News and insights

NGO Concern at Kuwait’s Mistreatment of Marsha Lazareva.

29th July 2019

On 18 July 2019, two NGOs, No Peace Without Justice (“NPWJ”) and the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (“IADL”) made submissions to the UN Human Rights Council as part of Kuwait’s Universal Periodic Review (‘UPR’), expressing concern at the ongoing prosecution and due process violations in respect of Ms Lazareva.

The submissions mark the first international NGO engagement on Ms Lazareva’s case at the United Nations and demonstrate the growing international concern regarding the treatment of Ms Lazareva. Ms Lazareva’s case has been marred with systemic violations of her fundamental due process rights, raising serious concern about the rule of law and the climate for foreign investment in Kuwait.

Cherie Blair CBE, QC, who is leading Marsha Lazareva’s European legal team, commented:

“We are pleased and encouraged to see NGOs engage in Ms Lazareva’s case, which is a sign of growing international concern about her plight. The UPR process represents an important opportunity for stakeholders to engage with Kuwait in a constructive way to help improve the human rights situation in Kuwait. We hope Kuwait will respond positively to NPWJ’s and IADL’s submissions.”

The full Press Release can be read in English here:

The full Press Release can be read in Arabic here: