Our Mission
The Lawyers and Democratic Decline (LADD) project brings together an international community of scholars investigating the role of lawyers in resisting — and at times enabling — authoritarianism in contexts of democratic backsliding.
Through collaborative research, comparative analysis, and public events, LADD explores how legal professionals navigate repression, uphold democratic norms, and negotiate their professional identity in times of political crisis.
Updates
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Thailand: Investigate Online Attacks Against Rights Defenders
On July 31 (Thailand), Human Rights Watch reported that Angkhana Neelapaijit, a senator and former member of Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission, filed a police complaint after a wave of social media…
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Grave concern over the ICE arrest of Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping
Lawyers for Lawyers reported that U.S. immigration authorities detained Wu Shaoping, a Chinese human-rights lawyer who fled China after facing pressure connected to his legal work. Wu had sought asylum in the…
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Iran: Defense Lawyer Elham Zeraatpisheh Released on Bail in Shiraz
This July 30 report from the IAPL Monitoring Committee on Attacks on Lawyers (Iran) documents the conditional release of defense lawyer Elham Zeraatpisheh on bail in Shiraz, alongside the recent arrest of…
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Ugandan opposition figure collapses in court, party official says
During proceedings against opposition figure Kizza Besigye, attorney Erias Lukwago was arrested, while Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua, who was leading Besigye’s defense team, had previously been prevented from entering Uganda. The developments…
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Bangladesh: Fair Trial Concerns at Tribunal
Human Rights Watch warned that proceedings before Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal were failing to satisfy international fair-trial standards. The organization argued that inadequate procedural protections could permit the imprisonment of political opponents…
Upcoming Events
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