On 5 May 2022, Avant-Garde Lawyers was the honoured recipient of the funds raised during the fundraising concert of the Human Rights Orchestra organised by Musicians for Human Rights. The concert, which took place at the KKL Luzern in Switzerland, raised CHF 25,000 for AGL. It was sponsored by Concordia Insurances.
The performance, which included renowned compositions such as pieces by Mozart, Elgar and Beethoven, comprised musicians from various esteemed orchestras across Europe, including stalwart pianist Rafal Blechacz.
“Art has a unique ability to challenge majoritarian norms and promote public debate around sensitive issues. Artists are, therefore, social and political commentators that form the bedrock of democracy. For this very reason – there is a clampdown across the world on artists, putting them in situations of deep vulnerability and exposing them to various human rights violations. At AGL, we are committed to providing specialised forms of legal assistance to these artists and ensuring that they are free to exercise their fundamental rights and political liberties, including their right to create freely.
The funds raised by the concert shall be immensely helpful for AGL to continue its mission to support artists all over the world. It will allow us to expand our capacities of intervention across jurisdictional contexts and ensure that artists receive the assistance they require.
We are grateful to have been chosen by MFHR as the honoured recipient for this concert, and it was a deeply gratifying experience to attend the performance by the celebrated musicians – a strong motivation to continue the work that we do!”
Andra Matei, AGL Director
