*/
The Bar Council and Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) highlighted the plight of persecuted lawyers in Egypt to mark the eighth International Day of Endangered Lawyers, as the profession remembered lawyers at risk around the world.
Growing reports show that the Egyptian government continues to issue travel bans, freeze assets and detain human rights lawyers, as part of a sustained campaign to intimidate and undermine their work.
Prominent figures facing persecution include Azza Soliman, a women’s rights lawyer and co-founder of the Centre for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance, Malek Adly, a human rights lawyer and director of Lawyers Network at the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights, and Khaled Ali, a workers’ rights lawyer.
Bar Chair, Andrew Walker QC said: ‘Through the intimidation of lawyers, authorities dismantle and undermine the fundamental freedoms of their citizens.’
He said: ‘The Bar Council along with BHRC stands in solidarity with those lawyers across the world, and in particular the lawyers of Egypt, who show courage and determination in striving to uphold the rule of law in the face of persecution.’
The two organisations also called on the Iranian authorities to release lawyers detained there, including Abdolfattah Soltani and Narges Mohammadi.
In a letter to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, they expressed ‘profound concern for lawyers and other human rights defenders in Iran who continue to be persecuted for undertaking their professional obligations to their clients’.
BHRC Chair, Kirsty Brimelow QC said: ‘Iran has an international legal obligation to allow its lawyers freedom to perform their professional functions. It is in breach of that obligation.’
She said she hoped that President Rouhani would address the issue as a matter of urgency.
The Bar Council and Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) highlighted the plight of persecuted lawyers in Egypt to mark the eighth International Day of Endangered Lawyers, as the profession remembered lawyers at risk around the world.
Growing reports show that the Egyptian government continues to issue travel bans, freeze assets and detain human rights lawyers, as part of a sustained campaign to intimidate and undermine their work.
Prominent figures facing persecution include Azza Soliman, a women’s rights lawyer and co-founder of the Centre for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance, Malek Adly, a human rights lawyer and director of Lawyers Network at the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights, and Khaled Ali, a workers’ rights lawyer.
Bar Chair, Andrew Walker QC said: ‘Through the intimidation of lawyers, authorities dismantle and undermine the fundamental freedoms of their citizens.’
He said: ‘The Bar Council along with BHRC stands in solidarity with those lawyers across the world, and in particular the lawyers of Egypt, who show courage and determination in striving to uphold the rule of law in the face of persecution.’
The two organisations also called on the Iranian authorities to release lawyers detained there, including Abdolfattah Soltani and Narges Mohammadi.
In a letter to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, they expressed ‘profound concern for lawyers and other human rights defenders in Iran who continue to be persecuted for undertaking their professional obligations to their clients’.
BHRC Chair, Kirsty Brimelow QC said: ‘Iran has an international legal obligation to allow its lawyers freedom to perform their professional functions. It is in breach of that obligation.’
She said she hoped that President Rouhani would address the issue as a matter of urgency.
The Chair of the Bar reports back
Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group, explains how global events can influence the performance of pensions and ISAs, and why taking a long-term approach to investing is often the most effective strategy
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, discusses what family law professionals need to know about hallucinogens, from the main hallucinogenic drugs encountered in family proceedings, to their effects and the testing options available
Harmony Christian Ministries is the latest charity to benefit from a £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
By David Green
Mário Barroso, Head of R&D and Method Development at AlphaBiolabs, examines the forensic science underpinning hair drug testing, its evidential scope and limitations, and why it remains the gold standard for evidencing patterns of drug use in family proceedings
Developing a tech start-up demands a different definition of excellence to the Bar, says Saara Idelbi. The co-creator of Advocatr on entrepreneurship, AI advocacy training, and matching the thrill of a killer cross-examination
At the start of her term, Chair of the Bar 2026 Kirsty Brimelow KC set out a series of priorities for the year ahead. One of those priorities was children in the justice system
As the world becomes more digital, Barbara Vinagre Mota examines international research into the mental health consequences of judges’ exposure to graphic and immersive evidence, highlighting the importance of support systems
Reviewed by Daniel Barnett
James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain until 27 September Rothko in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi until 23 August Reviewed by Stephen Cragg KC
