Established in 2010, this date was chosen due to it being the anniversary of the Massacre of Atocha where, on the 24th January 1977, four lawyers and a colleague were killed in their office in Madrid, Spain after an attack by right-wing extremists. 

The purpose of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer is to raise awareness of the plight of lawyers around the world who are harassed, threatened, persecuted, tortured and even killed for simply doing their job. 

Each year focuses on raising awareness of the plight of lawyers in a specific country and Afghanistan is the featured nation for 2023. The current political situation and the collapse of the legal system in the country after the withdrawal of US forces and its allies means that now more than ever, lawyers, judges and human rights defenders are facing risks to their safety. Described by UN experts as a human rights catastrophe, the Taliban has suspended the 2004 constitution, excluded women from the legal system and has removed judges from the bench replacing them with Taliban members. Any form of independent legal system has now all but disappeared.

In a joint statement (the full version of which can be read here), the UN Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and the independence of judges and lawyers have made the following comments:

“Lawyers, judges, prosecutors and other actors involved with the legal system in Afghanistan face grave risks to their safety, and those still practicing must navigate a deeply challenging, non-independent legal system.

Lawyers in Afghanistan – especially women – are risking their lives in efforts to protect the rule of law. They need urgent support from the international community.

We are gravely concerned by the extreme exclusion of women from the legal system. In an act of brazen discrimination, the Taliban have attempted to effectively ban all women-including women judges, prosecutors, and lawyers-from participating in the legal system.

Among those removed were more than 250 women judges and hundreds of women lawyers and prosecutors. Many women judges have fled the country or gone into hiding.

Prosecutors have been systematically side-lined, and some face grave risks because of work they previously undertook investigating and prosecuting members of the Taliban and other individuals. More than a dozen prosecutors, the majority men, reportedly have been killed by unknown individuals in Kabul and other provinces. Many remain in hiding.

By suspending the 2004 Constitution, ousting all judges from the bench, stripping the Office of the Attorney General of its key role, and undertaking other similar steps, the Taliban has precipitated the collapse of the rule of law and judicial independence in Afghanistan. Instead of an independent legal system, the country has an all-male regime implementing the Taliban’s version of Sharia law. It is a human rights catastrophe.

 

We call for greater international support to lawyers, legal aid providers, and non-governmental organisations working to advance justice and human rights. Special attention should be paid to the situation faced by women lawyers and to those working toward the realisation of women and girls’ rights.

International actors should provide protection and safe passage to lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and other actors involved with the legal system, especially women, who are at risk of reprisal and attacks by the Taliban and others.

Legal professionals have faced unimaginable obstacles since Taliban de facto authorities assumed control of Afghanistan and have nonetheless persisted in their efforts to meet the legal needs of Afghan people.

They deserve far more in the way of support.

Finally, we call on the de facto authorities to immediately reverse these abusive practices that exclude women from the legal system, to protect the lives of those who worked and continue to work for the administration of justice, and take the necessary steps ensure the right to fair trial for all Afghans.”

The Colombian Caravana stands in solidarity with those at risk in Afghanistan. 

Colombia is no stranger to the Day of the Endangered Lawyer having been chosen not once but twice to be the nominated country (latterly in 2022). Lawyers in the region are still persecuted and prevented from carrying out their professional duties freely and safely. In 2021, a Human Rights Watch report stated that more than 450 human rights defenders have been murdered in Colombia since the signing of the Peace Agreement there in 2016 and the OHCHR verified the homicides of 67 human rights defenders between January to October 2021 alone. In addition to this figure, many more have been attacked and have been subject to threats and harassment including from the Colombian judiciary itself and have had little or no support from the State. 

At the Colombian Caravana, we believe that without lawyers and legal professionals there can be no justice. As such, we work to promote access to justice and uphold the rule of law in Colombia. We work together with Colombian human rights lawyers and human rights defenders to ensure respect for human rights.  If they are compromised by infringement of their right to practice independently in the interests of their clients, then justice itself is also compromised.

What can you do?

There are various ways to show your support for lawyers and human rights defenders around the world. 

To support those in Afghanistan this International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, look to see if there are any events being held locally either at an Afghan embassy or your local Law Society or Human Rights centre. If there are no in-person events close to you, or you would prefer to attend virtually, there are a number of online events hosted by various organisations taking place throughout the week; simply search for International Day of the Endangered Lawyer events in your search engine for more details. In addition to providing you with more information about the current situation in Afghanistan, these seminars may also be collecting donations to help tackle the crisis there.

For those who wish to support the Caravana’s work with at-risk lawyers in Colombia, membership to our organisation is only £25 per year. To become a member please email colombian.caravana@googlemail.com with the subject “Membership Application”. Can’t become a member right now but would still like to donate? We are very grateful for donations of any size no matter how small. Please click here:

https://www.kindlink.com/fundraising/colombian-caravana/470

to visit our donation page. Please remember to add gift aid so your donation goes even further!

The work we do is vital but can only be achieved through the support and generous contributions from our members and donors. The Caravana isn’t an expensive charity to run as we rely mostly on the support of volunteers, but we do need essential funds to achieve our aims. We welcome support from both individuals and businesses. 
However, one of the key aims of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer is to raise the profile of the plight of lawyers around the world. If you’re not able to make any financial contributions to the cause, we encourage everyone to do whatever you can to help raise public awareness of the dangers faced by lawyers and human rights defenders as well as how to ensure their protection. Without lawyers and legal professionals there can be no justice, and no one should fear for their safety simply for doing their job.