Democracy Defenders

Stories

Ugandan women’s rights activist Dr. Stella Nyanzi’s conviction was overturned on the basis of violations identified by a TrialWatch report submitted to a Ugandan appeals court.

Dr. Nyanzi was prosecuted for posting a poem critical of the Ugandan President on Facebook in a trial which TrialWatch monitored and graded a “D”.

Uganda: Stella Nyanzi’s Conviction Overturned

Our Impact - Women’s Rights Activist Freed in Uganda

4:17

Ugandan women’s rights activist Dr. Stella Nyanzi’s conviction was overturned on the basis of violations identified by a TrialWatch report submitted to a Ugandan appeals court.

Dr. Nyanzi was prosecuted for posting a poem critical of the Ugandan President on Facebook in a trial which TrialWatch monitored and graded a “D”.

[Thanks to TrialWatch] my case was immediately elevated. And the prosecutors… the magistrate… they should have been on alert to know that someone else other than themselves was monitoring the process and going to give a grade.
Stella Nyanzi Women’s Rights Activist

Uganda

In Uganda, TrialWatch helped secure the dropping of charges against Nicholas Opiyo, a prominent human rights lawyer. Mr. Opiyo was charged with money laundering – an example of how sometimes the charges brought can be a smokescreen for the true motivation of the trial.

TrialWatch reviewed the charge sheet and issued a statement raising concerns about the lack of...

#Democracy Defenders #Lawyers

Uganda: Charges Dropped Against Human Rights Lawyer

In Uganda, TrialWatch helped secure the dropping of charges against Nicholas Opiyo, a prominent human rights lawyer. Mr. Opiyo was charged with money laundering – an example of how sometimes the charges brought could be a smokescreen for the true motivation of the trial.

TrialWatch reviewed the charge sheet and issued a statement raising concerns about the lack of detail given about the evidence and charges, calling on the authorities to ensure that any prosecution was well-founded on evidence and not an effort to stifle Mr. Opiyo’s work.

Responding to this pressure, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Kyrgyzstan

Askhat Zheksebaev, a 47-year-old opposition activist from Kazakhstan, was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for peaceful social media posts and private messages in support of an opposition party. His sentence was later commuted to a suspended sentence but he was banned from public activism, had his assets frozen, and was subject to severe restrictions on movement....

#Democracy Defenders

Kyrgyzstan: Rights Activist Freed to Seek Asylum

After, TrialWatch published a Fairness Report on Zheksebaev’s trial , giving it a D, and sent a communication to the Kyrgyz government about the potential consequences he might face on returning to Kazakhstan, a Kyrgyz court released him so that he could seek asylum.

Before Zheksebaev fled the Kazakh authorities had a stranglehold on all aspects of his life, severely restricting his travel, his access to bank accounts, and his posts on social media.
Stephanie Farrior TrialWatch Expert

Nigeria

Journalist and opposition figure Omoyele Sowore, who was detained and charged with conspiracy to commit treason after calling for a peaceful political revolution, was freed and awarded damages in Nigeria after TrialWatch monitored his trial and published a report on his case.

The report found the authorities offered shifting justifications for pursuing the case and that the charges appeared...

Nigeria: Opposition Leader Released

Impact - Opposition Leader Released in Nigeria

4:54

The report found the authorities offered shifting justifications for pursuing the case and that the charges appeared to have been brought against Mr. Sowore because the protests he sought to organize were “at odds with the Buhari government’s agenda.”

When I walked into the courtroom for the first time, somebody stepped up to me and said, '…..we're from Trial Watch.' And that was quite uplifting to feel like somebody's in that room representing the outside world, quietly monitoring my trial.
Omoyele Sowore Journalist

Mikhail Benyash with signs of physical assault on his face and neck

Russia

Russia’s long-running campaign against 45-year-old human rights lawyer Mikhail Benyash culminated in his March 2023 retrial and conviction for allegedly assaulting the police.

TrialWatch monitored the first trial against Benyash in 2019 as part of its focus on how Russia is stifling dissent.

Our Fairness Report was used by the defense in its successful appeal that resulted in...

#Democracy Defenders

Russia: Supporting Human Rights Lawyer

Russia’s long-running campaign against 45-year-old human rights lawyer Mikhail Benyash culminated in his March 2023 retrial and conviction for allegedly assaulting the police.

TrialWatch monitored the first trial against Benyash in 2019 as part of its focus on how Russia is stifling dissent.

Our Fairness Report was used by the defense in its successful appeal that resulted in the overturning of Benyash’s conviction. TrialWatch helped ensure that the appeal hearings remained public, despite the court’s initial efforts to close them, by submitting a letter to the court highlighting serious fair trial problems in the first instance proceedings and the need for transparency on appeal.

After Benyash was released from prison, he went on to represent anti-war protesters in Russia who were arrested following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as soldiers who refused to fight in Ukraine.

During the appeal I attached the TrialWatch report and often quoted from it because it’s very well done.
Mikhail Benyash Human Rights Lawyer

Rwanda

A vocal critic of Rwanda’s ruling party, Paul Rusesabagina, was convicted of terrorism-related activities for his alleged role in attacks perpetrated by the National Liberation Front (FLN) following a sham trial.

In March 2023, two and a half years after he was arrested in Rwanda, Rusesabagina’s 25-year prison sentence was commuted and he was freed. Our monitoring and reporting were...

Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina Reunited with Family

Our Impact - Impact: 'Hotel Rwanda' Figure Freed From Jail

6:37

In March 2023, two and a half years after he was arrested in Rwanda, Rusesabagina’s 25-year prison sentence was commuted and he was freed. Our monitoring and reporting were key to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s finding that Rusesabagina was being arbitrarily detained. Our findings were also used in pivotal calls for his release by both the EU and the US authorities.

The most recent of the three TrialWatch reports produced on the trial of Rusesabagina described it as “seriously flawed” and as having “violated international and regional standards for fair trial procedures”. TrialWatch Expert Geoffrey Robertson KC said that the court “accepted and promoted the government’s case … without question or challenge.”

I think it's not an exaggeration to say that had Paul's trial not been independently monitored, had TrialWatch not stepped up and agreed to do this he may very well still be in Rwanda.
Kate Gibson Paul Rusesabagina's Lawyer