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Quand manifester n’est plus un droit mais un risque

Les manifestations des travailleuses et des travailleurs ce 1er mai ont à nouveau fait l’objet de violences d’Etat contre les manifestantes et les manifestants, notamment en France, en Italie: interdictions de manifestation au dernier moment, arrestations sans motif, utilisation de la violence par les forces de l’ordre, sous prétexte de sécurité publique, contre tout manifestant sans distinction de comportement ni de nécessité absolue de protéger les biens ou les personnes…

Ainsi, de nombreux manifestants ont été blessés hier, dont l’avocat au Barreau de Turin, Gianluca Vitale, membre du bureau de notre association et à qui nous apportons tout notre soutien fraternel.

Les violences du 1er mai viennent confirmer une tendance de ces dernières années dans les pays européens : il devient dangereux de manifester pacifiquement sans risquer de se faire gazer, frapper par les forces de police, nasser et empêcher de circuler librement, voire même arrêter par mesure préventive et sans raison légale.

Sous des prétextes sécuritaires, le droit de manifester se réduit jour après jour et la violence sert finalement aux Etats à faire taire toute opposition trop bruyante.

L’association des avocats européens démocrates rappelle pour sa part qu’elle défendra sans relâche les libertés d’expression collective ou individuelle, libertés fondamentales et nécessaires à toute société démocratique. Les avocates et les avocats de nos associations resteront toujours mobilisés pour défendre ces droits et les victimes de répression, quelles que soient les intimidations des Etats contre l’exercice de la défense.

 

When demonstrating is no longer a right but a risk

The workers’ demonstrations on the 1st of May were once again subjected to state violence against demonstrators, particularly in France and Italy: bans on demonstrations at the last minute, arrests without cause, use of violence by police forces, under the pretext of public security, against any demonstrator without distinction of behaviour or absolute necessity to protect property or persons…

Thus, many demonstrators were injured yesterday, including the lawyer of the Turin Bar Association, Gianluca Vitale, a member of our association’s board and to whom we give our full fraternal support.

The violence of 1 May confirms a trend of recent years in European countries: it is becoming dangerous to demonstrate peacefully without risk of being gassed, beaten by police forces, surrounded and prevented from moving freely, or even arrested as a preventive measure and without legal reason.

Under security pretexts, the right to demonstrate is being reduced day after day and violence is finally being used by States to silence any opposition that is too loud.

The Association of European Democratic Lawyers reminds us that it will relentlessly defend the freedoms of collective or individual expression, fundamental freedoms necessary for any democratic society. The lawyers of our associations will always remain mobilized to defend these rights and the victims of repression, whatever the intimidation of States against the exercise of the defence.

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A travesty of justice – 18 Turkish lawyers sentenced to long prison terms, 159 Years, 1 Month, 30 Days in Total

On Wednesday 20 March 2019, the İstanbul 37th Heavy Penal Court in Silivri Courthouse announced its verdict in the case of the ÇHD (Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği, Association of Progressive Lawyers). The lawyers have been sentenced to prison terms between 2 years, 13 months, and 15 days and 18 years and 9 months. The Court delivered its judgment without taking into account the lawyers defence.

The allegations and sentences:
For alleged “founding and managing a terrorist organization”:

▪ Barkın Timtik: 18 years and 9 months
For alleged “membership in a terrorist organisation”
▪ Ebru Timtik, Özgür Yılmaz 13,5 years
▪ Behiç Aşçı, Sukriye Erden: 12 years
▪ Selçuk Kozağaçlı (ÇHD President) : 11 years and 3 months
▪ Suleyman Gokten, Aytaç Ünsal, Engin Gökoğlu: 10,5 years,
▪ Aycan Çiçek, Naciye Demir: 9 years
▪ Ezgi Cakir: 8 years

For alleged “willingly and knowingly aiding a terrorist organization,”:
▪ Ayşegül Çağatay, Yağmur Ereren, Didem Baydar Ünsal, Yaprak Türkmen: 3 years 9 months
▪ Ahmet Mandacı, Zehra Özdemir: 2 years 13 months, and 15 days

Numerous lawyers from European and non-European countries observed the trial from the outset. Among them were representatives of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), the European Association of Democratic Lawyers (AED-EDL), the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy and World Human Rights (ELDH), Lawyers for Lawyers, Avocats sans Frontières – Avocats Solidaires (ASF AS), Bar Associations from Belgium, France and Norway, the Italian Democratic Lawyers, the Italian Association of Criminal Lawyers, and Legal Team Italy.

After the court had issued the verdict the observers held a press conference to declare “We are convinced that at this point this trial is completely null and void. Protesting against the heavy prison terms inflicted we insist on the immediate acquittal of all defendants, to be attained through all possible judicial and legal means. We express our solidarity to the defendants in the name of the common struggle for upholding justice and rule of law.”

Milena Buyum, Amnesty International’s Senior Campaigner on Turkey, who observed the trial hearing, commented: “Today’s convictions are a travesty of justice and demonstrate yet again the inability of courts crippled under political pressure to deliver a fair trial.”

From the beginning the trial observers had the impression that the defendants were only accused for practising their legal profession according to the Turkish, European and International rules. This impression was confirmed when the court released 17 lawyers from pre-trial detention on 14 September 2018 only for them to be rearrested one day later after the judge was replaced. On [date?] the presiding judge expressed his decision not to admit any new evidence or any other applications of the defence lawyers. Finally he excluded the defence lawyers from the trial.

Other courts in Turkey or in Europe will have to decide if they accept this blatant violation of the rule of law and of the principles of a fair trial.

In the view of ELDH, the verdict is politically motivated by the state of emergency, despite the fact that the state of emergency was lifted a few months ago. The present charges have all the hallmarks of intimidation of lawyers, and the sentences will prevent them from carrying out their professional duties.

ELDH, AED-EDL, ASF AS, Norwegian Bar Association – Human Rights Committee demand

– the immediate acquittal of all 18 lawyers
– respect for the UN “Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers”, in particular Art. 16 “to ensure that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference” and Art. 18 “Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their functions”
– respect for Art. 6 ECHR and Art.14 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (right to a fair trial)

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THE CATALAN REFERENDUM TRIAL

After gathering in Madrid on the morning of February 9th, 2019 and discussing the impending Catalan Referendum Trial, which will begin in the Spanish Supreme Court on February 12th, 2019, Avocats Européens Democrates-European Democratic Lawyers (AED-EDL) has reached the following CONCLUSIONS:

1.- There is concern that all the procedural guarantees may not be met during the trial, due to the following reasons:

– The first trial session (February 12th) was set on February 1st. This does not give enough time for the defence teams to prepare properly.

–  The different defence teams do not have full access to the total information on the trial. For instance, they do not know the identity of the police officers who will testify during the hearings, only their identification numbers.

–  Most of the witnesses during the trial will be police officers. Several of the witnesses proposed by the defence teams have been rejected by the Court.

–  Nine out of the twelve defendants are in pre-trial detention and have been in this situation for several months, which clearly difficults the preparation for the hearings. They are currently being held in prisons in Madrid, hundreds of kilometres away from their defence attorneys and families.

–  There are three accusing parties in this trial: the State Prosecutor, the State Attorney and the far right-wing political party, Vox; each of them with their own accusation and agenda.

2.- There is concern regarding the prohibition of arbitrary detention:

–  We call for the immediate release of the nine defendants in pre-trial detention. We believe they are in prison due to political reasons and call for this situation to stop1.

–  In regards to the imprisoned elected officials, we would like to point out that the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Selahattin Demirtaş v. Turkey judgment, issued on 20 November 2018, concluded that Turkey had violated Article 18 of the Convention (limitation on use of restrictions on rights, i.e., the said rights and freedoms shall not be applied for any purpose other than those for which they have been prescribed) and the right to vote and hold office, with regards to Demirtaş’ pre-trial detention. There is an undeniable similarity to the case of the imprisoned elected officials.

– The nine defendants who are in pre-trial imprisonment will be transferred daily back and forth from the prisons they are being held at to the Court. This implies waking up at 6 am on a daily basis, travelling during at least two hours a day, and being held in separate quarters during breaks in each session. This will happen on a daily basis for three months. It can have negative implications on the ability to defend oneself. The conditions of transport from Catalan prisons to the detention centres in Madrid have been denounced in the past on the basis of being mocked and ill-treated by police officers3. We would like to remind the public that the ECHR in the recent Mariya Alekinha and others v Russia judgment4, the Court considered that the conditions of the applicants’ transport to and from the trial hearings exceeded the minimum level of severity and amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment in breach of Article 3 of the Convention.

3.- There is concern regarding the interpretation of the right to peaceful assembly carried out by all of the accusations (State Prosecutor, State Attorney and far right-wing political party Vox):

– A non-restrictive interpretation of what is “violence” is extremely dangerous for our fundamental rights and civil liberties. One must tread carefully on these grounds.

– According to the accusations, on September 20th, 2017, thousands of people gathered on the street, in a demonstration, which blocked the work the police was carrying out and resulted in damages in two police cars. These events, according to the prosecuting parties, warrants charges of rebellion or sedition, which can imply prison sentences that could reach up to 25 years per defendant.

– If what took place on this date was an act of peaceful civil disobedience, as all defence teams claim (something which shall be determined during the outcome of the trial), we believe that any conviction could result in a violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.

4.- This is not a Spanish affair, but a European one, which can have serious effects on the rule of law. If peaceful civil disobedience is criminalized, all social movements in Europe must fear for their future existence.

5.- There is concern regarding the right to a fair trial:

–  Members of the Supreme Court are elected by the Government of Judges (CGPJ), which is elected by the Spanish Parliament. This can have a serious effect on the independence and political inclinations of different magistrates.

–  We challenge the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to try this case instead of the natural judge.

– The fact that the defendants are being tried in the Supreme Court eliminates the possibility of appealing. An eventual conviction would have to be taken up to the Constitutional Court, with the procedural limitations this presents.

Bearing all these facts in mind, the AED-EDL believes it is of vital importance that a well- informed and respectful of the Spanish judicial system international observation is carried out during the entire duration of the trial. Therefore, members of AED-EDL from different European countries will be traveling to Madrid during the following months in order to attend hearings, engage with other international observers and study in depth the legal aspects of the Catalan Referendum Case from a Human Rights perspective.

In Madrid, on February 9th, 2019

 

Download this press statement as pdf

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The Day of the Endangered Lawyer 2019

The Day of the Endangered Lawyer was dedicated this year to Turkey, where the situation is extremely grave. Turkey is the weakest link of European democracy, if it can still be called a democracy, when lawyers are imprisoned.

 

 

Berlin

 

 

 

 

All over Europe, practicing lawyers mobilized to show solidarity with their colleagues and concern for their situation in front of the embassies. The same letter was handed out to the officials in the embassy

Madrid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a minute of silence in Italian courtrooms, while in Athens our colleagues organized a conference on the issue of justice in Turkey, where Turkish judges in exile denounced the situation.

 

In Berlin, lawyers from RAV and VDJ, together with the Bar Associations of Berlin and Hamburg and  the Association of Criminal Defenders Berlin, had rallies in front of the Turkish Embassy in Berlin with about 35 participants and also there was another meeting  in front of the Turkish Consulate in Hamburg.

                                                             

 

Brussels

 

 

 

 

In different Turkish countries, the day of the Endangered Lawyer was followed with a conference in Ankara, a rally in Istanbul and initiatives in Izmir.

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¿QUÉ ESTÁ HACIENDO EL ESTADO ESPAÑOL CON EL BARCO DE OPEN ARMS?

Nadie en Europa puede decir que desconoce la situación de vulnerabilidad extrema en que se encuentran las personas migrantes que se trasladan desde países de Oriente próximo y África hasta Europa, debido a las situaciones de guerra y/o crisis humanitaria que sufren. El drama de los/as refugiados/as, que ha convertido el mar Mediterráneo en un cementerio, ha supuesto una crisis en la concepción de Europa como un espacio común fundado sobre valores de dignidad humana, igualdad y solidaridad, y nos ha obligado a todos a cuestionar el papel de Europa en el mundo.Ni las instituciones europeas ni los Estados Miembros han estado a la altura, e incluso algún estado está manteniendo posturas inadmisibles desde la perspectiva de los Derechos Humanos, como pasa con el VicePresidente Salvini en Italia. Efectivamente, han surgido iniciativas que pretenden convertir, fraudulentamente, la crisis humanitaria que sufrimos en un problema de orden público. Evitar la muerte de cientos de personas no es una mera cuestión de orden público ni puede serlo. Construir muros y sellar las fronteras, separando pueblos y despojando a las personas migrantes de su dignidad, no es una respuesta admisible desde la perspectiva de Derechos Humanos. Además, estas políticas exponen al/la migrante a los peligros de elegir cada vez rutas más inseguras, favorecen la aparición de las mafias y su consecuencia más cruda es el naufragio de miles de personas en nuestro mar mediterráneo.

Es esa decepcionante actitud de las instituciones europeas y de los estados miembros de la Unión Europea la que ha provocado que organizaciones como Open Arms intervenga con acciones esenciales de vigilancia y salvamento, salvando miles de vidas en el mar. Estas organizaciones se na puesto, por ello, en el punto de mira de la opinión pública, y también dentro de los objetivos represivos de algunos Estados, que han intentado, también fraudulentamente, criminalizar su actuación. Recientemente el barco de Open Arms llegó a España con 310 personas rescatadas, pues los países más cercanos al lugar de rescate (Italia, Malta) incumplieron sus obligaciones internacionales y negaron el acceso a sus puertos a Open Arms.

El día 8 de enero de 2019 el barco de Open Arms debió haber salido del puerto de Barcelona rumbo a la zona SAR de Libia para continuar con su labor esencial de salvar vidas. Sin embargo Capitanía Marítima, dependiente del Ministerio de Fomento, ha bloqueado el buque en el puerto de Barcelona alegando que pese a no ser imputable al propio barco, con su último regreso a España se incumplieron diversos preceptos de la normativa marítima. Como medida preventiva y para evitar futuros incumplimientos, deniega la salida hasta que no se garantice que existe un acuerdo para el desembarco de los auxiliados con las autoridades responsables de las zonas SAR concernidas, algo que difícilmente ocurrirá, pues ni Italia, ni Libia, ni Malta facilitan estos acuerdos.

Tenemos que volver a poner de manifiesto, en voz alta y clara, que es el incumplimiento habitual del resto de países de su deber de auxilio lo que está en el origen del problema, que no es otro que las muertes en el mar. No puede atribuirse ningún incumplimiento normativo a quien precisamente presta ese auxilio, porque el derecho a la vida ha de priorizarse siempre respecto de cualquier normativa marítima. Con el bloqueo del buque no está en juego únicamente su derecho a navegar sino que se pone en riesgo la vida de las personas migrantes a quienes rescata Open Arms ante la pasividad de quienes están obligados a actuar en virtud del derecho internacional humanitario.

Por ello reclamamos que no se obstaculice la labor humanitaria del buque Open Arms anclado en el puerto de Barcelona y exigimos que los incumplimientos de terceros Estados sean denunciados por el Gobierno de España al órgano competente para su sanción, y que, entretanto, colabore activamente con el respeto de los derechos humanos y contribuya a solucionar la crisis humanitaria en que estamos inmersos, en vez de impedir la labor de quienes salvan vidas en el mar.

Barcelona, 18 de enero de 2019

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COMMUNIQUE: sur l’extradition de Cesare Battisti

Cesare Battisti, ancien membre du groupe “Les Prolétaires Armés pour le Communisme” durant les ‘années de plomb’, vient d’être extradé de Bolivie, où il venait de se réfugier après l’arrivée au pouvoir au Brésil, où il résidait auparavant, du candidat d’extrême-droite Jaïr Bolsonaro.

En 1988 il a été condamné par la Cour d’assises de Milan, par contumace, à la réclusion à perpétuité pour deux assassinats et deux complicités d’assassinat. S’il a toujours assumé politiquement son parcours, il s’affirme innocent des crimes qui lui sont reprochés : ils ont été commis entre juin 1978 et avril 1979 alors qu’il affirme avoir renoncé à la lutte armée suite à l’assassinat d’Aldo Moro le 16 mai 1978.

Emprisonné en 1979 puis condamné en 1981 pour “appartenance à bande armée”, il s’évade peu après et commence un long périple qui va le mener d’abord au Mexique, puis en France et enfin au Brésil.

Réfugié en France en 1990, il va bénéficier de fait de la “doctrine Mitterand”, se faire connaître comme auteur de plusieurs romans policiers, pris sous son aile par Fred Vargas, et reçoit le soutien de nombreuses personnalités. La Chambre d’instruction de la cour d’appel de Paris ayant rendu un avis favorable à son extradition en juin 2004 et le président Chirac allant y donner suite – alors que sa demande de naturalisation allait aboutir -, il prend la fuite pour se réfugier au Brésil.

Arrêté en mars 2007, il sera relâché en juin 2011 et le Conseil National d’Immigration lui accordera le statut de résident permanent, le président Lula ayant entretemps refusé son extradition le 31 décembre 2010…sur laquelle la justice brésilienne s’est prononcée finalement favorablement en octobre 2018. Les faits pour lesquels il est poursuivi, et qu’il conteste, remontent à 37 ans.

Une amnistie serait la bienvenue, ou à tout le moins l’assurance d’un nouveau procès véritablement équitable. On peut en douter au vu des dernières déclarations du ministre de l’Intérieur, d’extrême- droite, Mattéo Salvini, véritable homme fort de l’actuel gouvernement italien. En tout état de cause, nous espérons que Battisti se verra néanmoins accorder les droits qui sont dus à toute personne soumise à la justice italienne, tout en respectant le principe constitutionnel selon lequel la punition ne peut jamais être une vengeance de l’État et que les droits et le respect de sa dignité sont toujours garantis au condamné.

18 janvier 2019

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Le Procès des 7 de Briancon

Le 8 novembre 2018 s’est tenue au  Tribunal de grande instance de Gap, l’audience correctionnelle des 7 de Briançon, poursuivis pour aide à l’entrée irrégulière sur le territoire français de quelques migrants lors d’une manifestation pour la liberté de circulation et contre les initiatives du groupe d’extrême-droite et raciste, Génération identitaire. Ce groupe avait organisé un blocage illégal de la frontière franco-italienne de Clavière-Montgenèvre sans être inquiété.

Les avocats de l’Association des avocats européens démocrates  ont assisté à cette audience pour soutenir les 7 de Briançon.

Nous, Avocats européens démocrates, sommes fortement préoccupés pour la criminalisation qui, de plus en plus, s’étend en France, mais aussi en Italie, en Hongrie, en Belgique et dans plusieurs Pays européens, contre les migrants et  ceux qui se montrent activement solidaires avec eux.

Nous avons trouvé une ville et, surtout, un Palais de justice en quasi état de siège, signe d’une séparation entre  l’institution judiciaire et la société civile, de l’expression d’une justice craignant toute contestation possible et marquant une crise de la démocratie qui nous inquiète.

Lors de cette audience, dans le cadre de la défense des droits fondamentaux des prévenus, les avocats ont dénoncé les violations des droits des migrants à la frontière franco-italienne et la xénophobie et les atteintes à la démocratie de Génération Identitaire, qui n’a à ce jour pas été poursuivi pour ces actes d’atteintes à l’Etat de droit.

Malgré l’abandon par le Procureur de la République de la circonstance aggravante de « bande organisée », ce qui permet de faire baisser la peine encourue de 10 à 5 ans de prison, ce dernier a toutefois requis des peines allant de 6 mois de prison avec sursis à 12 mois dont 4 fermes, pour des actes élémentaires de solidarité.

Ce procès et ces réquisitions sont significatifs de l’extension en Europe de ce climat d’utilisation de la justice contre des militants et cela nous préoccupe au plus haut point.

Alors que les actions ouvertement marquées par le racisme, la xénophobie et le fascisme semblent de plus en plus admises, ceux qui s’opposent à ces dérives et mettent en œuvre des actions  solidarité aux migrants font l’objet de graves poursuites et accusations ; qu’ils interviennent en mer pour sauver les migrants de la noyade ou à la frontière interne franco-italiennes pour leur éviter de mourir de froid ou de chutes.

Nous souhaitons que l’Autorité Judiciaire puisse in fine rendre aux faits contestés des “7 de Briançon” leur profonde valeur humaniste et reconnaître que ces actions ne peuvent ni doivent être considérées comme des délits

 

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URGENT : Another Lawyer assassinated in the Philippines

In Solidarity
7 November 2018

Once again, a Philippine colleague has been murdered: Atty. Benjamin Tarug Ramos was shot dead in Kabankalan last night by motorcycle riding men. He died from three gunshot wounds.

This is not the first time. Since 2015, the Association for European Democratic Lawyers (AED) has been denouncing the situation in the Philippines. The cold blooded murder of human rights defenders in the hand of motorcycle mercenarios is unfortunately a recurring theme. In the past, the government has shown no zeal in the investigations.

Atty. Benjamin Tarug Ramos was the Secretary General of the National Union of Philippine Lawyers in the region of Negros, and a well known pro bono lawyer of peasants, environmentalists, activists, political prisoners and mass organizations in Negros.

Any attack against defenders/attorneys for their professional work threatens fundamental and civil rights, and shows the quality of democracy.

To his family, his colleagues and friends goes our solidarity.

To the NUPL, all our support in their fight for a more just and democratic society in the Philippines.

 

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For more information on the NUPL, visit their site.

For more information on human rights abuses of lawyers, please read our letter to the Philippine ambassador 4 years ago