Solicitors Unite in Condemnation of the Suspension of the Rule of Law in Pakistan

9 November 2007

Law Society President Andrew Holroyd will lead solicitors at a demonstration opposite 10 Downing St on Saturday 10 November to show crucial support for the lawyers, judges and Pakistani society who are suffering as a result of the severe restrictions placed on the judiciary and the court system by General Musharraf, in an attempt to insulate his rule from legal challenge.

Andrew Holroyd's attendance at the rally, which will be led by Hina Jilani, a distinguished Pakistan human rights lawyer and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders, reflects the level of concern that exists across the legal profession about the seriousness of the threat to the rule of law in Pakistan following the decision by General Musharraf to issue a Proclamation of Emergency which suspended the Constitution and the fundamental freedoms enshrined within it.

The rally, which takes place from 2-4pm, has been organised by the Campaign Against Martial Law in Pakistan, which aims to stop martial rule in Pakistan, to demand that all political prisoners are released now, to demand that the judiciary is restored, and demand that democracy is restored.

Andrew Holroyd, said, "The reports of the situation faced by lawyers, judges and Pakistani society as a whole make very grim reading. We are encouraging solicitors to attend this demonstration to provide much needed encouragement to the beleaguered human rights defenders on the ground.

"The rule of law is the cornerstone of a democratic society. I have expressed the intense level of concern that exists across the legal profession in a letters I have sent on behalf of the Law Society and our members to Pakistan's president; Pakistan's Minister for the Interior; and Pakistan's Federal Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights to urge the Pakistani leadership to re-instate the Constitution, lift all restrictions on the judiciary, release those lawyers and judges held in detention and allow lawyers to exercise their freedom of expression and assembly.”