Day of the Endangered Lawyer Turkey: Joint statement
Türkiye
Lawyers for Lawyers has joined ten other Bar Associations, Law Societies and Legal Organisations in a joint declaration concerning the breakdown of the rule of law and serious threats against the independence of Judges, Lawyers, and Prosecutors in Turkey.
The declaration marks the 9th annual Day of the Endangered Lawyer, and expressed concerns about the increasing attacks against members of the legal profession, the breakdown of the rule of law, and the human rights violations against lawyers, judges, and prosecutors in Turkey. The joint declaration also raises concern for the legal profession, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in light of legislative reforms, adopted during and after the state of emergency, which have “permanently curtailed the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession in Turkey.”
Lawyers for Lawyers and the other 10 legal associations urge the Turkish government to protect the rights of judges, lawyers and prosecutors and to preserve the rule of law in accordance with international human rights standards and its obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Along with Lawyers for Lawyers, the joint declaration includes Abogacía Española – Consejo General, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, Geneva Bar Association–Human Rights Commission, German Bar Association–Human Rights Committee, European Bar Human Rights Institute, Paris Bar Human Rights Institute, International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, International Observatory for endangered lawyers, Law Society of England and Wales, Lawyers for Lawyers, and Norwegian Bar Association–Human Rights Committee.
About the Day of the Endangered Lawyer
The Day of the Endangered Lawyer honours lawyers across the world who put themselves at risk in the fight for human rights and the rule of law. It aims to create awareness that the practice of the legal profession in many countries involves significant risks, but also to denounce the situation in a particular country where lawyers are victims of serious violations of their fundamental rights because of the exercise of their profession. Each year, the persecution of lawyers in a particular country is highlighted, with the focus this year on Turkey.