THE ADVOCATE 869
VOL. 79 PART 6 NOVEMBER 2021
NEWS FROM
LAWYERS’ RIGHTS
WATCH CANADA
By Catherine Morris*
ACCESS TO JUSTICE: DEFENDING DEFENDERS AND TRUTH-TELLERS IS
FUNDAMENTAL TO THE RULE OF LAW
Equality of access to independent and impartial remedies for injustices is fundamental
to international law understandings of the rule of law.1 Equal access
to justice requires the independence of judges and lawyers, integrity of legal
systems, recognition of the right to legal aid,2 and laws that respect and implement
international human rights law.3 Attacks on lawyers and human rights
defenders have the effect of denying clients their internationally protected
right to independent, effective legal representation and fair trials.4 Since
LRWC’s last report in the Advocate in May 2021, LRWC has intervened in a
number of situations, including (in alphabetical order) Afghanistan,
Canada, China, Myanmar and the Philippines.
Afghanistan: Reprisals Against Judges, Lawyers, Human Rights Defenders and
Journalists
International focus on the grave human rights situation in Afghanistan
intensified after the Taliban’s armed takeover of the country on August 15,
2021. Those who have advocated for implementation of international
human rights and the rule of law are in particular danger, including judges,
prosecutors, lawyers, human rights defenders, parliamentarians and journalists.
Women jurists and defenders are especially at risk.5 Others in grave
danger are religious and ethnic minorities,6 as are LGBTQ+ people.7
There are also fears for the safety of victims and witnesses of atrocity
crimes8 and those who collected evidence9 of war crimes allegedly com-
* Catherine Morris has been the transitional executive director of Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (“LRWC”) on a pro bono
basis since June 2020. She has volunteered with LRWC for more than two decades and serves as its Main Representative
at the UN Human Rights Council. LRWC has held special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since
2005.