The 11th Day of the Endangered Lawyer which will be marked today (22 January) focuses on Azerbaijan this year.
Protests and seminars will be organised today in solidarity with human rights lawyers in Azerbaijan.
A petition supported by international, European and national lawyers‘ organizations around the world will be presented to the respective embassies and sent to the Azerbaijan government.
Today at 1500, Lawyers for Lawyers, the Foundation Day of the Endangered Lawyer, and Young Hague Bar will hold an online seminar on the matter.
The Italian National Bar Council (Consiglio Nazionale Forense – CNF) is organizing a webinar to celebrate the Day of the Endangered Lawyers on 25 January, at 1800 (CET).
International Observatory of Lawyers in Danger (IOLD) together with the UIA-Irol and the AED-EDL is organising an event for International Day of Lawyers in Danger, on 25 January from 6-7:30 pm (CET) online (via Zoom probably) with an English/ French simultaneous translation.
Those joining the protests are urged to be active in the media, in solidarity with the Azerbaijani lawyers by drawing attention to the issues with:
- Pictures of protests,
- Media reports,
- Videos,
- Tweets,
- and/or short reports of activities.
The Day of the Endangered lawyer is normally commemorated each year on 24 January, which falls on Sunday this year.
Murdered
On 24 January, 1977, four trade union lawyers and an employee were murdered in their office in Madrid, Spain, for doing their job.
One of the killers escaped on a permit granted by the investigating judge before the trial.
Another, sentenced to 193 years, escaped while on parole and is at large. The third one, with the same sentence, escaped while on parole, has been extradited from Brazil and recently released.
The fourth, sentenced to 63 years, died in prison. All of them were associated with extreme right-wing parties.
In the past, the Day of the Endangered Lawyer has focused on the following countries: China, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Iran, Pakistan, The Philippines, Spain/Basque Country, Turkey, and Pakistan.
The organizers are asking their international colleagues to raise awareness about the number of lawyers who are being harassed, silenced, pressured, threatened, persecuted, and in some countries tortured and murdered for their work as lawyers.
The goal is to initiate, or further develop a national discussion about ways to protect lawyers.
Protests
Protests organised by local lawyer associations are planned worldwide outside embassies and consulates of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in compliance with public health guidelines.
Protests outside Azerbaijani embassies will be organised in Berlin and Rome and in Ankara and other Turkish cities.
A seminar moderated by Dr Marina Brilman (international human rights adviser, Law Society of England and Wales) yesterday discussed:
- The legal profession in Azerbaijan and access to justice,
- Admission to the Bar,
- Disciplinary proceedings, including disbarment,
- Lawyers’ right to freedom of expression, and,
- Cases of Azeri lawyers before the European Court of Human Rights.
Speakers included:
- Shahla Humbatova (lawyer, Azerbaijan),
- Emin Abbasov (lawyer, Azerbaijan),
- Jessica Gavron (legal director, European Human Rights Advocacy Centre)