On 24 January 2024, the fourteenth edition of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer will take place.
This year’s edition focuses on the extremely difficult situation of lawyers in Iran. Lawyers for Lawyers is co-organizing multiple events in the context of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer in the Netherlands.
Since 2010 the Day of the Endangered Lawyer honors lawyers across the world who put themselves at risk in their fight for human rights and to maintain the rule of law. It aims to create awareness that the practice of the legal profession in many countries involves significant risks and 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.
Lawyers in Iran
Over the past decades, lawyers in Iran have been subjected to relentless intimidation and harassment, and improper interference in the practice of their profession. An alarmingly high number of these defenders of justice have been apprehended and associated with their legitimate activities, with some receiving high prison sentences. Since the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in a Tehran hospital after being arrested by the “morality police” for wearing an “inappropriate hijab,” the situation of lawyers has continued to deteriorate. Following this incident, dozens of lawyers were arrested. The United Nations Special Rapporteur human rights situation in Iran has labeled the predicament of lawyers in Iran as “unpredictable and repressive.”
See the final report on Iran here.
Planned events in the Netherlands
Together with the Young Lawyers Associations of Rotterdam and The Hague, Lawyers for Lawyers is organizing two lectures with an Iranian lawyer (closed events).
The Foundation of the Day of the Endangered Lawyer is coordinating a demonstration in robes at the Iranian embassy in The Hague, scheduled for January 24 at 3:30 pm.
Co-sponsoring of joint event in London
Lawyers for Lawyers co-sponsors the event Human Rights Violations in Iran: The Role of Lawyers organized by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), the Geneva Bar Association (Ordre des Avocats de Genève), the International Observatory of Lawyers (OIAD) and The Law Society of England and Wales (LSEW). This event will bring together UN experts, legal professionals, and Iranian and international human rights organizations to address ongoing human rights abuses in Iran and how to progress towards accountability for violations.
Joint Statement, petition, and press release
In a show of solidarity and call for action, a joint statement, press release, and petition cosigned by a large coalition of lawyers organizations were released on 24 January, reflecting a united determination to confront these urgent issues.
Statement by United Nations Experts
On 22 January, UN experts issued a statement, hailing lawyers in Iran for their courageous commitment to the rule of law and their persistent efforts to practice their profession independently and with integrity despite enormous obstacles and pressures.
