Human Rights
As defined by its constitution, one the objects of the ECBA is to promote the administration of justice and human rights under the rule of law within the member states of the Council of Europe and among the peoples of the world. Throughout the years the ECBA has been following Criminal Proceedings’ Human Rights’ issues.
If you know of any issue that should be brought to our attention, please do not hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The increasing involvement of the ECBA in advocacy for Human Rights in Criminal Proceedings has led the ECBA to appoint a Human Rights Officer (HRO). The Human Rights Officer (HRO) will be the contact person for Human Rights’ issues, including possible interventions by the ECBA before the ECtHR, and will represent the ECBA in activities such as trial observations.
The first ECBA-HRO was the Advisory Board Member Scott Crosby. Scott was a long time member of the ECBA and had a wide experience in taking cases to the European Court of Human Rights. As Scott Crosby sadly passed away on 25 April 2020, Alexis Anagnostakis has been appointed by the Executive Committee of the ECBA as the actual HR Officer on 21 September 2020.
Given that the demands of human rights law for the work of the ECBA were steadily increasing and could not be adequately met by the Human Rights Officer alone the Executive and Advisory boards of the ECBA decided at the meeting of 21 April 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic, to establish a human rights committee.
The Human Rights Committee (HRC) comprise the undernoted persons:
| Amedeo Barletta | Nancy Hollander |
| Stephen Bailey |
Nina Karačić Brković |
| Cristiana Bianco |
Ondrej Laciak |
| Elena Borsacchi | Salomé Lemasson |
| Nicola Canestrini | Mihai Mares |
| Federico Cappelletti | Ales Michalevic |
| Vânia Costa Ramos | Jonathan Mitchell |
| Walter De Agostino | Rebecca Niblock |
| Paul Garlick | Szabolcs Miklós Sánta |
| William Glover | Sylvain Savolainen |
| Robin Grey | Tobias Stadarfeld Jensen |
| Maria Hessen Jacobsen | Alex Tinsley |
The ECBA “Scott Crosby” Human Rights Award
The ECBA and their Human Rights Committee have decided to institutionalize the ECBA Human Rights Award, named after our late friend and passionate human rights activist Scott Crosby, to be awarded once a year to distinguished lawyers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and sacrifice to uphold fundamental values.
The objective of the ECBA is to honour the efforts of lawyers and at the same time raise awareness of the core values of the legal profession.
The 2024 ECBA HR Award went to three Belarus lawyers who endure the harsh conditions of Belarusian prisons, having been arrested and sentenced to 6-10 years in prison, with no phone calls, correspondence or visits. Vitaly Brahinets, Aliaksandr Danilevich, and Maxim Znak are suffering today because of their unwavering dedication to justice, democracy, and human rights.
Vitaly Brahinets, a seasoned criminal lawyer, is recognized for his support of human rights. By choosing to represent those targeted by political oppression, he has faced imprisonment on charges that are widely acknowledged as politically motivated. Aliaksandr Danilevich has shown remarkable bravery amid the political crisis in Belarus. He openly denounced the war in Ukraine while providing legal assistance to those repressed by the government. The result was the same: arrested and detained. Maxim Znak has also played a vital role in providing legal support to opposition figures. His relentless pursuit of justice and democracy resulted in his arrest, making him a symbol of the struggle for human rights and the rule of law.
The Award was handed to Iryna Kozikava, sister of Maxim Znak and a lawyer herself, who seeked refuge in Poland.
The 2023 ECBA HR Award went to two remarkable women - Françoise Tulkens, a distinguished Belgian lawyer and a respected expert in criminal law, former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights and Nancy Hollander, a renowned U.S. criminal defense lawyer, known for her fearless representation of Guantanamo Bay detainees and the prominent whistleblower, Chelsea Manning. The award ceremony took place at the Spring Conference 2024 in Brussels, in the presence of Scott Crosby's daughter and son, Francesca and Andrew, who handed the awards themselves.
The ECBA Scott Crosby Human Rights Award 2022, handed by Vincent Asselineau, ECBA Chair, and Alexis Anagnostakis, HR Officer, went to the Ukrainian National Bar Association, represented at the Autumn Conference by Dr. Valentyn Gvozdiy, Vice President of the UNBA and ECBA member. The award honours the efforts of the Ukrainian lawyers for their determination and sacrifice in times of war, to uphold fundamental values and the rule of law in their country during the current impermissible military aggression against Ukraine.
The receivers of the ECBA Human Rights Award 2021 were Judge Igor Tuleya and the Dean of the Warsaw Bar Association, lawyer Mikołaj Pietrzak, both from Poland.
HR Officer Alexis Anagnostakis, ECBA Chair Vincent Asselineau and Polish lawyer Mikołaj Pietrzak
The ECBA and its Human Rights Officer, Alexis Anagnostakis, joined 302 distinguished international figures in signing an urgent open letter to save the lives of Iranian political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani. Theie situation is extremely critical as both have been moved to solitary confinement in the security ward, often a precursor to execution.
These courageous human rights defenders, known for their peaceful activism against capital punishment through the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign, face death sentences after what appears to be a severely flawed legal process. While their lawyers have filed an emergency motion for retrial, we know that legal procedures under Iran's current regime don't always guarantee justice.
We join fellow human rights advocates worldwide in urgently calling on UN High Commissioner Volker Türk and UN Special Rapporteur Dr. Mai Sato to intervene immediately.
You can help by:
Reading and sharing the open letter.
Spreading awareness using hashtags: #SaveMehdiHassani #SaveBehrouzEhsani #StopExecutionsInIran
We cannot remain silent while these lives hang in the balance. Please join us in calling for justice and mercy.
The international legal and human rights community is deeply concerned by prosecuting authorities’ recent criminal investigation and lawsuit against the Istanbul Bar Association, particularly its President, İbrahim Kaboğlu, and the executive board.
These actions stem from a statement issued by the Bar Association on 21 December 2024, drawing attention to the deaths of journalists Nazım Daştan and Cihan Bilgin, killed on 19 December 2024 in northern Syria while monitoring developments in the region.
The statement highlighted that the targeting of journalists in conflict zones constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law and called for an effective investigation into the incident.
In response, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal investigation against the Bar’s leadership, citing allegations of "making propaganda for a terrorist organisation" and "publicly disseminating misleading information." On 14 January 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office escalated its actions by filing a lawsuit seeking the dismissal of the Bar Association’s president and executive board under Article 77(5) of the Turkish Attorneyship Law. The grounds for the lawsuit allege that the Bar’s statement exceeded its professional mandate and constituted conduct incompatible with its official role.
This criminal investigation and lawsuit represent a direct challenge to the independence and functioning of the Istanbul Bar Association, an institution that plays a vital role in safeguarding human rights and upholding the rule of law in Turkey.
The arrest of lawyer Fırat Epözdemir, an executive board member of the Bar Association, on 23 January 2025, upon his return from an advocacy visit to Council of Europe institutions has further deepened these concerns. On 25 January 2025, a judge ordered Mr. Epözdemir’s detention on remand on allegations of ‘membership in a terrorist organization’ and ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organization’. This decision has been strongly criticized by the legal community in Turkey as lacking credible grounds, and reinforces the perception that the investigation may be part of retaliatory actions targeting the Istanbul Bar.
The actions taken against the Istanbul Bar Association are in stark violation of international human rights law and the principles governing the legal profession.
© 2025 ECBA