Solicitor of the Year Dedicates Award to Lawyers at Risk

Saimo Chahal, winner of the prestigious Law Society’s Excellence award as Solicitor of the Year, said she was delighted to dedicate her award to human rights lawyers in countries where they risk their personal safety, merely for speaking up about human rights abuses and for challenging their governments.

Saimo Chahal, a partner at Bindmans LLP won the award for her cutting edge human rights work on behalf of people who are disadvantaged, in which she was said to have repeatedly pushed the boundaries of the law, turning disadvantage into pioneering litigation.  

Saimo has acted in a diverse range of cases, such as that of Debbie Purdy who seeks to clarify the law on assisted suicide, to Peter Sutcliffe in his representations on tariff to be heard by the High Court this year. All of Saimo’s cases have involved challenging and checking the use of power by public authorities.

Saimo Chahal has used the Law Society accolade to draw attention to the worrying reality facing many practising lawyers. In many countries, human rights activists regularly suffer intimidation and threats, as well as the risk of being ‘disappeared’ or murdered when they challenge discrimination and injustice. As a member of the Lawyers Advisory Committee for Peace Brigades International (PBI), Saimo Chahal is concerned with the plight of activists in countries such as Nepal, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and Indonesia, where human rights defenders have requested the protection and support of Peace Brigades International to carry out human rights work without fear of risk to their personal safety – something which seems inconceivable to lawyers here.

PBI works in a unique way. It is a grassroots NGO which sends volunteers to conflict areas to provide protective accompaniment for human rights lawyers, social organisations, and community leaders threatened by political violence. Volunteers engage with the local civilian and military authorities, while at the same time working to build a network of political support. PBI has a history of protecting lawyers at risk around the world. 

In the turbulent region of Curvuradó in Northern Colombia, PBI volunteers accompany human rights lawyers who represent rural communities that are often victims of Colombia’s ceaseless conflict between army, paramilitary and guerrilla forces. The members of organisations such as the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission (Justicia y Paz) are at risk because of the work they do. Since August 2008, the group has received a number of death threats and one of its members has even been kidnapped  Also following the threats, a community leader was murdered by paramilitary forces. The source of the tension is the region’s enormous agricultural wealth.

Whilst the current situation in Curvuradó is dangerous, the reality is that without international accompaniment it is unlikely that human rights organisations would be able to work there at all. Germán Romero, a lawyer with Justicia y Paz, says that accompaniment enables the “continuity of our work, allowing us to access communities in regions where there is a high level of violence and paramilitary control. With the protection of PBI, we are able move around freely and travel without undue fear.” Without representation by lawyers like German Romero, thousands of communities would be deprived of access to justice. 

In response to the hazards facing many human rights lawyers across the world, PBI has launched the ‘Human Rights Defenders at Risk Fund’. It will sponsor increased field support and protection for human rights activists. One beneficiary will be Matius Murib, an Indonesian human rights activist, who says, “I have been intimidated, terrorised, and detained. Since PBI has protected me, I feel a lot safer. I can work more confidently and openly. I don’t have to hide anymore.” 

The fund will also consolidate PBI’s Emergency Support Network, which includes more than 80 MPs and peers, as well as many prominent judges and lawyers. It provides increased protection for human rights defenders under immediate risk. PBI also uses the Fund to host human rights defenders on speaking and advocacy tours. This raises awareness of the dangers faced by those in the profession and it acts as a platform from which to lobby policy makers.

On 29th/30th April 2009, PBI helped organise the Conference on Security and Protection for Human Rights Defenders, with London Metropolitan University and the All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group. With funding from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the conference was addressed by a number of high profile human rights activists, as well as academics and UK and EU politicians. It is hoped that it will have contributed to the development by the UN, EU and UK of more sophisticated strategies for the protection of human rights activists worldwide.   

Saimo Chahal
Partner
Bindmans LLP
Solicitor of the Year
Law Society Excellence Awards