Fédération des barreaux d’Europe
"Rentrée" in PARIS : the Defense of Human Rights
The solemn "Rentrée" of the PARIS Bar took place on December 4th in the presence of the President of the French Constitutional Council and the French Minister of Justice.
The Chairman of the PARIS Bar, Maître Christian CHARRIERE-BOURNAZEL, expressed the hope that an audacious reform of criminal procedures should be rapidly undertaken, setting a balance between the resources of the defence and the prosecution, and clearly separating the roles of investigator and examining magistrate, the former being under the permanent control of the latter.
He also vigorously denounced the conditions under which he suspects were held in custody in France, amounting to a ghetto outside the rule of law, and hoped for the immediate application of the decrees of the European Court of Human Rights. He demanded the presence of the lawyer from the very first moment of the custody with all the powers of the defence, which would not be limited to a passive aid to the suspect but includes all attributions inherent to the barrister’s profession (consulting the dossier, preparing the client and being present at interrogation sessions).
The Ministry of Justice replied to all the points raised by emphasising the modernisation of the lawyer’s role, which requires reflection about the working structures and practice of the profession.
You may read both these speeches enclosed as an annexe.
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