Philip Leach, Director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC), is set to stand down from the role in February next year.
Having led the organisation since its inception in 2003, Philip has decided to step down in order to enable a successor to take up the reins.
Over the past 18 years, Philip and the whole EHRAC team have worked tirelessly alongside partner NGOs and lawyers in Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine to defend and strengthen human rights in the region.
EHRAC has successfully litigated a series of landmark cases on a range of human rights issues, which have established and developed core standards and principles both in the EHRAC target region and globally. In doing so, the organisation has intensively mentored and supported countless human rights lawyers.
Given recent events in the region, notably the decidedly anti-democratic measures being undertaken, the crushing of civil society dissent, the repression of human rights defenders and legislative changes designed to negate and limit the rights of members of minority communities, EHRAC’s unique model of litigation mentoring is more important than ever.
“Working at EHRAC has always been an enormous privilege – to use international human rights tools to strike back effectively against state repression, on behalf of minority communities and voices of dissent,” Philip said.
“This pursuit of justice has elicited remarkable resolve, courage and dignity from complainants and their families, and incredible indefatigability from human rights lawyers across the region.”
EHRAC will soon be recruiting for a new Director to build on the work of the last 18 years and guide the organisation into its exciting future ahead.
