UIA NEWS

Note from the editor

This is one more issue of the UIA news. As usual we try to reflect on the various issues our profession has to deal with on a worldwide basis. There are lots of issues which are of great concern to us as lawyers: even though the Brexit primarily is a political decision, it nevertheless will have a great impact on legal work as well.  Also it remains one of the greatest concerns for our association that many of our colleagues in many countries are under tremendous pressure and even facing personal consequences just for doing their work or, even worse, defending other people's rights.
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National activities

L'arrêt Schrems discuté à Luxembourg

L’UIA a organisé un colloque le 19 janvier 2016 consacré à l’arrêt Schrems. En effet, la Cour de Justice de l’Union européenne a rendu le 6 octobre 2015 un important arrêt qui invalide le Safe Habor qui permettait aux entreprises américaines qui y avaient adhéré, de recevoir des données venant de l’Union européenne sans autre formalité. La Cour rappelle qu’elle est seule compétente pour constater l’invalidité d’un acte de l’Union, tel qu’une décision de la Commission. 

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Brexit: Will it happen? What happens if it happens?

A referendum is to be held on 23 June 2016 on the United Kingdom's continued membership of the European Union (EU).  This means that UK citizens will be asked to vote on the following question: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the EU or leave?

IN … the UK will remain a member of the EU, based on agreed reform of the EU.
OUT …the UK will cease to be a member of the EU, commonly referred to as Brexit.
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Collective members

Le barreau de Liège les modèles de contrat gratuits sur son Internet

Le barreau de Liège a constaté que de plus en plus de "contrats-types" sont disponibles sur internet et utilisés par facilité ou par souci d’économie par les justiciables, sans se préoccuper de questions pourtant importantes : Qui les a rédigés ? Sont-ils juridiquement pertinents ? Sont-ils adaptés à la situation du justiciable ?

Ainsi, le barreau de propose de répondre à ces trois questions par une double démarche. Il met à la disposition des entreprises et des particuliers différents modèles de contrats gratuits, rédigés par des avocats compétents dans la matière concernée.
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Rencontre avec les instances représentatives de la profession lors des réunions de l'UIA

A l’initiative du Président Jean-Jacques Uettwiller, les réunions institutionnelles du Comité de Direction de l’UIA sont désormais l’occasion d’une rencontre plus approfondie avec les instances locales, ordinales ou représentatives de la profession. Il est en effet dans la vocation de l’UIA, d’une part de nourrir sa réflexion sur les problématiques rencontrées et les préoccupations qui habitent la Profession à travers le monde, et d’autre part d’agir comme force de soutien et de proposition à ses côtés.
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UIA-Institute for the Rule of Law activities

The Ludovic Trarieux Human Rights Prize 2016 Awarded to Chinese Lawyer Wang Yu

On June 4, 2014, a jury of 24 European lawyers, representing bars from Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Bordeaux, Geneva, Rome, Luxembourg, Paris, and members of the European Bar Human Rights Institute (IDHAE - l’Institut des Droits de l’Homme des Avocats européens) and the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA – International Association of Lawyers), awarded the 21th Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize to Ms. Wang Yu, a Chinese lawyer. 
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France – Support to Lawyers Julien Brel and Benjamin Francos, and to the Toulouse Bar Association

On March 7, 2016, lawyers Julien Brel and Benjamin Francos were summoned for interrogation by the Inspection générale de la police nationale (IGPN – General Inspection of National Police) following a complaint lodged by police officers for « rebellion and false allegations”. A group of lawyers, leaded by Ms. Anne Fauré, President of the Toulouse Bar Association, gathered in front of the Toulouse Police Headquarters to support their colleagues.
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Democratic Republic of Congo - Death of Lawyer Jean Kisumbule Muteba

On February 21, 2016, Mr. Jean Kisumbule Muteba, a lawyer at the Bar Association of Kinshasa/Gombe, was murdered at Bandalungwa, Kinshasa, by unidentified individuals. The motivation for the crime remains unknown. Mr. Edouard Mukendi Kalambayi, President of the Bar Association of Kinshasa/Gombe, called on national authorities to investigate the crime and bring the responsible individuals to justice. The UIA sent a letter to President Mukendi Kalambayi to express its support.
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Turkey – Prosecution of lawyers members of the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (Ozgurlukcu Hukukcular Dernegi – OHD)

On March 16, 2016, lawyers ?rfan Arasan, Ay?e Acinikli, Hüseyin Bo?atekin, ?efik Çelik, Adem Çal??ç?, Ay?e Ba?ar, Tamer Do?an, Ramazan Demir and Mustafa Ruzgar were arrested. Their houses in Istanbul were raided by the police, in the course of an anti-terrorism operation that targeted more than 80 individuals in several Turkish cities. Lawyers were accused of “membership of an illegal organisation,” reportedly for events that took place between 2011 and 2014.
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Venezuela. Murder of Lawyer Héctor Sánchez Lozada

On January 22, 2016, lawyer Héctor Sánchez Lozada was murdered in the city of Maturín, in the state of Monagas. He was travelling to meet another lawyer. Currently, the reasons for the crime and the perpetrators remain unknown. Mr. Sánchez Lozada was a human rights lawyers and a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Federation of Venezuelan Bar Associations in the state of Monagas. The UIA sent a letter to Venezuelan authorities to express its concern and to request a prompt, thorough and effective investigation. 
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EU - Turkey Agreement on migration

Click here to read the open letter from Mr. Jean-Jacques Uettwiller, President of the Union Internationale des Avocats, to the 28 Presidents and Prime Ministers of the European Council, about their agreement with Turkey on migration.

Death Penalty – Support to Malaysian Bar’s actions 

The UIA expresses its strongest support for the position expressed by the Malaysian Bar on the eve of the execution of Gunasegar s/o Pitchaymuthu, J Ramesh s/o Jayakumar, and Sasivarnam s/o Jayakumar. We deeply regret the conditions of their execution, by way of a “secretive” hanging of which the men’s families were given an extremely brief notice.
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UIA - News

UN Bar Leaders’ Briefing

The UN headquarters held the UIA Bar Leaders' Briefing last May,16. This exceptional meeting started with special observations from the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs and went on with an examination of three closely related main themes, throwing light on the interconnection between human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security and underline the role of bars and law societies.
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Jacques Leroy International Prize

The UIA is organizing the seventh edition of its Jacques Leroy international prize, awarded to a law student under 30.
Students who wish to compete should send a dissertation (plea, study, commentary of a practical case) dealing with the following theme: "Impacts of Climate Change on Human Rights: What solutions are companies offering?” to the UIA before 31 July 2016.
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Charte des réfugiés

L’UIA a constitué trois groupes de travail amenés à travailler sur une charte des droits et devoirs des réfugiés. Une attention spécifique sera portée aux problématiques suivantes :

- l’accès à a justice pour les demandeurs d’asile et les enjeux pour les personnes qui les défendent (avocats et associations) face aux restrictions budgétaires qu’entraînent l’afflux de migrants et qui se répercutent gravement sur l’aide légale ;

- la formation des avocats désignés pour traiter des dossiers de demandeurs d’asile ;

- le rôle des barreaux auprès de ces avocats et comme interlocuteur des autorités dans la gestion de la crise migratoire.

Partnership with Lexis Nexis

On Wednesday 27 April 2016, the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) and LexisNexis celebrated their new partnership in the presence of Jean-Jacques Uettwiller, UIA President and Guillaume Deroubaix, LexisNexis Managing Director for international development in Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa. The partnership falls within the common will of LexisNexis and the UIA, to further the development of legal solutions in all areas and to facilitate the training and access to information for lawyers and other legal professionals. 
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Réseau des femmes UIA : Compte-rendu de la présentation "Comprendre le Gender Gap" de Maître Patricia López Aufranc

Le 22 avril dernier, le Réseau des femmes UIA a organisé à Paris au cabinet de Françoise Hecquet, une rencontre avec Patricia López Aufranc sur le thème « Comprendre le Gender gap ». L’objectif de cette présentation était de montrer que bien que des progrès significatifs soient intervenus dans le domaine de l’égalité homme-femme, de nombreuses barrières plus subtiles persistent. La compréhension des raisons expliquant le gender gap est fondamentale pour mettre en place des politiques efficaces de diversité.
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