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.