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LE DROIT À LA DEFENSE MENACÉ EN ESPAGNE

Un avocat arrêté du fait d’avoir exercé la défense

 

Les Avocats Européens Démocrates (AED/EDL) expriment leur profonde préoccupation face à l’arrestation d’un avocat au nom de la soi-disant « Opération Pandora 2 ».

 

Le 28 octobre 2015, neuf personnes ont été arrêtées pour infractions terroristes présumées et ont été renvoyées devant le Tribunal Central d’instruction numéro 3 de l’Audiencia Nacional. Ce Tribunal a placé en détention préventive Maître Enrique Costoya, avocat spécialisé en droit du travail au sein d’un Syndicat et qui a défendu certains des détenus dans des récentes opérations similaires, qui ont en commun de porter des accusations contre des personnes d’idéologie anarchiste. Dans le cadre de son activité professionnelle au cours de ces derniers mois, Me Costoya a plaidé devant l’Audiencia Nacional et a régulièrement rendu visite, en prison, à ses clients détenus visés par ces accusations.

 

L’AED ne peut que remettre en question le fait que, s’agissant d’un professionnel vivant à Barcelone, sa détention ait été nécessaire. L’avocat aurait pu être assigné à résidence. Des mesures moins néfastes pour ses droits fondamentaux et tout aussi efficaces auraient pu être adoptées pour garantir de sa présence devant la justice. En optant pour la privation de liberté, cette dernière a choisi l’atteinte la plus grave empêchant l’avocat de poursuivre son travail de défense.

 

Malheureusement, ce n’est pas la première fois que des avocats/es sont placés en garde à vue, poursuivis et emprisonnés en Espagne, dans la plupart des cas en relation directe avec leur exercice professionnel d’avocats/es de membres présumés de l’ETA ou d’organisations prétendument associées.

 

L’AED a dénoncé à plusieurs reprises cette pratique, comme constituant une violation du droit à un procès équitable proclamé par l’article 6, paragraphe 2 c de la Convention Européenne des Droits de l’Homme (CEDH) et des Principes de base relatifs au rôle du Barreau, adoptés par le 8e Congrès des Nations Unies pour la prévention du crime et le traitement des délinquants tenu à La Havane (Cuba) du 27 août au 7 septembre 1990. L’article 1 de ces Principes de base dispose que : «Toute personne peut faire appel à un avocat de son choix pour protéger et faire valoir ses droits et pour la défendre à tous les stades d’une procédure pénale», et l’article 18: «Les avocats ne doivent pas être assimilés à leurs clients ou à la cause de leurs clients du fait de l’exercice de leurs fonctions».

 

En arrêtant un avocat, non seulement l’Etat espagnol l’empêche d’exercer ses fonctions professionnelles, mais nie également aux accusés leur droit d’être représentés par l’avocat de leur choix.

L’AED appelle à la plus grande vigilance face à la menace que représente, pour l’exercice de la profession d’avocat, la présomption de son assimilation avec la cause qu’il défend.

 

L’AED exhorte l’Etat espagnol et toutes les autorités européennes à empêcher toute violation des droits de la défense tels que mentionnés ci-dessus, garantis par les traités internationaux signés par l’Etat espagnol, et plus précisément, en ce qui concerne les faits exposés, réclame :

 

  1. La pleine application de tous les traités internationaux et de tout le droit européen ratifié par l’Espagne en ce qui concerne le droit à un procès équitable, en particulier l’art. 14 du Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques et l’art. 6 de la CEDH.

 

  1. L’application effective des Principes de base relatifs au rôle du Barreau, dont les articles 7, 8, 16 et 18:
  • Les avocats/es ne seront pas identifiés avec leurs clients ou avec leurs causes du fait de l’exercice de leurs fonctions professionnelles.
  • L’État espagnol doit veiller à ce que les avocats/es puissent: a) exercer toutes leurs fonctions professionnelles sans intimidation, obstacles, harcèlement ni ingérences indues; b) puissent communiquer librement avec leurs clients, à la fois dans leur propre pays et à l’étranger; c) ne subissent pas ou ne soient pas exposés à des poursuites ou sanctions administratives, économiques ou autres pour toute démarche professionnelle réalisée conformément aux obligations, règles et normes éthiques reconnues.

 

  1. Qu’il soit mis fin au recours disproportionné à la garde à vue et à la détention préventive.

Compte tenu de la répétition alarmante de faits similaires, l’AED soutient la création d’une commission indépendante aux fins d’enquêter sur la violation des droits des avocats/es en Espagne, et en particulier de ceux qui ont été ou sont encore en détention préventive.

 

Barcelone, le 2 novembre 2015

 

 

Fotografia: Victor Serri (directa.cat)

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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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TO THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES

PETITION
WITH URGENT REQUESTS TO THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES
PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, MR. MARIANO RAJOY BREY AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT

3rd day of the Endangered Lawyers – 24th January 2013
European lawyers demand: Basque lawyers in Spain must enjoy the free exercise of their professional duties

During the last two decades more than 20 Basque lawyers in Spain have been kept in pre-trial detention, several of them up to almost 2 years. All the arrested lawyers were charged with terrorist crimes connected with ETA, or with insulting the Spanish state. All of them were either defence lawyers or human rights lawyers representing alleged members or supporters of ETA organisations. Later it turned out that most of these arrests were unfounded and unlawful. In almost all of the above mentioned cases the suspected lawyers were acquitted afterwards, or the cases were dismissed.

By arresting these lawyers the Spanish state not only prevented them from exercising their professional duties but also denied their clients the right to be represented by a lawyer of their choice. Both acts were a violation of human rights, under the European Convention of Human Rights Art. 6, Para 2, c and the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, 1. ” All persons are entitled to call upon the assistance of a lawyer of their choice”, 18. “Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their functions.”

The organisations signing below have been informed that Basque lawyers, in politically sensitive cases were identified with their clients. In several cases where they had clients who were accused of ETA activities, the lawyers themselves were persecuted, arrested, detained and put under high pressure. Arrested lawyers were even detained incommunicado and could not even be advised and assisted by a lawyer of their own choice, on the days immediately after their arrest.

Spain is one of the countries where lawyers appear to be threatened because of the fact that some police officers, some media and even juridical authorities suggest that lawyers have to be persecuted in the same way as their clients. This is not only against the law and a threat to the Rule of Law, but it also creates the high risk that even lawyers falsely suspected of supporting ETA as well as real supporters are prevented from having a fair trial.

Therefore the organisations signing below ask that you pay close attention to these abovementioned violations of the rights of the defence – as guaranteed in many international and European Treaties (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union) ratified by Spain -, which are also a grave violation of the UN Principles on the Role of Lawyers, as adopted in Havana. AED and ELDH want to express their concern about the fact that these persecutions of lawyers which are continuing for many years have a structural character. We demand

1. The full implementation of all International and all European law ratified by Spain concerning the right to a fair trial, i.e. Art. 14 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 6 European Convention on Human Rights.

2. The full implementation of the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers i.e. Art. 7, 8, 16, 18

  •  That all persons arrested or detained, with or without criminal charge, shall have prompt access to a lawyer, and in any case not later than forty-eight hours from the time of arrest or detention.
  •  All arrested, detained or imprisoned persons shall be provided with adequate opportunities, time and facilities to be visited by and to communicate and consult with a lawyer, without delay, interception or censorship and in full confidentiality. Such consultations may be within sight, but not within the hearing, of law enforcement officials.
  •  That lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their functions.
  •  The Spanish State shall ensure that lawyers ( a ) are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference; ( b ) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely both within their own country and abroad; and ( c ) shall not suffer, or be threatened with, prosecution or administrative, economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties, standards and ethics.
  1. Full implementation of the conclusions in the reports of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and the UN Special rapporteurs.
  2. To abolish the use of incommunicado detention, cf. Art. 3 ECHR
  3. To stop the disproportionate use of pre-trial detention and pre-trial detention without a full

    consideration of whether detention is proportionate.

  4. To end the practice of secret legal proceedings, which severely restrict access to the details of

    the case, including the charges and evidence in the case until up to 10 days before the closing of the investigative phase. For example :refusal to explain the charges against the arrested and refusal to hand over the files)

  5. An independent commission to investigate the violation of the rights of lawyers in Spain, in particular of those who have been or are still are ,or will be kept in detention.
  6. The release of all lawyers whose detention is found unjustified by this commission and a compensation for human rights violations which they have suffered.

Prof. Bill Bowring, barrister, President of ELDH, London (UK)

www.eldh.eu

Mr. Frédéric Ureel, advocate, President of AED-EDL, Farciennes (Belgium)

www.aed-edl.net

FOR MORE INFORMATION :

  • Mr. Hans Gaasbeek, advocate, Vice President of AED, Haarlem, Netherlands, Phone 0031 6 52055043, hgaasbeek@gaasbeekengaasbeek.nl
  •  Mr. Thomas Schmidt, advocate, ELDH Secretary General, Düsseldorf, Germany, Phone 0049 211 444001, thomas.schmidt@eldh.eu

     

     

     

     

     

    Note–The Day of the Endangered Lawyer is a project, launched in 2010 by the commission defence de la defence of the AED/EDL (European democratic lawyer confederation). The goal is to direct once in a year international attention towards the worldwide harassments, persecutions killings and threatening of lawyers, while performing their professional duties. Since 2012 this is a joint project of AED and ELDH. Other Lawyers and Human Rights organisations are welcome to join.