Council of Europe Adopts Historic International Convention on Protecting Lawyers

The legal profession is the bedrock of any functioning democracy, yet in too many places, lawyers face intimidation, violence, and even death for simply doing their jobs. The Council of Europe’s recent adoption of the International Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer is a long-overdue response to this crisis—one that should be celebrated, but also met with a firm commitment to enforcement.

For years, lawyers handling politically sensitive cases whether defending human rights activists, exposing corruption, or challenging authoritarian regimes have been targeted with impunity. Murders, arbitrary arrests, disbarments, and invasive surveillance have become alarmingly common tactics to silence legal advocates.

This convention is the first binding international treaty explicitly designed to shield lawyers from such abuses, and its provisions are both timely and necessary. It guarantees professional independence, protects against retaliation, enforces confidentiality, and obliges states to ensure lawyers’ safety. In theory, this should be uncontroversial; in practice, it is a direct challenge to governments that have weaponized the law against its own defenders.

Yet history has shown that even the most well-intentioned treaties can be rendered toothless without real accountability. The true test will be in ratification and implementation. Will member states some of whom have been accused of persecuting lawyers genuinely comply? Or will this convention join the ranks of ignored international agreements? The legal community, civil society, and watchdog organizations must now pressure governments to not just sign, but to act.

This convention is more than a diplomatic achievement; it is a statement that an attack on lawyers is an attack on justice itself. If upheld, it could mark a turning point in the global fight for the rule of law. But treaties alone do not bring change people do. The real work begins now.