The Vance Center’s Adaobi Egboka, center, with speakers at the African Commission side event, “The role of African Human Rights Institutions in Responding to the Intensifying Crackdown on Civil Liberties and Human Rights Defenders ahead of Elections in East Africa,” in Banjul, The Gambia, October 23, 2025. Photo credit: Vance Center Adaobi Egboka, the Vance Center’s Director, Africa Initiatives, arrived in Banjul several days before the session began to engage with various forums preceding the session. These early events included the NGO Forum, from October 17-19, which brings together representatives of local and international NGOs to share updates on their... read more
Post tagged in "human rights defenders"
City Bar Statement of Concern Regarding the Foreign Agents Law in El Salvador
Posted on June 6, 2025In a new statement, the New York City Bar Association expressed deep concern about the approval and potential implementation of the proposed Foreign Agents Law in El Salvador. The legislation, if enacted, would impose severe restrictions on the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society actors receiving international funding, labeling them as “foreign agents” and subjecting them to disproportionate state control, burdensome administrative requirements, and punitive sanctions. The statement raises concerns that the new legislation, if implemented as written, could violate several fundamental rights, including the rights to access justice, free association, and free expression.... read more
City Bar Statement Expressing Concern Regarding the Detention of Lawyer and Human Rights Defender Ruth López Alfaro in El Salvador
Posted on May 23, 2025In a new statement, the New York City Bar Association expressed deep concern about the detention of Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro, a widely respected human rights defender and academic, and a growing pattern of reprisals against legal professionals and human rights defenders in El Salvador. López Alfaro is a Salvadoran attorney who heads the Anti-Corruption and Justice team at Cristosal, an NGO dedicated to promoting democracy and human rights throughout Central America. On May 18, 2025, government actors detained López Alfaro at her private residence. Through a public statement published on X (formerly Twitter), the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office announced... read more
City Bar Statement Expressing Concern over Uganda’s Arrest and Conviction of Human Rights Lawyer Eron Kiiza
Posted on January 31, 2025In a new statement, the New York City Bar Association expressed serious concern about the Ugandan government’s arrest and conviction earlier this month of Eron Kiiza, a lawyer representing a political opposition leader, as well as Uganda’s continued use of military tribunals for civilians. The “arrest, summary trial, and nine-month prison sentence imposed on Eron Kiiza by a military tribunal raise serious concerns about the infringement of legal professionals’ rights and broader implications for the rule of law in Uganda,” the statement says. On January 7, 2025, Ugandan military officials denied Kiiza entry to the court to represent his client... read more