CIMADE

Cimade was founded in 1939 within Protestant youth movements. It is today a non-profit organisation acting in solidarity with migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. In 1984, working under contract to the state, Cimade entered detention centres to provide assistance to detainees. In the 90s this turned into a mission of legal aid, allowing a real defence of detainees’ rights.
An August 22, 2008 decree by the Ministry of Immigration and National Identity set limits on the assistance to foreigners in detention centres: it made an invitation to tender to entrust exclusive “operators” with the mission only to “inform” prisoners of the rights, not to give them legal aid. Cimade and several organisations in defence of foreigners and human rights (Anafé, ADDE, ACAT-France, Comede, Elena-France, Gisti, LDH, SAF and Secours Catholique) began then a legal battle against this decree. On December 31, 2009 after several trials, Cimade has been forced to leave all but a few detention centres.

> Sources
- Site web de La Cimade
- Rapport de La Cimade sur les centres et locaux de rétention 2008
- L'humanité 4 mars et 2 novembre 2009
- Le monde 21 avril 2004