Bar association leaders from around the world have called for collective action to safeguard lawyers who face intimidation and violence simply for fulfilling their duties.
Speaking at a forum jointly arranged by the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council on Tuesday following a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the opening of the legal year in London, Bar association presidents put aside the pomp and ceremony to discuss the dangers confronting their colleagues and the threats impacting the legal profession globally.
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBA HRI), for example, has highlighted the increasing harassment from state and non-state actors in countries such as Angola, Turkey and the US over the past six months.
At the forum, participants from across the UK, the Commonwealth and Europe condemned these attacks, recognising their impact on the rule of law.
Barbara Mills KC, chair of the Bar Council, said: “Barristers have told us they have faced death threats and rape threats... and have been traduced in some parts of the media.”
She added: “There must be no impunity for governments or non-state actors who target the profession. There are patterns of intimidation that show we are facing an increasingly hostile environment for lawyers globally.”
Speakers at the forum, including Ibrahim Kaboğlu, president of the Istanbul Bar Association, shared troubling experiences. Kaboğlu’s executive board, including himself, is facing civil and criminal legal consequences for advocating for journalists’ rights and defending detained lawyers – actions condemned by the IBA HRI, the Council for European Bars and Law Societies, the European Young Bar Association, and others.
Michelle Behnke, president of the American Bar Association, also participated. The ABA – the largest voluntary association of lawyers worldwide – recently emphasised the importance of non-partisanship in federal legal proceedings, warning against actions that could undermine public trust in the justice system, having previously expressed concerns about safeguarding the rule of law in the US.
Law Society of Zimbabwe president Lison Ncube also addressed the issue; his predecessor, the late Sternford Moyo, had highlighted the targeting of lawyers in Zimbabwe, who have faced violence for standing against injustice.
Richard Atkinson, president of the Law Society, stressed the necessity for lawyers to perform their duties free from undue interference: “Lawyers must be able to carry out their duties and uphold the rule of law safely and independently.”
When the rule of law falters, Atkinson said, it affects not just lawyers but everyone in society.
To address this, the Law Society along with others, has endorsed the recently ratified Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, to defend lawyers and the rights of the people they serve.
Atkinson explained why: “We stand at a moment where the stability of our legal systems is being tested by political, economic and social pressures that threaten to weaken public trust in the rule of law and erode the very foundations of justice that underpin fairness and democracy.”
The message from London was clear: the time has come for the legal profession to unite in solidarity. As Mills stated: “As a globally connected profession, we must work together to protect one another.”
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