The International Association of Democratic Lawyers is a radical-left federation of national-level lawyers associations in 50 countries. The organization was founded in Paris in the 1940s and was described for most of its history as a communist front organization due to it having been sponsored by the then-Soviet Union. The organization’s United States-based members include the National Lawyers Guild, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the Center for Constitutional Rights.

The organization has honored the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and is known for its opposition to the state of Israel, support for Palestinian control of Gaza, and support for Iran’s nuclear arms program. Since 1967, the organization has been associated with the United Nations and is among the non-governmental organizations accredited with ECOSOC and represented at UNESCO and UNICEF. The organization is also a member of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO) of the UN. ^{1 2}

Background

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers was founded in 1946 as an association of left-leaning to radical-left legal organizations in several countries. Among the charter members of the organization was the United States-based National Lawyers Guild, the executive secretary of which at the time was notable left-wing attorney Martin Popper, an activist who participated in many left-wing legal causes in the years following World War II. ^{3 4}

The organization quickly became controlled by Soviet-aligned delegates and those sympathetic to the USSR in the 1950s and began to take stances described as “anti-western.” The organization opposed the United States’ involvement in the Korean war and lodged human rights complaints against the U.S. throughout the rest of the 20^th century while holding up the Soviet Union as a “champion of civil liberties.” The organization continued to assist in setting up national organizations in countries throughout Asia, Europe, and Latin America while maintaining an “intricate net of communist front organizations.” ⁵

In response to the formation of the organization and funding from the Soviet Union, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency began to provide funding for the U.S.-aligned International Commission of Jurists. ⁶

Communist Ties

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers was closely aligned with the Soviet Union from the founding of the organization until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The organization received its last monetary support from the Soviet Union in 1990 in the form of a $100,000 donation. ⁷

Throughout its existence the organization has supported communist regimes throughout the world. The organization has been particularly supportive of the Cuban Communist regime and recognizes late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro as a president emeritus of the IADL on its website. ^{8 9}

Anti-Israel Stance

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers has long opposed the existence of the State of Israel, has endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, and has been targeted by supporters of Israel in the United States by anti-BDS legislation. ¹⁰

Other Political Stances

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers also supports the Iran nuclear program and continues to publish content critical of American diplomacy. In one instance the organization called the United States’ annexation of Hawaii in 1893 an Illegal occupation of the island chain. ¹¹

Related Organizations

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers is or has aligned with the National Lawyers Guild, the National Conference of Black Lawyers, and the Center for Constitutional Rights and is an NGO accredited to the United Nations with representation at UNESCO and UNICEF. ¹²

1. “Officers and Bureau Members.” International Association of Democratic Lawyers. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://iadllaw.org/officers-and-bureau-members-2/.
2. “International Association of Democratic Lawyers.” NGO Monitor. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/international-association-democratic-lawyers-iadl/
3. “Martin Popper, 79, Lawyer in Leftist Causes.” New York Times. January 29, 1989. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/29/obituaries/martin-popper-79-lawyer-in-leftist-causes.html
4. “Under false colours: a report on the character of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers.” International Commission of Jurists. November 1, 1955. https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/1955/11/IADL-thematic-report-1955-eng.pdf
5. “Under false colours: a report on the character of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers.” International Commission of Jurists. November 1, 1955. https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/1955/11/IADL-thematic-report-1955-eng.pdf
6. Tolley, Jr., Howard B. The International Commission of Jurists: Global Advocates for Human Rights. 2010. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://books.google.com/books?id=_msFY_uFcqUC
7. Richard Felix Staar. Foreign policies of the Soviet Union. 1991. https://books.google.com/books?id=Hvv7U15xCtMC&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q&f=false
8. Richard Felix Staar. Foreign policies of the Soviet Union. 1991. https://books.google.com/books?id=Hvv7U15xCtMC&pg=PA80#v=onepage&q&f=false
9. “Officers and Bureau Members.” International Association of Democratic Lawyers. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://iadllaw.org/officers-and-bureau-members-2/.
10. Weinthal, Benjamin. “Dershowitz calls on banks to close accounts that boycott Israel.” J Post. February 26, 2017. Accessed January 9, 2022.  https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/dershowitz-calls-on-banks-to-close-accounts-boycotting-israel-482596
11. “IADL Resolution Calling Upon the United States to Immediately Comply with International Humanitarian Law in Its Prolonged Occupation of The Hawaiian Islands—The Hawaiian Kingdom.” IADL. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://hawaiiankingdom.org/pdf/IADL_Resolution_on_the_Hawaiian_Kingdom.pdf
12. “IADL at the United Nations.” International Association of Democratic Lawyers. Accessed January 9, 2022. https://iadllaw.org/iadl-at-the-united-nations/