The International Association of Judges and the International Association of Women Judges have reached out to the international judicial community seeking support on behalf of members of the judiciary who have been targeted by forces hostile to the rule of law. They have released the following statement.
The Acting President of the Yemeni Judges Association and the President of the Yemen Women Judges Forum have reached out to the international judicial community seeking support on behalf of members of the judiciary who have been targeted by forces hostile to the rule of law. A wave of violence has been reported to have taken place in Sana’a, despite a UN-brokered ceasefire which began in April and was renewed in August. Regional media sources have reported extensively on the recent kidnapping, torture and killing of Dr. Mohammed Hamran, former member of the Yemeni Supreme Court of Cassation. There have been other reports of judges being killed or injured in the court precincts, in the street and even at home. Authorities have not provided adequate protection in light of the spread of weapons in society and the general chaos of war. Judges work largely without salaries while their lives are in danger.
Although Yemen is not a member of the International Association of Judges, the IAJ has in the past “urgently asked” that all methods and influence be utilized to stop the violence against the judiciary. (Statement of IAJ President Christina Crespo, President of the International Association of Judges, Rome, February 8, 2016). It takes the opportunity to renew that call today. The Yemen Women Judges Forum is an affiliated association of the International Association of Women Judges. We stand in solidarity with our members in Yemen and their colleagues. We wholeheartedly support the IAJ in its call to stop violence against judges and urge those in authority to provide the necessary security to protect the judges.
There can be no more important aspect of judicial independence than the right of judges to carry out their judicial functions without threat of violence. The International Association of Judges and the International Association of Women Judges join the united force of voices around the world in calling for an end to this violence.
Tel Aviv (Israel)
21st of September 2022