Lawyers from Osborne Clarke's UK and German offices will assist the Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights in the drafting of requests for interim measures under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court of the European Court of Human Rights for the benefit of asylum-seekers and migrants.
On 1 October the Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights (CILD), in association with law firms Osborne Clarke, DLA Piper, Eversheds Sutherland, Freshfields, Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, Orrick and Reed Smith will launch the Rule 39 Initiative, led by Dr Daria Sartori. The collaborative initiative will assist migrants in Italy, Greece and Turkey to seek reprieve in the European Court of Human Rights, for rights violations committed against asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants by administrations.
Rule 39 requests are a measure available in the European Court of Human Rights and typically utilised by NGOs seeking urgent help in stopping collective pushbacks of asylum-seekers, preventing expulsion or extraditions of vulnerable individuals to countries where their human rights are at risk, moving individuals out of refugee camps ill-equipped to cater to vulnerable groups, or to ensure countries provide life-sustaining food and water to refugees and asylum seekers stuck between borders.
The initiative, which will run for at least a year, is being launched at a critical moment in European migration flows, as the recent regime change in Afghanistan has led to significant ramifications for existing and potential new Afghan refugees in the region.
The Rule 39 Initiative will primarily focus on Afghan asylum-seekers; however, given the extensive need in this area, it will also assist asylum seekers and migrants of other nationalities.
The Osborne Clarke team will be led by Senior Associate Duncan Gorst and will include lawyers from our UK and German offices working Pro Bono.
Duncan said: “The Rule 39 Initiative is being launched at a critical moment, as the recent regime change in Afghanistan has led to significant ramifications for current and potential Afghan refugees in Europe. Everyone should have effective access to their human rights, and my colleagues and I at Osborne Clarke are delighted to be donating our time and expertise to support asylum seekers in protecting this access.”
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Osborne Clarke is committed to encouraging and supporting pro bono work. Colleagues across all levels of seniority make valuable contributions and the Firm donates around 2,000 pro bono hours a year towards helping others resolve legal issues. Osborne Clarke's involvement in pro bono programs is varied and includes: supporting asylum seekers with Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP) and managing benefits appeals with Z2K, assisting Westminster residents with a variety of issues at South Westminster Legal Advice Centre (SWLAC), advising charities referred to us via LandAid (the property industry charity); providing volunteer advisors to law centres; and assisting a wide variety of charities and social enterprises through TrustLaw (the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global pro bono service) and the Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono.
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