Afghan Judges Speak - The International Day of the Endangered Lawyer
Chair: The Hon. Ms. Justice Tara Burns
Speakers:
Aoife O’Leary BL, Chair, Human Rights Committee
Claire Callanan, Solicitor (Non Practicing), Co-ordinator of the Afghan Justice Appeal
Afghan Judges relocated to Ireland, with the support of The Irish Afghan Justice Appeal
This event, convened by the Human Rights Committee of the Bar of Ireland, marks the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer. The focus of this year is on persecuted lawyers in Afghanistan.
Details:
Three Afghan judges now living in Ireland have been invited to speak about their experiences of practicing law in their home country and how the elimination of the rule of law there ultimately impeded not only their careers, but their safety and security too.
Barristers, Solicitors and those across civil society organisations and agencies are invited to attend.
There will be a Q&A at the end of the event, as well as an update on the work of the Irish Afghan Appeal.
Background:
The International Day of the Endangered Lawyer was first marked in 2009 by the international legal community (https://dayoftheendangeredlawyer.eu).
Each year the day is dedicated to a particular country where lawyers face threats in the course of their work – previous countries of focus have included Columbia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Honduras, Egypt, and Azerbaijan. This year it is Afghanistan.
In September 2021, the Irish Justice Community Response emerged, a collaboration between the Bar, the Law Society of Ireland, The Irish Rule of Law International, the Association of Judges in Ireland and the Department of Justice / Community & Integration.
Drawing from the charity and volunteerism across the professions, 10 Afghan Judges have since then, relocated to Ireland, together with family members.
Competency Domain Addressed: Legal knowledge Procedure and Skills
1.5 CPD point
A reminder will be sent out a day before the event