24/01/21

On the International Day of Endangered Lawyers – 2021, we have the privilege of having an exclusive interview with Mr Diego García-Sayán, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. We talked about a wide range of topics: from growing authoritarianism to attacks on judges and lawyers; Poland, Turkey, Hungary, Italy and others.
Q1: Mr Garcia-Sayán, first we must thank you for your incredible efforts to protect the lawyers and judges across the world in these difficult times. Could you start by talking more about your mission as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers?
In 1994, the Commission on Human Rights, in resolution 1994/41, noting both the increasing frequency of attacks on the independence of judges, lawyers and court officials and the link which exists between the weakening of safeguards for the judiciary and lawyers and the gravity and frequency of violations of human rights, decided to appoint, for a period of three years, a Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. Like other Special Procedures, this mandate was assumed by the Human Rights Council (General Assembly resolution 60/251), and extended for one year, subject to the review to be undertaken by the Council (Human Rights Council decision 2006/102).
The responsibility entrusted to the Special Rapporteur s diverse and complex. His/her mandate is broad and covers issues such as access to justice, the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and the proper functioning of the justice system, the protection of the person and function of judges, lawyers, prosecutors and judicial officers, and the right to a fair trial and due process. All of these aspects are fundamental to the exercise of human rights.
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https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/24/human-rights-lawyers-in-turkey-face-threats-and-detention-view
https://www.consiglionazionaleforense.it/web/cnf-calendario/-/748216
https://unba.org.ua/news/6235-24-sichnya-vshanovuet-sya-den-postrazhdalih-advokativ.html (UKRAINIAN)




Tagged: Algeria, Amnesty International, Azerbaijan, Day of the Endangered Lawyer, France, IBAHRI, Italy, Law Society of England & Wales, Observatoire international des avocats en danger, Russia, Spain, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Union internationale des avocats, United Kingdom, USA
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