January 13, 2017
The newly appointed person serving the post is Diego García-Sayán (Peru) (starting with January 2017). The special rapporteur reviews individual complaints and reports on attacks to the independence of judges and lawyers. It appeals to governments, conducts country visits and presents annual reports. This position was created by the UN in 1994 in response to increasing reports on attacks on the independence of judges, lawyers and court officials. The position is assumed by the Human Rights Council within the UN and the mandate has been renewed several times since 1994.
The office of the Special Rapporteur gathers information on relevant cases through a survey, the results of which have been published in an annual report from August 2016. It contains a summary of recent activities of the Special Rapporteur with notes on the international rights for lawyers, references to court cases and recommendations to governments, bar associations and international legal professional associations.
http://peco.ccbe.eu/new-un-special-rapporteur-on-the-independence-of-judges-and-lawyers/
