By Kara Nottingham | Program Officer
IBJ had a very productive and eventful summer – conducting a number of programs and continuing to expand its network throughout Cambodia, solidifying its presence as a force for positive change. IBJ continues to increase the scope of it’s activities in Cambodia and is now reaching more people than ever before. Altogether IBJ’s Defender Resource Centers (DRC’s) now cover Phnom Penh, Takeo, Pursat, Prey Veng, Kampot, Kampong Chhnang, and Svay Rieng, penetrating rural areas and provinces and providing citizens with direct access to lawyers with the power to defend the accused. Per our calculation as of the end of July, IBJ’s lawyers through the facilitation of the functioning DRC’s, have now handled a total of 729 cases. In the past few months, IBJ has seen Cambodia move closer towards the implementation of a state-sponsored legal aid system. Judges from the Provincial Court in Pursat continue to refer cases directly to IBJ lawyers. This direct relationship between the Court and IBJ Office demonstrates a model for a successfully functioning state-sponsored legal aid system, illustrating a shift and movement in the consciousness of public officials as it pertains to legal aid at a grass-roots level. IBJ is working hard to ensure that this trend is adopted by other Provinces, furthering the apparent momentum towards the implementation of a state-sponsored legal aid system.
This summer IBJ Cambodia hosted a total of five interns from numerous law schools throughout the United States, who were paired with IBJ lawyers in Phnom Penh and Provinces. These interns helped to facilitate IBJ’s cases and varied Programs. IBJ also hosted two documentary journalists in Cambodia, who were tasked with the responsibility of documenting the lives, successes, and daily struggles of IBJ lawyers working diligently to defend the rights of the indigent accused. The interns and documentary journalists were a valuable addition to IBJ’s Programming in Cambodia. In the past few months IBJ has also conducted a variety of successful events, including a three-day training event for Cambodian Police Officers, Prosecution Officers, and Court Officers in May, hosted in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice in the Mondolkiri Province. The training, which was attended by 132 individual members of the legal community, addressed key provisions of the new Criminal Procedure and Criminal Codes.
IBJ also conducted a three-day training event for Cambodian Police Officers, Prosecution Officers and Court Officers, in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice in June. The training was held in the Prey Veng and Pursat Provinces and focused on raising awareness regarding the Criminal Procedure Code and Criminal Code. The training was attended by 120 individuals in Prey Veng and 62 individuals in Pursat – resulting in a cumulative 180 persons having increased awareness regarding the new Criminal Procedure and Criminal Code. IBJ also hosted a one-day Workshop Training on “Capacity Building” for criminal defense attorneys, which highlighted key provisions of the Criminal Code as well. The training was conducted in Phnom Penh at the IBJ headquarters and was attended by 20 participants total – including 10 IBJ staff and 10 lawyers from varied non-governmental organizations. The Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Justice was an honored guest and speaker at the event.
IBJ also held a half-day semi-annual meeting for Cambodian citizens and police officers in the Pursat Province. The meeting addressed the issue of awareness regarding “legal civil rights,” raising awareness in the community about IBJ’s work and increasing knowledge regarding the new Criminal Procedure Code. A total of 60 people attended the meeting, including the Commune Chief, Police Officers and other concerned citizens. During the meeting IBJ provided leaflets and pamphlets detailing the importance of protecting human rights and legal rights, to all of the participants. In taking a survey of participants following the conclusion of the meeting, IBJ notes that citizens were clear about the role of IBJ, the importance of protecting their legal rights, and how to gain access to justice by contacting an IBJ lawyer. The meeting was very successful in helping raise awareness within the community about how to gain access to defense counsel and the importance of legal representation at all stages of criminal proceedings. In July IBJ held a similar semi-annual meeting in the Kompong Chhnang Province, which was also attended by police officers and citizens.
IBJ is well positioned to build upon what it has achieved this year and continues to play a greater role in achieving justice for all in Cambodia. Indeed, the organization remains focused on the day where the basic legal rights of every man, woman and child are respected in all instances of arrest or judicial accusation.
----------------------------------------------- First of all, we would like to thank you all for your support of IBJ’s Cambodia Country Program. With your help, we have been able to continue and expand our work in Cambodia. Through our work in Cambodia, we're able to assist more and more indigent accused, providing them with legal assistance as well as rights awareness. Your support is vital to the continued success of our Cambodia program!
Background Information on IBJ’s Cambodia Program:
The Cambodia Program at IBJ is one of the oldest long-standing Programs within the organization. Following the atrocities perpetuated by the Khmer Rouge regime, IBJ has worked since 2001 to rebuild the criminal justice system and to provide support for the community. The Program seeks to facilitate the long-term development of a system that embraces accessible legal aid for all citizens throughout the entire nation. Providing legal aid services to the Accused and increasing the presence of legal services throughout the country, particularly in rural areas, will help to increase citizen’s access to justice. Access to legal aid services will also significantly decrease the percentage of the Accused who remain in prison without legal representation and who are vulnerable to the possibility of torture.
The Program directly defends torture victims and seeks to reduce the prevalence of torture by police, prison officials, and judges. The Program also seeks to provide direct legal representation to underrepresented members of society, including women, minorities, and those particularly situated in rural areas. The Program also seeks to raise awareness among citizens and to inform them of their legal rights in the event of an arrest or accusation through conducting Street Law and Rights Awareness Campaigns. Another core function of the Program is to conduct trainings for lawyers, judges, and other members of the legal profession, on effective defense strategies and techniques. These trainings also cover the implementation of the new Cambodian Criminal Procedure Code adopted in August of 2007, in an effort to ensure that attorneys are aware of the changes and to facilitate a smooth transition to compliance with the new regulations. Finally, the Program fosters Roundtable discussions bringing together key members of the community to engage in substantive dialogues regarding the protection of legal rights and human rights, and to encourage the enhancement of the criminal justice system.
What's New? Since you last heard from us, IBJ’s Cambodia Program, lead by IBJ Fellow Ouk Vandeth, has been making great progress.
Thank you again for all your support!
By Kara Nottingham | Volunteer Lawyer
By International Bridges to Justice | International Bridges to Justice
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