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News

In February, ABA ROLI conducted its first trial advocacy skills training in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in Azerbaijan.

ABA ROLI Trains Lawyers in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan

In February 21–22, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) trained lawyers in trial advocacy skills in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in Azerbaijan. Nakhchivan is isolated geographically and ABA ROLI is the only U.S. government-funded non-governmental organization with consistent programming in the region. Read more »»

 

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Holds a Reception on the Occasion of Women’s Day

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Holds a Reception on the Occasion of Women’s Day

On March 5, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse held a reception and congratulated the Women’s Bar Association (WBA) for receiving $96,000 grant from the One Woman Initiative—a U.S. Department of State international women’s empowerment fund. About 50 women, including members of the WBA, members of parliament, judges and ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) staff, attended the reception, which was held at the ambassador’s residence to celebrate the international women’s day. Read more »»

 

Azerbaijan Women’s Bar Association Dreams of Success

Azerbaijan Women’s Bar Association Dreams of Success

On a weekend in early December, 25 members of Azerbaijan’s Women’s Bar Association (WBA) gathered for two-and-a-half days of training on organizational development. The 250-member WBA was created in October 2007, with the advice and support of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and with a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. WBA members have attended trainings and workshops developed by ABA ROLI staff in Baku throughout 2008. Read more »»

 

ABA ROLI Raises Public Awareness Through Election Reform Program

During the 2008 presidential election in Azerbaijan, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) implemented a two-tier election reform program. ABA ROLI trained a number of lawyers and judges on the complaints and appeals procedures defined by the newly amended Elections Code. It also established a voter complaint hotline for citizens to speak with lawyers and gain advice on election-related issues. Read more »»

Programs

Access to Justice and Human Rights

Training for LAC lawyers on Code of Conduct. Muhaio Parpieva, Trainer from ABA Kyrgyzstan office, Jo Anne Roake, LAC Liaison, Seljan Mammedli, LAC Senior Staff Attorney and LAC lawyers. May 2006.

Azeri citizens face significant challenges to equitable access to justice. Financial constraints and a low number of lawyers intensify that challenge. The ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI’s) access to justice efforts make free and high-quality legal assistance available in Azerbaijan’s regions.

The legal advocacy center (LAC), launched in April 2006 with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, provides pro bono services to citizens, with a particular focus on serving human rights cases and on training young lawyers. Since April 2008, the LAC has been funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The center’s attorneys have provided consultations, prepared applications, appeals, cassation appeals, legal memos, motions and other legal documents and written complaint letters to various state entities. The center, which accepts new cases three times a week, has consulted more than 3,000 clients.

The LAC provides ongoing trainings, which enhance young lawyers’ skills and competency. Throughout 2008, lawyers received training on various issues, including human rights, labor law, non-governmental organization registration, bar exam preparation, women’s rights, trial advocacy and the European Convention on Human Rights.

In addition to offering individual legal services, the center also provides technical expertise to the community at large. Throughout 2008, the center worked with various local and international civil society groups in providing basic legal information through trainings and conferences. The center’s lawyers taught business law to rural women and trained about constitutional rights and human trafficking.

The LAC’s work is complemented by ABA ROLI’s traveling lawyer program, which increases access to legal services outside the capital of Baku. This program allows qualified lawyers from Baku to travel to the regions and advise citizens on their legal rights. In 2006, ABA ROLI conducted three visits to determine the legal needs in the communities of Lankaran, Guba and Jalilabad. In 2007, ABA ROLI cooperated with the National Democratic Institute to conduct legal consultations at seven regional centers throughout Azerbaijan. To date, ABA ROLI has established additional partnerships with CHF International and International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) to increase the number of regularly visited regions.

Criminal Law Reform and Anti-Human Trafficking

Fair Trail Training in Lenkaran. Intigam Aliyev, trainer, judges, prosecutors and advocates. September 2006.

Since October 2003, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) has implemented a dynamic, substantive and responsive program to address the needs of Azerbaijan’s long-neglected criminal defense and non-governmental legal communities. Through its criminal law program, ABA ROLI focuses on strengthening criminal defense representation, on improving the criminal and criminal procedure codes’ implementation in accordance with international fair trial standards, on reforming the defense bar association and on raising public awareness about corruption. ABA ROLI’s criminal law and anti-human trafficking efforts are supported by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

In 2008, ABA ROLI trained about 230 members of the criminal justice system on key provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). These interactive trainings are the first to be offered to mixed groups of judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys in Azerbaijan. Throughout 2008, ABA ROLI continued its trial skills training series for more than 100 legal professionals, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, newly selected judges and law students.

After the fall 2007 judicial exams, ABA ROLI trained 102 newly appointed judges on trial advocacy. The judges were trained in two groups at the Judicial Training Center. The training incorporates judicial demeanor, decision writing and detention hearings. The training is a joint effort between ABA ROLI and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

ABA ROLI has also worked with the U.S. Embassy in Baku to develop a human trafficking awareness-raising program. More than 100 lawyers, prosecutors and non-governmental organization officials received human trafficking prevention and victim protection training in 2008. ABA ROLI published an illustrated children’s book to help educate children, the most vulnerable segment of the population, about the dangers of human trafficking.

ABA ROLI, through its criminal law program, has drafted, translated and published a series of legal publications including a translation of all current decisions of the European Court of Human Rights pertaining to Azerbaijan.

To learn more about our work in Azerbaijan, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at rol@staff.abanet.org.

David Rubino
Country Director

28th of May Street, No. 5, Suites 59-60
Baku, Azerbaijan
Tel: (994 12) 497 87 69, (994 12) 447 38 18
Fax: (994 12) 497 87 96
Email: office@aba-az.org

Background

In Azerbaijan, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) launched a rule of law program in 1999 and a criminal law program in 2003. ABA ROLI has since worked to promote legal reform by supporting lawyer trainings, by raising public awareness about legal rights, by strengthening the quality of legal education and by providing trainings and resources for members of the judiciary, which are meant to increase transparency and accountability.

Map of Azerbaijan

Meet our Legal Specialists

Barbara Standal, Rule of Law Liaison, is a lawyer from Seattle, Washington, who practiced there for more than 20 years. After teaching for several years at undergraduate and law school institutions, she clerked at the Washington Court of Appeals. She then was in private practice for six years. Read more »»

Meet Our Staff

Sabina Aliyeva

Sabina Aliyeva, received her master’s degree in English teaching from Azerbaijan State University of Languages, her MBA from Western University and an LL.B. from Azerbaijan University. Sabina began her professional career as an anchorwoman on the evening news on the largest television stations in Azerbaijan. Before joining ABA ROLI, Sabina worked for Counterpart International and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Read more »»

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