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In solidarity with the striking French lawyers

Les Avocats Européens Démocrates (AED), dénoncent les faits et montrent leur solidarité avec leurs confrères et leurs consœurs qui protestaient au Palais de Justice de Lille contre la réforme de l’Aide Juridictionnelle en France, et qui ont été évacués de force par la police et chargés par les CRS .

Des faits similaires se produisent en ce moment, ce 22 octobre à Toulouse.

Les faits sont très graves et inouïs : 
Les policiers se sont interposés, ils ont sorti du tribunal les manifestants. Les confrères ont été poussés dehors et quelques uns sont tombés à terre. Florian Borg, président du SAF -syndicat membre fondateur de l’AED-, a été attaqué et sa robe d’avocat déchirée. Le bâtonnier de Lille, Vincent Potié a été ceinturé, voyant aussi sa robe déchirée. D’autres confrères ont été traînés à terre. Il est affolant et désastreux de devoir remarquer que même des avocats qui voulaient plaider pour défendre des personnes déférées par le procureur ont été sorties de force du Palais de justice par la police. La profession d’avocat est en état de colère et de désespérance face à la situation actuelle et face à ces derniers évènements.

Le Conseil National des Barreaux propose au vote de son assemblée générale du 23 octobre 2015, une grève générale et illimitée des avocats ; l’AED soutiendra cette mesure et toute action dirigée contre une réforme antisociale et contraire aux Droits de l’Homme. Une réforme qui vise, comme nous sommes habitués ces derniers temps, les couches les plus faibles de la société et leur de Droit de Défense et prétend annihiler le service rendu par les avocats dans le cadre de l’Aide Juridictionnelle.

L’AED proclame son profond désaccord avec la réforme de l’Aide Juridictionnelle en France et assure de sa solidarité les avocats qui travaillent dans le cadre de l’Aide Juridictionnelle, et donne son plein soutien à une vraie réforme permettant aux plus pauvres un accès effectif aux droits, et à une défense de qualité.

Bruxelles, Barcelone, Madrid, Paris, Bilbao, Roma, Milan, Amsterdam, Berlin
le 22 octobre 2015.

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We are close to the victims of Ankara

The EDL, the association of European Democratic Lawyers, is close to the Turkish and Kurdish people hardly hit by the attack carried out in Ankara on October 10th during a peaceful demonstration organized by non-governmental organizations, trade unions and the HDP, the Party, which won in June together with the coalition of Kurdish party and other leftist parties 84 seats in the Turkish Parliament.

We express our solidarity with the victims and condemn this monstrous attack, which, through two explosions close together, hit the big peace rally and killed about 100 people.

The attack can be added to the attacks in Diyarbakir last June and in Suruc in July, definitely executed by the same hand and aiming at terrorizing those who are leading the battle for peace and self-determination of the Kurdish people. This brings us back to the memory of the dark years that we have lived in our country with the strategy of tension and the manoeuvres inspired by authoritarian environments related to political alliances with anti-communism the most reactionary sectors of the security forces.

This massacre is part of an effort to prevent the realization of freedom and democracy in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries, in the line of fire of colonialist and imperialist aims and the cruel and murderous ravings of so-called Islamic state.

We want to show our closeness and solidarity through militant solidarity, which in our case has been expressed itself in defense in court of Kurdish militants unjustly accused of terrorism, as well as in the presence of lawyers and jurists in the regions of Kurdistan most affected by violence of the Islamic state, Daesh, and the presence of international observers, including lawyers who are part of our association during the upcoming elections in Turkey .

We are particularly close to our brothers and colleagues of ÇAĞDAŞ HUKUKÇULAR DERNEĞI (ÇHD- PROGRESSIVE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION – TURKEY), who have been hardly by the repression of the Turkish regime and we are confident that the murderous violence of the bombs will not stop the struggle for democracy .

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on Hot spots

To the presidents of democratic political groups in the European Parliament:

The Bureau of the AED, meeting in Naples on the 9th and 10th October 2015, has taken note of the establishment, particularly in Italy and Greece, by the Council of the European Union of so called “hot spots”, destined to sort out in a basic manner between refugees and migrants, and then to transfer the first to different countries of the European Union, while abandoning the rest to their fate. The AED has furthermore come to know that the European authorities have decided to move from simply monitoring the borders to stopping ships if necessary by force with the risk to the lives of migrants qualified as “collateral damage ”

Faced with this direct attack on the right asylum but also simply to the right to life, the Bureau of the AED denounces this inadequate response to the plight of migrants at the borders of Europe. The AED recalls its total opposition to the detention of migrants. The Bureau cannot accept that in the name of solving a serious humanitarian crisis, human beings are treated as merchandise and joggled around European countries, in the name of refugee quota plan.

Finally, the Bureau recalls that the AED is an organization of lawyers and although we cannot endorse the political undermining of the international protection of migrants, we will present everywhere to defend those in danger.

 

Naples, 10th of October 2015

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Report: The Day of the Endangered Lawyer 2015

On January 23rd 2015, on the occasion of the 5th International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, rallies were held outside embassies and consulates of the Philippines in many European capitals and cities (Adana, Ankara, Alanya, Antalya, Anvers, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Essen, Ginebra, The Hague, Istanbul, Izmir, London, Madrid, Manila, Milan, Paris, Rome and Vienna).

Img-end.lawyer

These demonstrations aim at supporting Filipino lawyers, victims of severe persecution and killings without due justice.

Read the full report in English, French, or Spanish

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European Citizens Without Defense -the programme

MORNING 9h30 – 13h30

9h30: Inscription

10h00:  Welcome and Presentation

Ana Méndez GORBEA, Lawyer in MADRID, president of ALA- Madrid

Pro Deo Versus Pro Bono: Right against Charity

Gilberto PAGANI, Lawyer in Milano, Honorary President of the EDL

« Equality in front of the law is equality in front of the court »

11h15: Coffee Pause

11h30: 1st round table:

Access to Law: the word to the citizens !

The experience of social movements, legal teams and associations in France, Belgium

With: Belgium, Hilde LISSENS (Network of Fight against Poverty), Paco SEGURA (Ecologists in Action), Miguel BEITIA (Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca – PAH), Carlos ESCAÑO (NosomosDelito), Italo DI SABATO (Observatory on Repression)

Moderator: Robert Sabata (lawyer in Barcelona)

12h45 : Discussions – questions from the public

13h30 : lunch

 

AFTERNOON 15h00 – 18h30

15h00:

Fundamental texts and jurisprudence of the European Courts.

VINCENT LETELLIER, Former president of the SAD, Belgium, lawyer in Brussels, and currently teaching at the Free University of Brussels

15h45:

2nd round table: Legal aid in Europe as seen by lawyers

With Denis DE PLOEG (Amsterdam); Marina DALIANI (Athens) ; Marta CLAPÉS (Barcelona); Bernd HÄUSLER (Berlin) ; Isabelle RAFFARD (Bordeaux); Véronique DOCKX (Bruxelles), Wendy PETTIFER (London) ; Nicola CANESTRINI (Rovereto),

Moderator: Frédéric UREEL (President of the EDL), lawyer in Charleroi           

17h30: Discussion – questions from the public

18h00: Conclusions:

Recommendations Of the CCBE In matters of Legal Aid

Rendering mandatory the European directive in matters of judicial assistant and legal aid.

Fernando Piernavieja Niembro, Ex-president of the Commission Access to Justice of the Consejo de la Abogacía Española

18h30 – Closing

 

 

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Concern due to measures imposed on lawyers

PRESS RELEASE

Concern due to the disproportionate precautionary measures imposed against Arantza Zulueta, Jon Enparantza and José Campo

The Association of Democratic Lawyers previously expressed their concern about the arrest and the hardness of the precautionary measures taken against the Basque Lawyers Arantza Zulueta, Jon Enparantza and José Campo and also denounced the persecution of the Basque Lawyers and their professional practice in the recent police operation that ended with 12 lawyers arrested.

We want to show our disagreement with the hardness of the precautionary measures taken due to which they remain in prison under high isolation conditions for over a year, without having determined the date of judgment.

Arantza Zulueta was already on probation for a similar charge, so we believe that her second arrest is questionable.

We request the all three to be released as soon as possible and their liability to be determined, in any case, in court. From AED-EDL we further emphasize that:

  • The prison precautionary, unconditional and provisional measure is highly burdensome that applies to very specific cases. We understand that, in this case, does not fit at all. Thus, we consider it disproportionate and, in this case, another precautionary measures could be taken, if so appropriate.
  • There is no reason to believe that there is a risk of scape. In the case of Arantza Zulueta, she is on probation for another procedure.
  • The State must guarantee the right of lawyers to carry out their professional functions without the intimidation or persecution, and without suffering any interference in their work.

    Therefore, we request to the JCI number 6 with the proceeding number 11/2013, their release as soon as possible so that the violation of their rights cease immediately.

    Brussels, February 7th, 2015