Afghan experts deliver “Access to Legal Aid System” training in Herat Another important step towards Afghan ownership has been made in Herat with the recent Access to Legal Aid System (ATLAS) Training, held between 23 and 27 August and hosted by the Afghan Independent Bar Association (AIBA). For five days 24 participants (12 ANP officers, 6 prosecutors, 3 lawyers, 3 members of Ministry of Justice Legal Aid Department) attended the course. It was delivered by three Afghan trainers who belong to the local pool of trainers EUPOL Field Office Herat has been supporting since 2012. They all work for three different entities: Hares Akhtarzadah is the Head of Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Legal Aid Department in Herat, Colonel Safiullah is the Head of Legal Affairs from Herat’s Police Headquarters, and Mr Soroush is a lawyer based in Herat. All three have been mentored by EUPOL and they eventually became ATLAS trainers after completing the Access to Legal Aid System (ATLAS) Train-of-trainers course in September 2013. Delivering the course they demonstrated great enthusiasm with a perfect team-players’ attitude, say the participants. One mentioned: “I learned plenty, and I would recommend the course for Criminal Investigation Department officer”. Tommi Jamsa, ATLAS Project Manager from EUPOL, agrees and adds: “The Afghan trainers were excellent. They used for the first time the ATLAS course manual which we continue to develop further based on the feedback”. The course was organised in joint cooperation with AIBA, EUPOL’s Justice Department and the GIZ, in coordination with EUPOLs Herat Field Office, namely Luca Costa, Senior Rule of Law Mentor/Advisor and Jozsef Harmati, Rule of Law Mentor/Advisor. Finally, in connection with Legal Aid, on 28 August, three Police District Commanders from Herat, already involved in EUPOLs Project Phoenix, attended a roundtable talk and introduction to the Legal Aid Grant Facility program at the Afghan Independent Bar Association (AIBA) Herat. As a part of discussion, the police noted the need for access to legal aid in remote villages; their suggestions were welcomed by the Deputy Chief Prosecutor, Head of Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) Legal Aid Department and the Head of AIBA. The ATLAS Coordination Workshop represented a unique opportunity to bring together AIBA and MoJ Legal Aid Department with police and prosecutors in Herat. Background: The EUPOL-GIZ ATLAS project strengthens the linkages between police, prosecutors and defence lawyers/legal aid providers. The five-day ATLAS training seeks to contribute to the professionalization of the Afghan National Police and prosecutors by increasing their understanding of the role of defence counsel in the framework of a fair trial. The overall aim is to enhance their knowledge of Afghanistan’s legal aid system. The ATLAS curriculum covers general fair trial principles, general procedures of governing arrest, detention, interrogation and provisions concerning vulnerable groups. Nine more ATLAS training sessions and Coordination Workshops are scheduled in Kabul and selected provinces until the end of 2014.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 08:26:21 +0000
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