Dear Colleague, 

We are delighted to invite you to attend the 2019 IBA Rule of Law Symposium, taking place at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center, Seoul, South Korea on Friday 27 September.

There is no registration fee to attend the Symposium, but to attend you must register in advance by Wednesday 25 September. 

To register, please complete the following online registration form - register for the Rule of Law Symposium.

Friday 27 September (0930 - 1530) 

Rule of Law Symposium - persecution of lawyers and judges: threats to the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession

Presented by the Rule of Law Forum, the Human Rights Law Committee, the IBA's Human Rights Institute, the Judges' Forum and the Professional Ethics Committee

In every region of the world, judges, lawyers and other human rights defenders who promote the rule of law are experiencing increasing persecution and intimidation. They face frivolous criminal charges, retaliatory disciplinary proceedings, illegal surveillance, online smear campaigns, physical threats, incarceration and even assassination. Overwhelmingly, the state is implicated as either the sponsor of the retaliation, or because of its failure to prevent or punish the perpetrators. Corporations are also often involved, either through complicity or active participation. Where attacks on human rights defenders occur with impunity, the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession and the judiciary are at stake. 

Our keynote speakers and panellists will focus attention on this pressing concern and propose ways for the IBA membership to get involved. They will address what lawyers and judges can do to support and protect the rule of law. Speakers include representatives from the UN, NGOs that are fighting to protect the rule of law and a number of high-profile members of the legal profession who have experienced such persecution first-hand. The symposium will end with a discussion of best practices to fight the persecution of lawyers and judges.

The Symposium will be broken down into three separate sessions, as below:

0930 - 1045
Rule of Law Symposium - persecution of lawyers and judges - a growing cause for concern with examples in the field

This session will focus on examples of persecution of lawyers and judges in several countries and the consequent threats to access to justice and the rule of law. Speakers will describe their experiences being intimidated by state and non-state actors and the effects of such persecution on their practice and professional activities.

1115 - 1230 
Rule of Law Symposium: the global view — threats to the independence of the legal profession, the rule of law and access to justice

Moderated by award winning journalist, Jonathan Miller, this session brings together a panel of leading lawyers representing organisations that defend the human rights of persecuted members of the legal profession and which work to support its independence and the rule of law. This moderated discussion examines the themes and issues to emerge from the first session and continues to discuss the troubling increase in the persecution of lawyers and judges in various jurisdictions and regions. To facilitate an exchange of views, there is also an opportunity for questions and comments from audience attendees.

1345 - 1530
Rule of Law Symposium: best practices to address the persecution of lawyers and judges and threats to the independence of the legal profession - what we can do

This final session explores a range of responses to incidents of persecution of the legal profession by the IBA, and also by other bar associations, governments, NGOs, and the United Nations. What has worked to address these challenges and what has not? Is it possible to develop a set of best practices to counter such persecution and intimidation? This session also reviews past and on-going IBA initiatives to promote the rule of law and support the legal profession, as well as considering any new initiatives that the IBA can undertake to support persecuted lawyers and judges in countries where their independence is threatened.