The Iranian judiciary has drafted a legislative proposal on attorneyship in 2012 which introduces state supervision of lawyers. The draft proposal has been met with serious concern from Iranian lawyers and international organizations in recent years, including from the International Bar Association. No formal introduction to the parliament of the 2012-proposal took place until very recently in October 2014.
Adoption into law of this 2012 draft proposal could severely threaten the independence of the legal profession in Iran, by imposing restrictions on entry into the legal profession, subjecting lawyers to a license system, and subjecting the bar association to state supervision. According to L4L, the bill falls short of international standards, including the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, and the draft bill should not be adopted into law if it would appear that the requirements flowing from the Basic Principles are not fully implemented.
On Wednesday, October 8th, Lawyers for Lawyers attended a ’pre-session’ organized by the NGO ‘UPR-Info’. During these sessions NGOs have the opportunity to lobby country delegations in Geneva, to take over the recommendations of UPR submissions previously submitted by NGOs. L4L has filed a submission for Iran, containing recommendations in connection to the Bill. The Universal Periodic Review of Iran will take place on 31 October 2014.
