Why Lawyers Worldwide Face Mounting Assaults

(SeaPRwire) –   On the night of April 1, 2026, agents from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence detained renowned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh. Her arrest occurred amid ongoing conflict in Iran and as the Islamic Republic intensified its suppression of domestic dissent. Sotoudeh, who has dedicated her career to defending political prisoners, human rights defenders, and women’s rights activists, now finds herself imprisoned for political reasons.

This marks another chapter in Sotoudeh’s long history of persecution. Since 2010, the 62-year-old lawyer has faced repeated arrests and extended periods of solitary confinement. She was previously handed a sentence of approximately 38 years in prison, 148 lashes, and a two-decade ban on practicing law. International pressure and declining health had previously secured her temporary releases and furloughs.

Yet in a system where torture is widespread and executions are sharply increasing, the risks Sotoudeh now faces are greater than ever. Her latest detention thus represents not only a loss of freedom but potentially her life.

Sotoudeh’s ordeal reflects the broader plight of lawyers across Iran and around the globe.

Worldwide, legal professionals are coming under increasing assault. Authoritarian regimes are weaponizing the justice system to target and prosecute their critics, deploying an ever-expanding array of fabricated charges and show trials. As dissidents are rounded up, journalists imprisoned, and freedom of speech suppressed, lawyers often serve as the final line of defense—which has made them prime targets. They are being transformed from legal advocates into defendants, from upholders of the constitution into alleged criminals.

In the fight against authoritarian rule, it may appear pointless to rely on compromised and corrupt judicial systems to protect citizens. Nevertheless, the resolve and bravery of lawyers who continue to demand proper application of the law—even under repressive and dictatorial regimes—constitute a potent form of resistance. By targeting lawyers, autocrats reveal their deep-seated fear that fair trials and adherence to the rule of law pose a genuine threat to their authority.

As Czech dissident and later president Václav Havel wrote in *The Power of the Powerless*, “demanding that the laws be upheld is thus an act of living within the truth that threatens the whole mendacious structure at its point of maximum mendacity.” The hollow “ritual” of legal procedure is essential for tyrants to maintain the illusion of fairness. By invoking this ritual and insisting on the real enforcement of legal safeguards and due process, courageous lawyers expose authoritarian regimes for what they truly are.

Consider Russia, where Vladimir Putin has long exploited the “ritual of the law” to simulate a fair and independent judiciary, permitting lawyers to represent even his most outspoken critics—despite the certainty of unjust outcomes. The subjugation of Russia’s courts has been a deliberate and gradual process, resulting in a system where rulings often amount to “telephone justice,” with judges complying with directives from state officials. Recently, however, the Kremlin has moved to silence any lawyers willing to take on such cases, leading to the exile and imprisonment of some of Russia’s most skilled and principled legal defenders.

The prosecution of Alexei Navalny’s former attorneys—Vadim Kobzev, Alexei Liptser, and Igor Sergunin—exemplifies the Kremlin’s ongoing campaign to eliminate authentic legal representation. These lawyers defended Navalny in the period leading up to his death at a remote Arctic penal colony. They were arrested in October 2023 on baseless “extremism” charges. Following their detention, Navalny’s already harsh conditions deteriorated further, his isolation deepened, and he was ultimately killed by poisoning.

By going after these lawyers, Putin effectively eliminated one of his most prominent political opponents. Another of his well-known pro-democracy rivals, opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, saw his attorney, Vadim Prokhorov, forced into exile under threat of prosecution at the conclusion of Kara-Murza’s fraudulent trial. Other human rights lawyers in Russia have also faced recent prosecution, including Maria Bontsler, a leading defender of individuals targeted by politically motivated charges. Bontsler has remained in pre-trial detention since May 2025, with her health continuing to decline dangerously.

As international legal representatives for both dissidents and their embattled lawyers, we have witnessed this pattern of repression extend beyond national borders. One of us survived an assassination attempt in Canada and believes he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.

Beneath these overt acts of aggression lies a disturbing trend: transnational repression spilling from autocratic regimes into democratic nations, endangering lawyers of all nationalities.

Tragically, at this pivotal moment for the legal profession, some countries that once upheld the rule of law are now actively weakening protections for lawyers instead of safeguarding them. Efforts to intimidate, co-opt, or dismantle judicial institutions are becoming as alarming in their frequency as they are in their impact—even within free societies. The situations in Iran and Russia should serve as urgent warnings about where such erosion can lead—and as a rallying cry to defend the rule of law.

To uphold the rule of law globally, we must employ measures like targeted Magnitsky sanctions, which not only publicly identify perpetrators but also impose tangible consequences such as visa restrictions and asset freezes. Complaints to the International Criminal Court concerning acts of transnational repression within member states’ territories could also be pursued. Strengthening international legal standards protecting legal professionals is essential—a need underscored by the timely launch of the Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, which merits broad support.

To halt the escalating attacks on lawyers, we must ensure that targeting them carries consequences far outweighing any perceived benefit for authoritarian leaders.

We believe that, when it comes to safeguarding our freedoms and the future of democracy, the price of inaction is far too great.