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15 June 2012 / Jason Hadden
Issue: 7518 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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Taking a stand

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Inspired by the Barefoot Lawyer, the profession is standing up for human rights, notes Jason Hadden

Perhaps it is the age that we live in, but it remains a sad reality of modern life that lawyers throughout the world continue to face harassment, intimidation and violence, as they carry out their professional duties to their clients.

In Colombia alone this year five lawyers have been murdered, over 300 have been unlawfully killed since 1991 (although some commentators estimate the figure to be over 400). There are similar stories throughout the world, be it Iran, Russia, Mexico, or indeed China. In March this year, Iran sentenced Abdolfattah Soltani, a prominent human rights lawyer, to 18 years’ imprisonment. To make matters worse, he will be transferred from Tehran to the remote south-west, making it difficult for his friends and loved ones to visit him. By way of an intriguing irony, he was also been banned from practising law for 20 years.

Justice system under attack

Attacks on lawyers are not just a problem for the

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Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
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