30th Anniversary of UN Basic Principles on the role of lawyers

On the 30th anniversary of the UN Basic Principles on the role of lawyers, the Bar of Northern Ireland is proud to join with The Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) in underlining the importance of these principles for the legal profession.

Although the UN Basic Principles in their 30 years of existence have proved their relevance to the necessity of protecting in all circumstances the rights and obligations attached to the profession of lawyers and the defence of citizens, regrettably we too often continue to see that lawyers worldwide are still harassed, threatened, arrested, prosecuted and even murdered because of their professional activity.

As proud advocates of the need to uphold the Rule of Law and the independence of the legal profession, the Bar of Northern Ireland supports the view that there needs to be effective application of the guarantees provided by these principles to ensure better access to justice and the defence of fundamental rights of citizens.

The Bar is one of 40 organisations and Bars across Europe that have supported CCBE’s call.