WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE OBSERVATORY?
The International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger (OIAD) is an initiative of the Conseil national des barreaux (France), the Paris Bar (France), the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (Spain) and the Consiglio Nazionale Forense (Italy).
Established in 2010 in the framework of the EU funded project “Lawyers serving lawyers”, the Observatory was re-established in 2015.
Its headquarters are in Paris.
Our Missions
The OIAD came about with the intention of coordinating its work with that of third-party entities, networks and mechanisms operating in the sphere of protecting lawyers in general and specifically lawyers defending human rights.
The Observatory acts as an umbrella for a large number of bar associations and civil society organizations enabling it to play a leading role in defending lawyers in danger both nationally and internationally.
The Observatory’s work covers warnings, filed support and training.
Methodology of the Observatory:
Identifying lawyers at risk around the world by becoming the recipient of alerts issued by the member bars and monitoring the situation of lawyers in the most problematic countries.
Denouncing these cases by disseminating information confirmed by reliable sources such as the state authorities of the country, the diplomatic bodies of other member countries, as well as by relevant global and regional organizations so as to trigger their special protective procedures.
Establishment of emergency assistance mechanisms for lawyers faced with a serious and imminent threat.
This support can take various forms including:
- Granting emergency funding to a lawyer and his family to cope with a difficult economic situation as a result of the threats suffered
- Purchase of protective equipment (installation of security equipment, secure IT equipment, etc.)
The Observatory carries out essential field missions to defend the rule of law and the protection of lawyers throughout the world. As part of its judicial observation missions, it attends hearings of lawyers’ trials in order to express international solidarity and raise awareness of concerns related to the rights of the defence. The OIAD also organises prospective missions to countries where lawyers face systemic dangers or where the rule of law is threatened. These missions make it possible to identify specific needs on the ground and to act accordingly to support legal professionals in difficulty.
Our Members
As an inclusive structure, membership in the Observatory is open to all bars and associations involved or wishing to invest in the defense of threatened lawyers.
The Observatory’s by-laws establish different categories of members:
The “Founding members” are the Conseil National des Barreaux (France), the Barreau de Paris (France), the Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (Spain) and the Consiglio Nazionale Forense (Italy).
The “Active members” are the bars and national councils that wish to join the Observatory.
The “Associate members” are the bar associations and other lawyers’ associations, union and international conferences interested in becoming involved in the Observatory’s work.
Any other entity or civil society organization involved in protecting human rights defenders can also contribute with its resources and capabilities as a “partner”.
The governance of the Observatory has been designed to meet both the imperative of efficiency and speed imposed by the situations of lawyers in danger and the imperative of democracy and inclusiveness of the largest number of organizations.
The Observatory is thus composed:
- A Board composed of 4 founding members and 2 elected among the “active members” of the Observatory. The Board appoints a Chair, General Director, and Treasurer, defines the Observatory’s strategic lines, and approves action to support lawyers in danger.
- A General Assembly that brings together founding members, active members, associate members and the Observatory’s Partners, at least once a year. Only founding members and active members, who pay an annual fee, have voting rights. The General Assembly validates the financial and moral report, decides on all the questions submitted to it and elects the two active members to the Board. The General Assembly is also the occasion to debate the general situation of lawyers in the world in order to feed the reflections of the Board for the definition of the Observatory strategy.
Join the Observatory
Depending on the nature of your organization, you can join the Observatory as:
“Active member” for national bars or councils, a status that gives the right to vote at the General Assembly subject to the payment of an annual fee.
“Associate member” for associations, unions and international conferences of lawyers, without membership fees or voting rights.
“Partner” for any organization or NGO involved in the protection of human rights defenders, without voting rights or membership fees.
To join, download the registration form. The Observatory bylaws are available here.
Send the filled in form to contact@protect-lawyers.org or to the following address:
Observatoire international des avocats
4, boulevard du Palais CS80420, 75053 Paris Cedex 01
The Observatory’s Board has established the following table of annual contributions for the 2020-2021 period:
- 2.500 € for bar associations with more than 2.500 members.
- 1.500 € for bar associations with between 1.000 and 2.499 members.
- 1.000 € for bar associations with between 500 and 999 members.
- 500 € for bar associations with fewer than 500 members.
To date, 34 bar associations have joined the Observatory as active members:
Organization
- CNB
- Barreau de Brest
- Barreau des Hauts de
- Seine
- Barreau de La
- Rochelle-Rochefort
- Barreau de Lille
- Barreau de Lyon
- Barreau de Metz
- Barreau de Montpellier
- Barreau de Paris
- Barreau de Rouen
- Barreau de Strasbourg
- Barreau de Thonon-les-Bains
- Barreau de Tours
Organization
- Consejo General de la Abogacía Española
- Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Barcelona
- Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Bizkaia
- Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Cáceres
- Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Madrid
- Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Talavera
- Muy Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Pamplona
Organization
- Consiglio Nazionale Forense
- Ordine degli avvocati di Bari
- Ordine degli avvocati di Brescia
- Ordine degli avvocati di Messina
- Ordine degli avvocati di Milano
- Ordine degli avvocati di Modena
- Ordine degli avvocati di Monza
- Ordine degli avvocati di Oristano
- Ordine degli avvocati di Palermo
- Ordine degli avvocati di Roma
- Ordine degli avvocati di Rovereto
- Ordine degli avvocati di Torino
- Ordine degli avvocati di Verona
Organization
- Barreau de Hamm
- Barreau de Cologne
Organization
- Barreau de Genève
- Barreau de Neuchâtel
Organization
- Barreau de Bruxelles
Organization
- Barreau de Diyarbakir
Organization
- Barreau du Cameroun
Organization
- Barreau du Lualaba (RDC)
