With members in 170 jurisdictions, the London-headquartered International Bar Association has to tread a delicate diplomatic path. Its regular expressions of concern over the appalling mistreatment of lawyers in diverse corners of the world are invariably measured and factual. But its latest such communication – about Mexico, where judges and magistrates began an indefinite strike last month over reform plans announced by president Andrés Manuel López – is a little more delicate than usual.

The snag is that, later this month, many thousands of IBA members are to descend on Mexico City for the organisation’s annual conference. Usually these open with a high-up member of the host government hailing their country’s role as a cradle of the rule of law. No doubt this year’s keynote address, from former president Ernesto Zedillo, will continue this theme. But delegates will listen with interest to what Zedillo – no great fan of the current government – has to say about its plans.

The IBA has made its own position clear. Describing the timing of the reform as ‘worrisome’, it says ‘such far-reaching and concerning proposals require an even more careful study of their potential impact on an independent, professional and fair judicial branch. There is too much at stake for Mexico and Latin America. There is no rush.’

Perhaps parking the plan for a month or two would save some blushes.

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