Even before August 2021, Afghan legal professionals were at constant risk. But the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has utterly laid waste to the country’s justice system. Many legal professionals with the means to leave the country have done so – often under harrowing, life-or-death circumstances. And many who have fled continue to languish in temporary locations, awaiting permanent resettlement, and may still be in danger. Even those who have reached permanent resettlement destinations generally need much more support and assistance than they are receiving.
Those lawyers, prosecutors, and judges who remain in Afghanistan are in greater peril than ever before. Most are in hiding, unemployed and destitute, and in desperate fear for their own lives and those of their families. Many of them are being actively “hunted” by the Taliban and are at imminent risk. Torture and assassination are everyday realities. Their only hope is to be able to leave the country. Unfortunately, their pleas for help too often fall on deaf ears.
We mark the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer with a highly-informative and engaging briefing, tracing the history of the International Day and reviewing relevant international standards and principles, then recapping the riveting sagas of Afghan lawyers, prosecutors, and judges as they sought to flee in August 2021 and updating their status to today – whether they remain in the country or whether they are among the lucky few who managed to make it out. All need our help.
