January 24 marks the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer
In the latest Just Security article, “Lawyers Under Threat: Highlighting Their Plight,” written by Jasmine D. Cameron, Senior Legal Advisor for Europe, and Eurasia for the ABA Center for Human Rights, recognizes the international legal community day of the endangered lawyer and highlights this year's initiative organized by the Coalition for the Endangered Lawyer. The Coalition is an informal network of national and international organizations and bar associations, including the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights.
“On this Day of the Endangered Lawyer, the international legal and human rights community must redouble its efforts to monitor cases against lawyers worldwide, raise awareness about this problem at the international level, and conduct more vigorous advocacy in domestic, regional, and international institutions to hold governments accountable for violations.”
Each year, the initiative focuses on one country where lawyers face the most challenging conditions to perform their professional duties. This year’s focus is on Afghanistan, where lawyers not only face extreme difficulties professionally, but also struggle with dire humanitarian challenges. Last year, recognizing these challenges, the ABA launched the Afghanistan Response Project to draw upon more than 30 years of international development experience and offices in more than 50 countries to provide pro bono support to Afghan judges and lawyers in refugee camps seeking permanent homes for themselves and their families.
In the case of Afghanistan, Margaret Satterhwaite, newly-appointed U.N. Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and Richard Bennett, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, issued a statement to mark the Day of the Endangered Lawyer. They wrote, “The States and other actors that were long involved in efforts to improve access to justice and strengthen the rule of law [in Afghanistan] now have a special responsibility to support those individuals who face hardship, exclusion, and risks to their safety as a result of their work within and for the legal system.”
The article discusses current international legal standards to protect lawyers and explores challenges lawyers face because of their work including disbarments and disciplinary procedures, and frivolous civil and criminal suits and other types of harassment. Cameron goes on to discuss what the international community can do to respond to these challenges.