Lawyers at Risk

We're committed to supporting lawyers and defending human rights around the world. Find out how we're doing this through our Lawyers at Risk programme.

Our aims

Our Lawyers at Risk programme supports lawyers and human rights defenders who are hindered in carrying out their professional duties through:
  • threats
  • intimidation
  • disciplinary measures
  • arbitrary arrest, detention, and prosecution
  • disappearance
  • murder

The programme aims to:

  • raise awareness of the risks and challenges associated with being a lawyer
  • highlight the importance of an independent legal profession
  • foster professional solidarity with colleagues abroad

We collaborate with a network of non-governmental organisations, international institutions, state agencies and bar associations for advocacy and follow-up on interventions and submissions.

Intervention tracker

Our intervention tracker compiles data and helps us to analyse regional trends of intimidation and identify places where the independence of the legal profession is particularly threatened.

We use our Economic and Social Council status with the United Nations (UN) to make submissions to the UN:

  • Human Rights Council
  • treaty bodies
  • special rapporteurs

The programme is supported by the Lawyers at Risk core group of law firms that are members of the Law Society.

Intervention letters

We provide support by sending letters to state authorities about specific cases, and we carry out more substantive and strategic work to improve lawyers’ safety.

Read our intervention letters

Human rights statements, submissions and reports

We submit briefs to domestic high courts and international tribunals to change legislation and practices that

  • pose a threat to the independence of the legal profession and
  • are detrimental to the effective functioning of the judicial system

We also carry out trial observations in different countries to support lawyers at risk.

Take a look at how we’ve been fighting for lawyers’ rights around the world.

Displaced Talent initiative

Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) is a global organisation that matches skilled refugees with employers.

They are working with the UK government on the Displaced Talent Initiative which will help firms and organisations employ skilled workers from displaced countries. 

Find out more.

What we’re doing

We urged the Chinese authorities to release prominent human rights defenders Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan.

China

We joined five other organisations to express our concern about the sentencing of Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife, Xu Yan.

The couple are both prominent human rights defenders. Yu Wensheng has represented many victims of human rights abuses, including fellow lawyers targeted in mass arrests.

We urge the Chinese authorities to:

  • release Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan
  • take immediate measures to ensure they have access to adequate medical treatment
  • ensure they have access to their family members and lawyers of their choosing
  • stop all acts of intimidation and harassment against lawyers and their family members

Download our joint statement to the Chinese authorities (PDF 147 KB)

Read our joint submission on the UN's Universal Periodic Review on Turkey.

Turkey

We joined Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute and the International Commission of Jurists to make a submission to the Universal Periodic Review on Turkey.

Our joint submission focuses on:

  • the institutional independence of the legal profession
  • restrictions on the right to a fair trial, including an effective defence
  • the systematic persecution and interference with lawyer's activities

Download the joint submission (PDF 455 KB)

We've submitted a joint report on Turkey to the UN Human Rights Committee.

Turkey

We submitted a joint report on Turkey to the UN Human Rights Committee (PDF 484 KB) for its consideration of the Turkish government’s compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The report highlights our grave concerns over the systematic targeting of lawyers.

The report details the ongoing pattern of arbitrary arrest, detention and prosecution of lawyers, and interference with the independence of the judiciary.

 

We made statements on the persecution of lawyers in China, Myanmar, Belarus, Egypt and Iran.

China

We joined a statement on the ninth anniversary of the ‘709 crackdown’ in China (PDF 239 KB), which saw mass arrests and detention of lawyers and human rights defenders in 2015,

The statement details the torture, ill-treatment and unfair trials faced by detainees and highlights our ongoing concerns with the suppression of rights defence lawyers in the country.

Myanmar

We joined other organisations in making a statement to the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council (PDF 217 KB) condemning the human rights violations in Myanmar, including threats, harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention that lawyers face.

Belarus

We issued a joint statement to the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council (PDF 249 KB) to express our grave concern about the persecution of lawyers in Belarus.

Lawyers face retaliation for providing legal representation to political protesters and human rights defenders.

Egypt and Iran 

We have submitted reports, with partner organisations, on Egypt and Iran for the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR):

These reports highlight grave concerns over the treatment of lawyers in Egypt and Iran.

This includes arbitrary arrest and detention, enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment.

We have taken action to highlight the targeting of lawyers in Turkey and the Philippines.

Turkey

Together with our partner organisations, we have submitted a report to the UN Committee against Torture in advance of its consideration of Turkey’s periodic report in July.

Our submission highlights the declining independence and systematic targeting of lawyers in Turkey.

It provides information on the pattern of arbitrary arrest, detention and imprisonment of lawyers following unfair trials.

It also expresses grave concern about lawyers being subjected to torture while detained and the severe restrictions and poor conditions faced by lawyers in prison.

Read the full report (PDF 349 KB)

The Philippines

Between 4 and 13 June 2024, we took part in a fact-finding mission to the Philippines to examine the scores of attacks on lawyers, prosecutors, and judges since 2016.

The delegation gathered testimonies from judges and lawyers who have been targeted, as well as from family members of legal professionals who have been killed.

The mission has documented an alarming range of attacks against legal professionals, from harassment, intimidation, surveillance, threats, and red-tagging, to physical assault, arbitrary detention and prosecution, and extrajudicial killings.

These violations take place within a culture of impunity and a climate of fear.

Read the full statement (PDF 306 KB)

We have jointly lodged a submission in respect to the Namazov group of cases in Azerbaijan, and to the International Development Committee's inquiry.

Namazov cases in Azerbaijan

Alongside the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, the International Partnership for Human Rights, and the Independent Lawyers Network, we have lodged a submission under rule 9(2) of the Committee of Ministers' Rules for the Supervision of the Execution of Judgments in respect of the Namazov group of cases.

This submission includes recommendations aimed at the government of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Bar Association (ABA), covering:

  • the disbarment of lawyers
  • the inadequacy of legislative and other regulatory frameworks relating to the legal profession and the ABA's operation
  • the violations of procedural guarantees of lawyers subject to disciplinary proceedings
  • the need to strengthen the institutional independence of the ABA

Read the full submission (PDF 586 KB)

FCDO and Civil Societies Inquiry

We sent in a written submission to the International Development Committee's 'FCDO and Civil Societies Inquiry'.

Our response calls for the UK government to introduce a comprehensive strategy to enhance the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) and strengthen civil society globally.

The response also raises concerns about the fact that the lawyers of HRDs are often HRDs themselves and carrying out their professional duties can come at great cost to their and their families’ lives.

Read the full submission

We have issued a joint statement highlighting our concerns about activities in Algeria, and submitted evidence to a committee regarding the legal profession in Azerbaijan.

Algeria

We have issued a joint statement with Lawyers for Lawyers and SHOAA for Human Rights highlighting our concern about the escalation of arrests and prosecutions against lawyers for their work defending people involved in the Hirak movement in Algeria.

Azerbaijan

We submitted written information and gave oral evidence to the Committee against Torture, focusing on the lack of independence of the legal profession in Azerbaijan.

The report highlights, in particular, the criminal sanctions and disciplinary proceedings instituted against lawyers.

We joined a statement expressing concerns over the situation facing lawyers in Myanmar and Belarus, and gave evidence to an inquiry on Afghanistan and Iran.

Myanmar

We joined a statement to the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council to express concern over the challenging environment for lawyers in Myanmar.

Due to a lack of independence of the judiciary, lawyers are facing closed-door proceedings and a lack of due process when conducting their work. Lawyers also face being threatened, harassed, arbitrarily arrested, and detained.

Afghanistan and Iran

Our evidence to the parliamentary ad-hoc inquiry into the Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan and Iran was repeatedly cited in its report titled 'Shattering Women's Rights, Shattering Lives'.

Our written report, focusing on the situation of women in the justice system in Afghanistan, summarises our grave concerns regarding:

  • exclusion of women lawyers, prosecutors and judges
  • systemic persecution of lawyers, prosecutors and judges
  • access to justice for women

Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, the Taliban have sought to effectively ban all women, including women lawyers, prosecutors, and judges, from participating in the legal system.

Lawyers, prosecutors, judges and other actors who worked in the legal system prior to the Taliban takeover, especially women, face serious and continuing threats to their lives.

Download the report (PDF 241 KB)

Belarus

At the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council we joined a statement expressing concern over the targeting of lawyers in Belarus.

The statement was delivered during the interactive dialogue with the UN High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Belarus.

The statement highlights that many lawyers have faced arbitrary detention due to their human rights work and exercising their freedom of expression and association.

One lawyer, Maksim Znak, has been arbitrarily detained since September 2020, and has been held incommunicado since 2022 – denied access to his family, lawyer, and independent medical personnel.

We were involved in a fact-finding mission in Turkey, and the Universal Periodic Review Pre-Session for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

We took part in the Universal Periodic Review Pre-Session for Afghanistan held on 15 February.

Marzia Babakarkhail, a former family court judge and advocate for Afghan women judges, spoke on our behalf on the collapse of the justice system and the systemic persecution of lawyers, prosecutors and judges in Afghanistan.

Read Marzia's full statement (PDF 111 KB)

Read the full presentation (PDF 333 KB)

Fact-finding mission to Turkey

A report of a fact-finding mission to Turkey, conducted by the Law Society as part of an international delegation of law societies and bar associations, highlights a pattern of intimidation and harassment of lawyers in Turkey.

The report details how lawyers have been arbitrarily arrested, detained, and imprisoned following unfair trials, due to their legal work - including clients they represent and professional bodies to which they belong.

The international delegation found that their conditions of detention violate internationally accepted standards for prisons, including the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

The lawyers have restricted access to family members and are held in isolating conditions. Disciplinary measures have also been applied to deny the lawyers’ early release.

This mistreatment of lawyers is a clear violation of Turkey’s legal obligations under international law and standards for the protection of lawyers.

Read the full report detailing the mission's findings (PDF 1.2 MB)

Read the Coalition for the Day of the Endangered Lawyer's report on lawyers in Iran.

The Coalition for the Day of the Endangered Lawyer published a report on the situation facing lawyers in Iran.

The report explains the structural problems affecting the profession in Iran, highlights individuals at risk and makes recommendations for improvement.

Read our joint statements to the UN Human Rights Council on Afghanistan, China, Russia, Myanmar and global enforced disappearances

We took part in the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held between 11 September to 13 October 2023, by issuing joint statements on:

We also released a joint statement during the interactive dialogue with the working group on enforced or involuntary disappearances highlighting the risk of enforced disappearance for lawyers and human rights defenders globally.

We made a universal periodic review (UPR) report to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Afghanistan, focusing on:

  • the collapse of the legal system
  • the laws and regulations undermining the independence of the legal profession, and
  • the systemic persecution of lawyers, prosecutors and judges

Read our report (PDF 386 KB)

We released statements relating to: Guatemala, Iran, Belarus, Myanmar and China.

We released 4 joint statements to the UN Human Rights Council on:

We made a universal periodic review (UPR) report to the UN Human Rights Council on China, focusing on the lack of judicial independence, the laws and regulations undermining the independence of the legal profession, and the systemic persecution of lawyers.

We released statements relating to: Russia, China, Guatemala, Philippines, Turkey and Colombia.

We released a joint statement to the UN Human Rights Council, as part of the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, focusing on the suppression of the freedom of expression by human rights lawyers and defenders in Russia.

We made an oral statement, as part of the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, focusing on the arbitrary arrest, detention and ill-treatment of lawyers in Iran.

We also released three joint statements as part of this session, focusing on:

We released a statement on the retaliation against lawyers representing protestors against China's zero-COVID policy.

We co-signed a joint statement expressing grave concern that defendants' right to receive legal representation of their choosing in Hong Kong will be seriously impinged.

We gave a statement on lawyers at risk and lack of access to legal representation in Iran

At least 23 lawyers have been arrested and detained in the last month, in detention conditions that remain inadequate and inhuman. We are also alarmed by the many human rights defenders who have been arrested.

We called on the Iranian authorities to, inter alia:

  • immediately and unconditionally release all lawyers and human rights defenders
  • guarantee psychological and physical integrity
  • ensure access to legal representation
  • ensure respect for fair trial guarantees
  • guarantee that lawyers and human rights defenders can carry out their professional duties without intimidation, hindrance or improper interference

Read our full statement on lawyers at risk and lack of access to legal representation in Iran (PDF 201 KB).

We wrote a joint statement with Lawyers for Lawyers, calling on the Iranian government to halt the arbitrary arrest, detention and ill treatment of lawyers in Iran and allow protesters access to legal representatives.

Our evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Afghanistan was cited in its report on the UK's withdrawal from the country.

Read our evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Afghanistan

The UK Foreign Affairs Committee published a damning report – Missing in action: UK leadership and the withdrawal from Afghanistan – which repeatedly cites Law Society evidence on almost all points of concern mentioned.

We submitted evidence on Afghanistan to the committee in December 2021. It summarised:

  • our activities regarding legal professionals at risk in Afghanistan
  • our main concerns regarding UK government’s actions and policies in the aftermath of the Taliban’s capture of Kabul
Law Society activities
  • Referring cases of legal professionals at risk to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) special cases unit
  • Referring cases for alternative evacuation routes
  • Carrying out advocacy before UK government departments (FCDO, Ministry of Justice and Home Office) on Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS), and visa/entry requirements
  • Advocacy at the UN Human Rights Council and UN Special Procedures
  • Engagement with media on ACRS delay and legal professionals at risk (The Observer; Radio 4 – Today programme)
  • Coordination with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and foreign bar associations and law societies
Law Society concerns
  • U-turn on the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP)
  • Delay to the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS)
  • Possible U-turn on ACRS
  • Lack of clarity on process of ACRS (including impossibility to apply or self-refer)
  • Possible undue restrictiveness in requirements under ACRS
  • Lack of immigration status and support for Afghan legal professionals who arrived in the UK
  • Lack of direct engagement by FCDO with Afghan legal professionals at risk
  • Lack of inter-departmental coordination on Afghanistan
  • Lack of ambition in UK diplomacy on accountability for Taliban’s human rights violations

Download our evidence in full (PDF 182 KB)

We submitted an amicus curiae on Colombia to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Read our submission in a wiretapping case – Members of José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (CCAJAR) v Colombia

In this case, the lawyers’ collective and former members of that collective argue that Colombia has violated their rights and their family members’ rights by, among other things, intercepting telephone conversations.

This is the first case in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) has an opportunity to establish and develop the principle of independence of the legal profession in its case law (understood as the ability of lawyers to practise their profession freely, without undue interference).

Read our amicus curiae submission in Spanish (PDF 485 KB)

Read a summary of our submission in English (PDF 201 KB)

We expressed alarm at the demise of the rule of law in Afghanistan and joined with international bar associations and human rights groups to celebrate International Fair Trial Day.

Joint statements

We're alarmed by the demise of the rule of law in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s unlawful armed takeover of the country in August 2021 and its forcible takeover of the Afghanistan Independent Bar Association in November 2021.

We made a joint oral statement concerning the grave risks to jurists (particularly women) and the threats to Afghanistan's independent legal profession.

Events

International Fair Trial Day 2022

Everyone has the right to a fair trial. Each year in June, we join with international bar associations and human rights groups to celebrate International Fair Trial Day.

This year’s event focused on Egypt. It took place between 17 and 18 June 2022 in Palermo, Italy.

Find out more about the event

Get involved

Read all our intervention letters

Follow us on Twitter @LSHumanRights

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