為何全球律師遭受攻擊

(SeaPRwire) –   2026年4月1日凌晨，伊朗情報部官員逮捕了知名人權律師納絲琳·索圖德（Nasrin Sotoudeh）。此次逮捕發生在中東戰火持續延燒、伊斯蘭共和國加緊鎮壓國內異議人士的背景下。索圖德一生致力於為政治犯、人權活動家和女性權利倡導者辯護，如今 herself 也成了政治犯。

這並非她首次入獄。自2010年起，這位62歲的律師已被多次逮捕，並長期遭受單獨監禁。她曾被判處約38年有期徒刑、148下鞭刑，以及20年內禁止從事法律工作的禁令。由於公眾壓力與健康狀況惡化，她曾多次獲釋或短期出獄。

但在酷刑普遍、死刑迅速增加的體制中，索圖德的處境比以往任何時候都更加危險。因此，這次逮捕不僅剝奪了她的自由，更可能危及她的生命。

索圖德的遭遇，正是伊朗乃至全球許多律師的共同縮影。

globally，律師正遭受攻擊。獨裁政權濫用法律體系，以捏造的罪名起訴和迫害政敵，此類虛假指控與偽造審判層出不窮。當異議人士遭拘押、記者被關押、言論自由被扼殺之際，律師往往成為最後一道防線。正因如此，他們 now 成了首要目標——從顧問變為被告，從憲政主義者淪為罪犯。

在對抗專制主義的鬥爭中，依賴腐敗不公的司法制度來保障公民權益或許看似徒勞。然而，那些堅持依法行事、 even 在腐敗或專制 regime 下的勇敢律師， their courage and determination 本身就是 powerful dissent（有力抵抗）的表現。攻擊律師的行為，恰恰暴露了專制者對公正審判與法治 deep fear（深層恐懼），因為這些原則威脅到他們的權力基礎。

捷克異議人士兼 statesman Václav Havel 曾在《無權者的力量》中寫道：「要求法律被遵守，是一種 living within the truth 的行為，這種行為會從最虛假之處撼動整個謊言結構。」法律的空洞「儀式」，對獨裁者而言是維持公平假象的必要工具。而勇敢律師 demanding genuine fulfillment of these hollow procedures，正是 exposing despotism for what it is，讓世人看清專制本質。

以俄羅斯為例，普丁 long used the “ritual of the law” to create the appearance of a free and fair legal system， allowing lawyers to represent its most outspoken critics， even when just outcomes are impossible. Russian judiciary has been systematically captured over time, resulting in courts that often provide nothing more than “telephone justice”—judges simply carry out state officials’ orders after receiving calls. Recently, however, the Kremlin has cracked down on any lawyers willing to take up such cases, culminating in the exile and arrests of Russia’s most capable and courageous legal defenders.

前納爾瓦尼（Alexei Navalny）律師團成員瓦迪姆·科布澤夫（Vadim Kobzev）、阿列克謝·利普瑟（Alexei Liptser）與伊戈爾·塞爾貢（Igor Sergunin）的 prosecution， demonstrates the Kremlin’s continued efforts to eliminate genuine legal representation. Navalny’s lawyers represented him leading up to his death at an Arctic Circle penal colony. They were arrested in October 2023 on arbitrary “extremism” charges. After their arrest, Navalny’s already harsh prison conditions worsened significantly, his isolation from the outside world intensified, until he was eventually killed via poisoning.

通過 targeting 律師，普丁 effectively removed one of his best-known political opponents. Another prominent pro-democracy adversary, opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza， found his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov forced into exile under threat of prosecution at the end of Kara-Murza’s sham trial. Other human rights lawyers have also been prosecuted in Russia recently, including Maria Bontsler—a prominent lawyer who defended individuals persecuted by politically motivated charges. Bontsler has been held in pre-trial detention since May 2025, as her health continues to dangerously deteriorate.

作為 both dissidents and their persecuted legal defenders 的國際法律顧問，我們親眼見證這種 repression 越過國界蔓延。其中一位 even faced an assassination plot in Canada and concluded he was poisoned in Russia for defending Iranian human rights lawyers and Russian dissidents.

這類明顯 aggression 背後，隱藏著 transnational repression 從專制國家滲透至民主國家的 sinister tendency。在此關鍵時刻，一些 once championed the rule-of-law 的國家 now dangerously undermining lawyers，而非予以保護。 intimidation, co-optation, or erosion of judicial institutions 在自由社會中變得同樣 frequent and frightening。伊朗與俄羅斯的案例應作為警鐘，提醒我們放任此趨勢發展的後果，並呼籲採取行動捍衛法治。

為了 global rule of law 的維護，我們必須善用 targeted Magnitsky sanctions 等工具，不僅要公開譴責 perpetrator，更要施加實質 cost，如 visa bans and asset freezes。針對 member states 領土上的 transnational repression，也可考慮向國際刑事法院提出 complaint。 strengthening international legal norms protecting lawyers is necessary， recently launched Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer 尤其 timely and worthy of wide support。

為了終止對律師日益加劇的 assault，我們 must make attacking them cost more than it is worth to authoritarians。

我們相信，就 our freedoms 與 democracies 的未來而言， inaction 的代價 far too high。