2026 World Day for Endangered Lawyers – United States: testing the independence of the defence
The 2026 World Day for Endangered Lawyers brought the United States to the forefront of international attention. While attacks on the independence of the legal profession are often seen as a feature of authoritarian regimes, the 2026 edition highlights an essential reality: no democracy, even an established one, is immune to a decline in the rule of law.
The United States is undergoing a worrying intensification of pressure on lawyers, judges and all those involved in the justice system. In a climate of extreme political polarisation, legal professionals committed to defending fundamental rights are increasingly exposed to reprisals, intimidation and smear campaigns.
Widespread transatlantic mobilisation
Once again this year, several members of the OIAD have taken action through complementary initiatives.
In Italy, several bar associations[1] co-organised an international online conference in collaboration with the OIAD, which was attended by Leonardo Arnau, President of the OIAD, alongside several lawyers and professors from the United States. The Turin Bar Association also organised a solidarity march outside the courthouse, with lawyers wearing their robes.
The Presidents of the Paris and New York Bar Associations published a joint opinion piece in the daily newspaper Le Monde and the online media outlet The Law, drawing attention to the global erosion of the rule of law and the growing threats facing those whose mission is precisely to defend it.
Bar President Louis Degos and Bar President Muhammad Faridi also spoke out on the situation in cross-posted videos on social media[2].
“The situation in the United States is only one symptom of a systemic crisis that is disrupting, on an international scale, the order and law originally designed to preserve the rule of law”, stated Marie-Aimée Peyron, Chair of the European and International Affairs Committee of the French National Bar Council (CNB). During the webinar on 23 January 2026 organised by the CNB on the occasion of the World Day, Julie Couturier (President of the CNB), Marie-Aimée Peyron and Laurence Roques (member of the European and International Affairs Committee) discussed the increasing attacks on lawyers and judges, examining their actual effects and the legal and institutional tools that could be used to respond to them.
Similarly, the Barcelona Bar Association hosted a hybrid event with the OIAD, the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (CGAE) and the Fundación Abogacía y Derechos Humanos, during which Nancy Hollander, an American criminal and civil rights lawyer, presented the risks facing American legal professionals.
The mobilisation also spread to Switzerland, Belgium and Turkey. On 26 January 2026, lawyers gathered in front of the Geneva Jet d’Eau, lit up in blue and white, as part of an initiative by the Geneva Bar Association. In Brussels, a gathering was held in front of the US Embassy to denounce the increasing number of sanctions, intimidation and reprisals targeting certain law firms and lawyers, which seriously undermine the independence of the profession and weaken the rule of law.
In Turkey, the Istanbul Bar Association hosted an international round table on the growing risks of criminalisation of the profession and the impact of these attacks on the independence of the defence and the rule of law.
Finally, the Day of Endangered Lawyers Coalition[3] organised an online press conference, during which its annual report was presented by US criminal lawyer Nancy Hollander and Catherine Morris of Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, following a discussion with Margaret Satterthwaite (UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers) and US Federal Judge Nancy Gertner.
Protecting lawyers and preserving the rule of law
Threats against lawyers profoundly discourage the practice of the profession. They encourage self-censorship, undermine access to justice and infringe on the right to an independent and effective defence, which is one of the pillars of any democracy.
By dedicating the 2026 edition to the United States, World Day for Endangered Lawyers reminds us that the rule of law depends on the ability of lawyers to practise their profession freely. Many American legal professionals, particularly those involved in civil rights, migrant rights or sensitive litigation, face pressure, intimidation or threats directly related to the exercise of their profession.
A call for sustained action
The World Day for Endangered Lawyers reminds us of the need for constant vigilance against attacks on the independence of the legal profession. The situation in the United States highlights that these threats are not limited to authoritarian regimes and can affect any democracy when institutional balances are weakened.
For more information, the OIAD has published detailed documentation on its website on the situation of lawyers in the United States and on international standards relating to the protection of the independence of the profession. For more information, visit: https://protect-lawyers.org/en/international-day/
The OIAD thanks all its members and partners for their mobilisation and commitment on World Day for Endangered Lawyers 2026. Their support and actions have helped to raise the voice of the profession and strengthen international solidarity.
Caption:
- Round table organised by the Istanbul Bar Association
- Solidarity march at the Turin Bar Association
- Gathering in front of the US Embassy in Belgium
- Gathering in front of the Geneva Jet d’Eau
- Event organised by the Barcelona Bar Association, the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (CGAE) and the Fundación Abogacía y Derechos Humanos
- Event organised by the Barcelona Bar Association, the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (CGAE) and the Fundación Abogacía y Derechos Humanos
- Event organised by the Barcelona Bar Association, the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (CGAE) and the Fundación Abogacía y Derechos Humanos
[1] Bologna, Brescia, Cremona, Padua, Verona, Patti, Milan, Palermo and Turin.
[2] See the statements by Louis Degos and Muhammad Faridi, Presidents of the Paris and New York Bar Associations.
[3] The Day of Endangered Lawyers Coalition coordinates a group of legal associations, bar associations and activist networks (including the OIAD) that mobilise on the Day of Endangered Lawyers by organising events, demonstrations, conferences, public statements, media campaigns and joint actions in different jurisdictions.
