Hong Kong Special Administrative Region v. 9 Pro-Democracy Protesters
The nine defendants in this case are all well-known pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong. On April 18, 2020, these nine individuals were arrested and charged with knowingly participating in and organising an unlawful assembly in violation of the Public Order Ordinance.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region v. Bao Choy Yuk-ling
Journalist Bao Choy, a freelance producer with Radio Television Hong Kong, was charged with making false statements to access a public database. Bao Choy requested vehicle registration information as part of her investigation into an attack on pro-democracy protesters.
Tunisia vs. Myriam Bribri
Myriam Bribri is facing charges under Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code for “offend[ing] security officials.” The charges stem from expletive-laced comments that she posted on social media in response to a video circulating of a police officer beating someone.
Cambodia v. Theary Seng
In November 2020, Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American lawyer and outspoken government critic, learned through a court summons that charges had been filed against her for conspiracy to commit treason and incitement to social disorder. She is facing a 12-year prison sentence.
Russian Federation v. Server Mustafayev and Others
All eight of the defendants are Crimean Tatars, practicing Muslims, and human rights activists. The prosecution charged each man “preparation for a forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of power” and “organising” or “participating” in the activities of a terrorist organization.
Russian Federation v. Yulia Tsvetkova
Yulia Tsvetkova faces up to six years in prison for the alleged distribution of pornography to minors. The charges stem from Tsvetkova’s drawings of female genitalia on a social media page she entitled “Vagina Monologues.” The drawings were part of a body-positive women’s empowerment campaign.
Kazakhstan v. Alnur Ilyashev
Alnur Ilyashev was prosecuted under Article 274 of Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code for “disseminat[ing] knowingly false information” in a state of emergency on the basis of three Facebook posts that criticized the ruling Nur Otan party for corruption and incompetence, including in response to COVID-19.
Cambodia v. Ros Sokhet
In late 2020, the ABA Center for Human Rights monitored the criminal trial of journalist Ros Sokhet in Cambodia as part of the CFJ’s TrialWatch initiative. Mr. Sokhet was criminally prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced for non-violent political speech, violating his right to freedom of expression.
Uganda v. Moses Bwayo
Journalist and filmmaker Moses Bwayo was charged with unlawful assembly for shooting a scene for a documentary about opposition activist, presidential candidate, and musician Bobi Wine: the authorities alleged that the gathering and filming constituted subversion of the Ugandan government.
Cambodia v. Kong Raiya
Kong Raiya was prosecuted and convicted for “incitement to disrupt social order.” The case against him stemmed from Facebook posts in which he advertised the sale of t-shirts commemorating a slain critic of the Cambodian government.
Morocco v. Omar Radi
The trial of journalist Omar Radi for ‘insulting the judiciary’ based on a single tweet about a judge’s ruling did not meet basic international human rights standards for assuring a fair trial.
Poland vs. Elzbieta Podlesna, Anna Prus, and Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar
From January to March 2021, the American Bar Association (ABA) Center for Human Rights monitored the trial of human rights defenders Elzbieta Podlesna, Anna Prus, and Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar as part of the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Trial Watch initiative.
Russian Federation vs. Anastasia Shevchenko
The Law on Undesirable Organizations is ripe for abuse. The term “undesirable” is vaguely defined as anything threatening Russia’s constitutional order, security, or defense. The law’s imprecision affords the authorities unfettered – and thus dangerous – discretion, permitting the de facto criminalization of movements and opinions that diverge from the government’s agenda. This was borne…
Belarus v. Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Daria Chultsova
The entirety of the case, as evinced by the absolute lack of evidence against Ms. Andreyeva and Ms. Chultsova, was geared towards suppressing independent journalism and sending a warning signal to other media outlets reporting on mass demonstrations in Belarus.
Russian Federation vs. Svetlana Prokopyeva
Ms. Prokopyeva’s trial was characterized by serious violations of international standards that both affected the trial’s outcome and undermined freedom of speech in Russia. In essence, a military court tried and convicted a civilian journalist for exploring the possible reasons behind the bombing, and for expressing criticism of the Russian government.