News
Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education Hosts Kick-Off for Street Law Program
In early 2007, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Education welcomed the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s Public Legal Education program staff, school teachers, principals, representatives of the Baku City Department of Education, and over 75 law students to kick off the second phase of the 2007-2008 Public Legal Education Program. Read more »»
Criminal Law Program in Azerbaijan is “On the Move”
The ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s Azerbaijan Criminal Law Program has successfully completed a series of trainings for criminal defense attorneys in the rural regions of Azerbaijan. The program has long since recognized the importance of reaching out to all parts of the country. Read more »»
Initiative Secures Major Victory for Wronged Heir in Azerbaijan
Ruslan Yolchuyev, a lawyer for ABA ROLI’s Legal Advocacy Center (LAC) in Azerbaijan, recently won a major court case concerning inheritance law by helping his client regain the inheritance that had been wrongfully seized from him. Read more »»
Programs
Anti-Corruption
The ABA ROL Initiative's Anti-Corruption Program undertakes targeted efforts to provide technical assistance and expertise to existing and new anti-corruption entities, to ensure the effective implementation of national policies and international commitments, to raise public awareness about these policies and to provide legal assistance. Read more »»
Criminal Law Reform
Since October 2003, the ABA ROL Initiative has developed a dynamic, substantive and responsive program to address the needs of Azerbaijan's long-neglected criminal defense and nongovernmental legal communities. Through its criminal law reform programs, ROL Initiative focuses on strengthening the quality of criminal defense representation, implementing the Criminal Procedure Code in accordance with international fair trial standards, reforming the current bar association, and raising public awareness about corruption. Read more »»
Legal Education Reform
The ABA ROL Initiative is working with both state and private universities to facilitate compliance with regional and international legal education standards. ROL Initiative provides support and expertise on the introduction of a university credit accumulation systems, teaching methodology, curriculum development, and legal clinic programs. In addition, ROL Initiative implements a street law program, which incorporates legal education into secondary schools and allows law students to teach youth about anti-corruption, human rights and basic principles of democracy. Read more »»
Publications
Frank HespeCountry Director,
Azerbaijan
Neftchilar ave. 97, apt. 23
Baku, Azerbaijan
Phone: +994-12-497-20-78/79;
+994-12-447-38-18
Fax: +994-12-497-13-96
Email address: office@aba-az.org
Background
The American Bar Association launched its Rule of Law program in Azerbaijan in 1999 and its Criminal Law Reform program in 2003.
Since that time, ROL Initiative has worked to promote legal reform through a variety of skills-building and training efforts for lawyers, raising public awareness about legal rights, strengthening the quality of legal education, and providing trainings and resources for members of the judiciary to increase transparency and accountability. Presently the ABA in Azerbaijan has seven separate programs including Legal Advocacy Center, Legal Education Reform, Traveling Lawyers, Continuing Legal Education center, Woman's Bar Association, Criminal Law Reform program and Anti-Corruption.
Meet our Legal Specialists
David A. Rubino, Rule of Law Program Legal Specialist, joined the ABA Rule of Law Initiative in January 2007. He oversees the Legal Profession Reform and Access to Justice programs and supervises a traveling lawyers program which provides pro bono legal services to areas outside the capital of Baku. Prior to joining ROL Initiative, Dave was a litigator with a New York City law firm. Read more »»
Meet Our Staff
Sabina Aliyeva, joined the ABA team in September of 1999 as an Interpreter/ Administrator. She was one of the four founding staff members of the ABA-Azerbaijan program and has seen the office grow to almost 40 employees presently. Later, Sabina was promoted to the position of Field Finance and Office Manager. Sabina is presently involved in cash management, preparation of monthly financial expense reports, as well as a myriad of administrative duties. Her historical knowledge, wisdom and great sense of humor are appreciated from Baku to Washington. Read more »»
