International Work
I am recognised internationally as an expert on the law and practice of trial observation.
I have conducted several trial observation missions for the International Commission of Jurists in high profile 'political' cases. Please click on the following links to see examples of some of my trial observation reports:
Final Report on the Trial of 27 Turkish Lawyers
Final Report on the Trial of Filiz Kalayci
Report on the Re-Trial of Leyla Zana
I have conducted trial observation training programmes for the Council of Europe (Azerbaijan), American Bar Association/CEELI (Kyrgyzstan), OSCE (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan), Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (Serbia) and International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (Switzerland).
I am author of the International Commission of Jurists' revised "Criminal Trials and Human Rights: A Manual on Trial Observation" - due to be published in early 2009 this will be the most comprehensive guide to the law and practice of trial monitoring currently available.
I have been appointed by the International Commission of Jurists to act as the United Kingdom delegate and rapporteur on an international human rights mission sent to assess the state of legislation, the legal system, the legal protection of human rights, the independence of the judiciary and lawyers, and the investigation and prosecution of those suspected of violations of human rights in Turkey. A copy of the mission report is available by clicking the following link:
The Independence of Judges and Lawyers in the Republic of Turkey
I have also been appointed by the European Commission as an expert and rapporteur on two Advisory Visits sent to report on the functioning of the Turkish legal system as part of the EU’s accession monitoring programme. The missions examined, inter alia, the jurisdiction of the courts, including the State Security Courts and military courts; the independence and impartiality of the judiciary; the training of the judiciary and prosecutors; the ability of lawyers to provide effective representation for their clients before the courts and to engage freely in professional activities; procedural rules in criminal cases and the rights of the defence; and the capacity of the courts to deal with cases expeditiously. A copy of the second mission's report is available by clicking the following link:
The Functioning of the Judicial System in the Republic of Turkey
In addition to having conducted several international trial observation training programmes (as detailed above), I have worked with the Swedish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights to train human rights lawyers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia on Article 3 (prohibition of ill-treatment) and Article 6 (right to a fair trial) of the European Convention on Human Rights. I have also been appointed by the UK Government's Department of Constitutional Affairs to train judges and public prosecutors in Turkey on all aspects of the European Convention on Human Rights.
I have been instructed by the Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP) to draft a full application to the European Court of Human Rights in a case brought against the Republic of Armenia by a leading opposition political figure who was unlawfully deprived of his liberty and tortured whilst in police custody (Virabyan v. Armenia). I have also been instructed by the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC) at London Metropolitan University to advise on and amend a draft full application to the European Court of Human Rights in a case involving ten Chechen applicants alleging violations of the ECHR as a result of the abduction and disappearance of their family members by Russian state security forces (Khutsayev and others v. Russia).
I was invited by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and l'Observatoire (a joint programme of the International Human Rights Federation (FIDH) and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)) to address a parallel meeting at the 60th session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission on the independence of judges and lawyers in Turkey. Please follow the link to see a copy of my speech:
Presentation on the Independence of Judiciary and Legal Profession in Turkey
If you would like to discuss my involvement in any international project please contact me.
