Press Releases

DAV: Federal government must act!

Berlin (DAV). Since the Taliban came to power, the situation for Afghan lawyers, as for all legal profes­sionals in the country, continues to deteriorate. The German Bar Association (DAV) has therefore reached out to the German government once again, asking to initiate immediate admission measures for those affected. Together with numerous lawyers' organi­zations, the DAV has also signed an interna­tional appeal for the protection of lawyers under threat.

Even highly endangered legal profes­sionals are still desperately waiting for an opportunity to leave Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. DAV Managing Director Dr. Sylvia Ruge warns: "The risk situation for people in the judiciary and legal professions remains high. Within the advocacy, the focus is partic­ularly on criminal defense lawyers and victim advocates. They not only have to fear persecution and retaliation by the Taliban regime, but also by offenders released from prison.”

The DAV has sent a letter to the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas demanding the immediate evacuation of the endangered legal profes­sionals. In particular, it appeals to the rule of law guaran­teeing effective access to justice: "Individual case requests for humani­tarian admission of threatened colleagues who are still in the country and therefore exposed to concrete persecution are still not being processed with sufficient urgency" said Ruge. Those seeking justice were often left without any information about the procedural status of their applications.

The DAV also supported the current joint appeal of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). DAV, CCBE and numerous interna­tional lawyers' organi­zations call again and urgently on the responsible actors to protect the threatened Afghan legal profes­sionals. The organi­zations call on the responsible govern­mental institutions, in their diplomatic efforts vis-à-vis the regime in Afghanistan, to support the maintenance of the independent legal profession and the continued existence of a free bar in Afghanistan. The independence and integrity of the adminis­tration of justice must be preserved and the rule of law in the country must be safeguarded.

In its press release No. 36/2021 of August 25, the DAV had already called for the immediate protection of persecuted Afghan lawyers threatened with torture and murder by the Taliban.