French version below

 

The Day of the Endangered Lawyer is an initiative born in 2012 to highlight the plight of our colleagues in different parts of the world. In many countries, lawyers exercicing the profession are under threat for their work.

On the 24th of January 2020 we will be demonstrating in front of Pakistani embassies in Europe to shed light on the harrasment of lawyers in this country.

Over the past several years lawyers in Pakistan have been subjected to acts of mass terrorism, murder, attempted murder, assaults, (death) threats, contempt proceedings, harassment and intimidation in the execution of their professional duties. They have also been arrested, detained or tortured, and in some cases the family members of the murdered lawyer have also been murdered.  Some lawyers have been threatened with disbarment or had their homes raided by the police.  Sometimes Christian lawyers or members of minority sects have been assaulted or threatened with death.  The most notorious attack on Pakistani lawyers occurred on August 8, 2016 when terrorists attacked the Government Hospital of Quetta with a suicide bombing and shooting which resulted in the death of 56 lawyers. Since there has been an alarming increase in the number of lawyers murdered, with nine reported over the past year. More recently Saif-ul-Malook received serious death threats for representing Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, as a result of which he was forced to flee temporarily to the Netherlands.

The perpetrators of these attacks have been terrorists, religious zealots, the police and unreported sources. There have also been reports that pro-government militias (which still exist today) have been behind some of the murders, and in some cases lawyers have been killed because they are Shia. In response to these repeated attacks, Pakistani lawyers frequently strike, demonstrate, protest and hold boycotts.

The life of a lawyer is at risk the moment he or she takes up a case. It does not matter if it is the opposing party or the very party that the lawyer is representing.

Read the report: in English or in French

and see you on the 24th of January in front of the Pakistani embassy.

 

La Journée de l’avocat menacé est une initiative née en 2012 pour dénoncer la situation critique de nos collègues dans différentes pays du monde. Dans de nombreux pays, les avocats exerçant la profession sont gravement menacés pour leur travail.

Le 24 janvier 2020, nous manifesterons devant les ambassades pakistanaises en Europe pour faire la lumière sur le harcèlement des avocats dans ce pays.

Ces dernières années, les avocats pakistanais ont fait l’objet d’actes de terrorisme, de meurtre, de tentatives de meurtres, d’agressions, de menaces de mort, de harcèlement judiciaire, de procédure d’outrage et d’intimidation dans l’exercice de leurs fonctions professionnelles. Ils ont également été arrêtés, détenus ou torturés et leur familleest parfois également prise pour cible. Certains avocats ont été menacés de radiation ou ont vu leur maison perquisitionnée par la police.Des avocats chrétiens ou d’autres minorités ont été agressés ou menacés de mort. L’attaque la plus célèbre à l’encontre des avocats pakistanais a eu lieu le 8 août 2016 lorsque des terroristes ont fait exploser l’hôpital gouvernemental de Quetta lors d’un attentat-suicide qui a entrainé la mort de 56 avocats.

Depuis, le nombre d’avocats assassinés a augmenté de façon alarmante, neuf d’entre eux ayant été assassinés au cours de la dernière année

Le rapport: en Anglais ou en Français.

Rendez-vous le 24 janvier devant l’ambassade du Pakistan!