Haydée Dijkstal

The Strategic Litigation Project is honored to welcome Ambassador Beth Van Schaack, who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice from March 2022 to January 2025, as a Distinguished Fellow.

Read her bio below ⬇️

Families of UK prisoners abroad urge ministers to keep promises to help David Lammy said he hopes to appoint special envoy for British nationals detained overseas Families and lawyers of prominent British prisoners detained abroad have called for the government to deliver on promises to help secure their release and appoint a special envoy. Last week, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said he hoped to appoint a special envoy for British nationals arbitrarily detained overseas by the end of the year, after vowing to do so in November 2024 and as part of a Labour manifesto pledge. Continue reading...

Families of UK prisoners abroad urge ministers to keep promises to help

She went on to serve over 20 yrs in the US armed forces, rising to the rank of Colonel in the Air Force and Captain in the Navy (the 1st Hispanic female to reach the rank), and becoming Chief of Orthopedics at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

Her unshakable spirit will be deeply missed.

For example, in 1957, she represented the Puerto Rican health department in Helsinki for AISS’s congress on health as a human right. And in 1967, she volunteered in a civilian hospital in Vietnam in opposition to the war, leaving only upon evacuation due to the Tet Offensive.

Born and raised in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, she attended medical school and became an orthopedic surgeon at a time when this path for women was unheard of. As a doctor, her career was marked by service in various forms.

I post mostly about work here, so it feels right to honour the extraordinary life and career of my grandmother ~ Dr Haydée Javier Kimmich ~ who we lost this week. She was a force; embodying a fierce spirit of independence, purpose and service which was impossible not to inspire.

Very sad to see this news. Courtenay gave me my first job in ICL years ago on the Taylor trial, and made a big impression as I was starting my career - as I know he did for so many. He will be missed.

Yesterday the APPG on Arbitrary Detention held a hearing on British national, Ahmed Al-Doush, whose arb detention in Saudi Arabia~now 10 yr sentence~is based on free expression/assoc. Very glad to provide info w/ @reprievehq.bsky.social & @amnestyuk.bsky.social www.hostagesappg.co.uk/post/press-b...

Ahmed has been sentenced to 10 yrs for an alleged tweet. The exact tweet is unknown. His trial and detention involved fair trial & due process violations.
The UK Gov must demand answers and stand firmly against a British national’s imprisonment for allegedly exercising his right to free expression.

Detained for nearly 9 months, British national, Ahmed Al-Doush, being tried on charges allegedly based on a tweet. His case raises serious concerns about his right to free expression and association, and basic due process and fair trial principles under international law.

Our client Robert Pether has been arbitrarily detained in Iraq since 2021. This is a welcomed statement by @simonharrisireland.bsky.social. #FreeRobertPether @dijkstal.bsky.social

A little delegation from @33bedfordrow.bsky.social International attending this year’s International Bar Association War Crimes Committee conference in The Hague. Lovely to catch up with colleagues and friends along with @mhproulx.bsky.social and Aqsa Hussain.
#IBAWCC #33BRIntl

Delighted to have Marie-Hélène and Michael as colleagues at Chambers! They bring extensive experience practicing before intl criminal tribunals in The Hague and beyond, and impressive expertise and knowledge of intl law. Looking forward to the collaborating, supporting and learning from each other!

Saudi teacher released after arbitrary detention for tweets: Haydee Dijkstal acted as international counsel On 13 February 2025, Saudi teacher, Asaad Al Ghamdi, was released from detention in Saudi Arabia after nearly 2 years and 3 months of detention based on the

Haydee Dijkstal @dijkstal.bsky.social acts as international counsel for Saudi teacher released from #detention in Saudi Arabia after nearly 2 years and 3 months of detention based on the exercise of #FreeExpression on social media.

www.33bedfordrow.co.uk/insights/new...

Saudi Arabia: Revoke death penalty for social media activity, UN experts urge GENEVA (15 September 2023) – Saudi Arabia must immediately revoke the death sentence handed down to Mohammed Al Ghamdi for his tweets and YouTube activities, as the crackdown on freedom of expression ...

Nor should it lessen attention to the case of his brother, Muhammad Al Ghamdi, who was initially sentenced to death for the same - for tweeting & exercising his right to free expression - and who remains in (what the #WGAD found to be) arbitrary detention.
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Fresh scrutiny of free speech in Saudi Arabia after brothers’ convictions over tweets Crown prince criticised ‘bad laws’ for Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s death sentence months before second conviction

While his release comes with great relief, it does not remedy the harm suffered in detention for exercising his right to free expression.
www.theguardian.com/world/articl...

After More Than Two Years of Detention, Saudi Arabia Releases Teacher Asaad Al-Ghamdi - Sanad Organization The Saudi authorities have released Asaad bin Nasser Al-Ghamdi, the brother of London-based Saudi dissident Dr. Saeed Al-Ghamdi, after more than two years of

Today, my client, Asaad Al Ghamdi - a Saudi teacher sentenced to 15 yrs imprisonment for posts on social media - was released after 2+ yrs of arbitrary detention in Saudi Arabia.

I'm thrilled he is reunited with his family!

sanad.uk/2025/02/13/a...

The Association of Young International Criminal Lawyers is delighted to invite you to a conversation with
@dijkstal.bsky.social (33 Bedford Row Chamber) on her outstanding career as a barrister in ICL & IHRL:

February 12, 2025 at 16:00 CET
Click here to register: shorturl.at/QjKl9

Foreign Office refused to give us details about Briton jailed in Saudi, family say Ahmed al-Doush has been held for more than four months without charge and has been given no reason for his arrest

The case of a British man detained in #SaudiArabia without charge since late August 2024, causing him to miss his child's birth, has been raised before the #UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention by his legal team at 33BR - Haydee Dijkstal leading Simon Ridding.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

YouTube video by Middle East Eye What happened to Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi? Lawyer discusses suspected UAE extradition

The violation of Abdul Rahman’s rights indicate his detention in the UAE is arbitrary under intl law and therefore unsustainable. His risk of torture & enforced disappearance must be closely monitored and prevented. His rights must be respected & his safety ensured.
youtu.be/AQM0oz0T5fk?...

Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi believed to have been extradited to UAE Before he was taken to airport, son of Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi told family he had launched a hunger strike

Despite all this, and many other efforts, Lebanon still sent Abdul Rahman to the UAE, & before an appeal filed by his Lebanese lawyer could be considered. It puts Lebanon squarely in violation of its obligations under intl law & undermines the rule of law.
www.middleeasteye.net/news/egyptia...

Call for the immediate release of poet Abdel Rahman Youssef | MENA Rights Group MENA Rights Group joins 500+ signatories in urging Lebanese authorities to immediately release poet Abdel Rahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi and to not extradite him to Egypt, where he risks human rights abus...

A letter w/ 500+ signatories condemned steps to extradite, saying such “action represents a grave and alarming example of transnational repression, a systematic practice used to silence dissenting voices and human rights defenders beyond national borders.”
menarights.org/en/articles/...

Arrest and Risk of Forced Extradition of Poet Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi - Cedar Centre For Legal Studies Case Title Arrest and Risk of Forced Extradition of Poet Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi 04/01/2025 Published: 04 January 2025Updated: 09 January 2025 Introduction:On 28 December 2024, poet Mr. ABDURRAHMAN KA...

Lebanese civil society played a pivotal role. For example, the Cesar Centre of Legal Studies which highlighted the “politically motivated” underlying bases of Egypt and the UAE’s extradition requests & intl and Lebanese protections which should have been applied.
ccls-lebanon.org/arrest-and-r...

Likewise, MENA Rights Group condemned the decision & said “Lebanon must respect the principle of non-refoulement & protect Abdel Rahman's fundamental rights.”

DAWN warned of UAE/Egypt’s systemic torture of political prisoners & Abdul Rahman’s risk of “inhumane treatment for his critical speech”

Lebanon: Serious Risk of Abuse for Poet Deported to UAE The Lebanese government on January 8, 2025 unlawfully deported Abdulrahman Youssef al-Qardawi, an Egyptian-Turkish poet, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he faces a near-certain unfair trial a...

After the Lebanese cabinet and PM decided to grant the UAE’s extradition request, Human Rights Watch @hrw.org said - “Arbitrarily deporting a poet to the UAE merely for peaceful social media criticism seriously undermines the rule of law in Lebanon.”
www.hrw.org/news/2025/01...

It also said “This case is a crucial test of the Lebanese authorities’ commitment to the right to freedom of expression. They must put their respect for human rights and obligations under international law before political ties and economic interests.”
x.com/amnestymena/...

Lebanon: Poet Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi must not be extradited to Egypt or UAE Responding to two separate extradition requests issued by authorities in Egypt and the United Emirates (UAE) for Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian-Turkish poet, who was arbitrarily detained by Leb...

Numerous human rights organisations echoed this:

Amnesty International @amnestyuk.bsky.social said - “Criticizing the authorities is not a crime” while warning that there is a “real risk” of arbitrary detention and abuse of his rights in both the UAE and Egypt.
www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...

The UN Experts raised concern the UAE’s “vague and broad charges” are “in retaliation for his legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression” & he’d “be subjected to torture, ill-treatment or enforced disappearance if he is deported.” ~ Lebanon extradited anyways.

Lebanon must stop extradition of Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi to the United Arab Emirates, experts say GENEVA – A group of independent human rights experts* today urged the Lebanese authorities not to extradite Mr Abdulrahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian-Turkish writer and political activist currentl...

To this, UN Special Rapporteurs, with the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, said Lebanon must stop the extradition and “resist transnational repression and uphold their obligations under international human rights law to protect Mr Al-Qaradawi.”
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Newsday - Blinken visits South Korea amid political unrest - BBC Sounds Investigators have passed responsibility to arrest the impeached president to the police

We also raised that his extradition would breach Lebanon’s absolute obligation under Art 3 of the Torture Convention which prohibits sending anyone to a place where there are grounds to believe he would be tortured. See, min 47 -
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...