Every day, lawyers are harassed, threatened, prosecuted, imprisoned or even murdered, simply for carrying out their professional activities. In recent years, these attacks have intensified around the world, including in Europe.

A hearing specifically dedicated to attacks against the legal profession was held yesterday by the European Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights (DROI) in Brussels.

The hearing highlighted the different types of persecution perpetrated against lawyers, drawing on examples from countries where they are victims of human rights violations.

MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri said: “Any attack on lawyers or on the legal profession is an attack on justice and on the basic principles of the rule of law.”