On 12 October 2017, the Council of Bars and Law Societies of
Europe (CCBE) addressed the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human
Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at a hearing
organised on the issue of a European Convention on the Profession of Lawyer.
After a brief introduction on the issue by the Committee’s rapporteur Sabien
Lahaye-Battheu, CCBE experts Laurent Pettiti and Piers Gardner underlined the
need for a binding instrument on to the profession of lawyer, given the
increase of attacks on the profession in recent years.
They also stressed the
need for an enforcement mechanism to ensure the effectiveness of the
Convention, and proposed the set-up of an annual monitoring report on the
ongoing process to ensure accountability and share best practices. It was
argued that these tools would help ensuring the safeguard of lawyers’ right to
assist citizens, as well as citizens’ rights to access justice, and would
fundamentally protect the Rule of Law.
In this regard, Turkish lawyer Ayşe
Bingöl Demir, one of the winners of the CCBE Human Rights Award 2016, reported
on harassment and prosecution of lawyers in Turkey, highlighting the negative
consequences of these practices on citizens and their rights.
The CCBE will
organise a side event on 24 January 2018, in conjunction with the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) session, in order to highlight the
recent attacks on the profession of lawyer in Europe and the need for a
European Convention.
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