Organization has issued statements condemning violations of legal professionals’ human rights
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The Law Society of Ontario has expressed “grave concerns” regarding human rights violations against members of the legal profession across the globe.
“Lawyers should be able to exercise their legitimate duties without fear for their lives, for their liberty or for their security. The Law Society of Ontario urges all governments to comply with international human rights laws, including the United Nations' Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers,” the society said in a statement.
The law society’s Human Rights Monitoring Group have issued public statements regarding the following lawyers:
- Jiang Tianyong in China, who is being subjected to surveillance and restrictions on freedom of movement after his release from prison for “incitement to subvert state power.”
- Nasrin Sotoudeh in Iran, who was convicted on seven charges, and sentenced to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes. According to credible reports, the charges stem solely from her human rights work and for having spoken out against the death penalty in Iran.
- Rex Jasper Lopoz in the Philippines, a lawyer representing defendants in drug related cases, who was shot and killed.
- Amir Salar Davoudi, a human rights lawyer in Iran who was arrested for “cooperating with hostile governments” and “establishing a group to overthrow the system.”
- Promise Frank Igwe, a Nigerian lawyer who was shot and killed
The Human Rights Monitoring Group is composed of benchers appointed by the society’s governing body to monitor human rights violations that target members of the legal profession and the judiciary as a result of the discharge of their legitimate professional duties.
