THE Supreme Court yesterday condemned in the strongest term the violence committed against lawyers, judges, and other members of the legal community, saying “an assault to the judiciary is to shake the very bedrock on which the rule of law stands.”
“The judiciary is one of the three pillars of our republican democracy, which itself hangs on careful balance between and among governmental powers.
To threaten our judges and our lawyers is no less than an assault to the judiciary. The assault the judiciary is to shake the very bedrock on which the rule of law stands. This cannot be allowed in a civilized society like ours. This cannot go undenounced on the courts watch, ” the SC said in a rarely-issued statement read by SC Public Information Office chief Brian Keith Hosaka.
The SC said that” every threat to a lawyer or a judge that prevents them from exercising their functions has very serious repercussions on the idea that the rule of law must be accessible in an impartial and transparent manner to all parties.”
” In this light, the Court condemns in the strongest sense every instance where a lawyer is threatened or killed and where a judge is threatened and unfairly labelled, ” the SC said.
The SC acknowledged the existence of” wayward elements” who in their zeal to do what they think is necessary to carry out their plans to harm and kill lawyers.
“The Supreme Court calls upon the entire judiciary and all members of the legal profession to remain strong, steadfast and unwavering in the duties they swore an oath to fulfill. At no more fitting time than now should the judiciary remain undaunted with the clear vision of taking courage, enforcing the law, and upholding the supremacy of the Constitution,” the SC said.
The Free Legal Assistance Group recently reported that a total of 61 members of the legal profession have been killed from July 2016 to January 2021.
Of the 61 victims, 32 were engaged in private practice, 21 were incumbent public officials, 8 were former or retired public officials, and 4 were public interest lawyers.
