The Day of the Endangered Lawyer is the day on which we turn the spotlight on lawyers all over the world who are being harassed, silenced, pressured, threatened, persecuted, tortured. Murders and enforced disappearances as well are not out of the ordinary. The only reason for these outrages is the fact that these lawyers are doing their job, and fulfilling their professional obligations, when they are needed the most.
The 24th of January was chosen to be the annual International Day of the Endangered Lawyer because on this day in 1977 four labour rights lawyers and a coworker were murdered at their office address at Calle Atocha 55 in Madrid. This is known as the Massacre of Atocha.
The International Day of the Endangered Lawyer aims, on the one hand, to create awareness that the practice of the legal profession in many countries involves significant risks, including that of being murdered, but it aims as well at denouncing the situation in a particular country, where lawyers are victims of serious violations of their fundamental rights because they exercise their profession.
Theme of 2019 is Turkey where the lawyers have been subjected to a relentless crackdown since 2016 July.
On the occasion of Day of the Endangered Lawyer 2019, two great artists, Mr Carlos Latuff and Mr Aseem Triverdi, helped us to raise awareness on the plight of Turkish lawyers.
We will be always grateful to Mr Triverdi and Mr Latuff.
Categories: Unjust / Wrongful Convictions