBAHRI, highlights a pattern of intimidation, arbitrary detentions, reprisals against and and restrictions on civil society organisations – all of which undermine access to and the in Tunisia.

Read and share: https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=IBAHRI-joint-statement-escalating-attacks-against-lawyers-Tunisia-Jun26

The IBAHRI and partners urge the Tunisian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release lawyers and defenders detained solely for exercising their rights; restore the independence of the legal profession and the judiciary and guarantee the free and lawful work of civil society organisations.

Francesca Restifo, Senior Human Rights Lawyer and United Nations Representative for the International Bar Association’s ...
10/06/2026

Francesca Restifo, Senior Human Rights Lawyer and United Nations Representative for the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ( ), was again invited by the University of Glasgow to deliver a lecture to 30 students of the University’s MSc Program in Human Rights and International Politics during a study visit to . She focused on the vital role of in protecting and promoting , stating:

‘At a time when grave human rights violations, war crimes, mass displacement, and humanitarian crises persist across the globe, respect for the rule of law and international human rights and humanitarian law is more critical than ever (...) In this context, lawyers and judges play a vital role in promoting human rights, ensuring accountability, combating impunity, and securing justice for victims and survivors.’

Read more: https://www.ibanet.org/document?id=IBAHRI-Francesca-Restifo-University-of-Glasgow-student-lecture-May2026

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

Address

Chancery House, 53-64 Chancery Lane
London
WC2A1QS

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 5:30pm

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