Since 2010, the Day of the Lawyer in Danger is held on the 24th of January in different cities and countries around the world. This date was chosen because on January 24, 1977, five people, including three lawyers, were murdered in an office on Atocha Street in Madrid, where their law firm was located. Each year, the International Day is organized by the Coalition for the Endangered Lawyer, a network of national and international organizations and bar associations. The objective of this day is to draw the attention of governments, international institutions, civil society, the media and the general public to the plight of lawyers in a given country, in order to raise awareness of the threats they face in the exercise of their profession.
In previous years, the Day has focused on countries such as Colombia (2022 and 2014), Azerbaijan (2021), Pakistan (2020), Turkey (2019 and 2012), Egypt (2018), China (2017), Honduras (2016), the Philippines (2015), the Netherlands/Spain (2013) and Iran (2010). This year, the Day of the Endangered Lawyer focuses on Afghanistan.
On the 27th of January, AED is participating in an educational initiative. The focus will be on the situation of Afghan lawyers, the bar and the judicial system in Afghanistan, and the responsibility of other states to respond to Afghan lawyers’ calls for help. We will discuss the situation of lawyers and legal professionals in the world through the independence of justice and lawyers.
We will discuss the legal framework for the protection of the profession, in particular the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers and the European Convention on the Legal Profession which is currently being drafted.
Please find here the programme of the conference
Participation is also possible online. For more information, please see here.