Chen Guangcheng
Today, in too many countries,
human rights are publicly scorned by governments or dictatorships. Some lawyers
put their lives on the line every day to defend democracy,
fundamental human rights and freedoms in these countries but they are
not recognized as heroes. Harassed, intimidated, prosecuted… Those men and
women face difficulties in their defence work, and some of them decide to give
up because of the threats. But some courageous lawyers want to keep fighting,
in order to regain their freedom of expression.
Why should the defence lawyers
be considered the criminals? One of the most courageous, Waleed Abu al Khair, was
sentenced to 15 years of prison by the Specialized
Criminal Court because of his commitment to human rights. He is a Saudi
Arabian lawyer and activist, famous for defending Samar Badawi, who was in jail
because she disobeyed her father. The campaign he launched to demand her
release was a complete success but also a source of troubles for him.
But my favourite lawyer is Chen
Guangcheng, a Chinese civil rights activist, blind and self-taught in law,
frequently described as the “barefoot lawyer”. He defends the welfare of the
poor and fights against the abuses in official family-planning practices and
forced abortions: he was placed under house detention, beaten several time as “punishment”.
His story is well-known all around the world: following his trial, Amnesty
International called him a “prisoner of conscience” jailed unfairly for his
peaceful activities in defence of human rights.
Most of these lawyers are
unknown, but the current media interest means they’re now able to have the
support of the international community. According to me, they have a really
interesting role to play and are a model of courage for future lawyers, because
fighting for one’s beliefs should be the aim of every attorney.
Sources:
Pauline
HUSSER wants to be a lawyer.
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