IHRLI faculty and staff began working in Afghanistan when Professor M.
Cherif Bassiouni, IHRLI founder and former Institute President, was
named United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights in Afghanistan.
IHRLI staff assisted Professor Bassiouni in the research and preparation
of his reports. In addition, IHRLI has worked closely with
International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences (ISISC)
on a number of rule of law and human rights programs including
initiatives that to train Afghan judges, prosecutors and police
officers, provide support for the rule of law in rural Afghanistan, and
assist with a variety of research and capacity building initiatives.
Report on Rule of Law Reform in Afghanistan for the Rome Conference (2007)
M. Cherif Bassiouni and Daniel Rothenberg prepared a key
policy paper on rule of law reform in Afghanistan for presentation at
the Rome Conference in July 2007. The paper was commissioned by the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which hosted the conference since
Italy took the lead on legal reform in Afghanistan following the Bonn
Conference. The Rome Conference was attended by many major political
figures including: Ban Ki Moon, U.N. Secretary General, Hamid Karzai,
President of Afghanistan and many high level diplomats from around the
world. Rothenberg conducted the fieldwork for the paper and Rothenberg
conducted the fieldwork for the project and was assisted by Zaid
al-Farisi who was Chief of Party at the ISISC office in Kabul. Professor
Bassiouni served as one of the Rapporteurs at the Rome Conference where
he presented a series of policy recommendations to donors and the
international community.
Additional Information
Provincial Justice Initiative (2004 - 2009)
IHRLI supported the work of ISISC on the Provincial
Justice Initiative. This project focused on training and capacity
building efforts in rural provinces of Afghanistan. The goal of the
project is to provide assistance to areas that were generally neglected
by the majority of justice sector reform projects. The project trained
over 580 legal professionals in 12 of the Afghanistans 32 provinces.
The Provincial Justice Initiative used an entirely Afghan training
staff, all of whom had completed earlier ISISC trainings. This process
improved communication, Afghan ownership and long-term sustainability.
Afghan Counter Narcotics Judicial Training Program (2004 2008)
IHRLI supported ISISC in training members of the
Afghan Counter Narcotics Judicial Task Force on international standards,
human rights and rule of law. The training worked with judges,
prosecutors, counter-narcotics officers, and senior prison officials on
how to combat drug trafficking while respecting due process,
international law and new elements of Afghan law.
Afghanistan Judicial Reform Project (2004 - 2006)
ISISC began working in Afghanistan on a Judicial
Reform Project to assist the countrys judiciary in adapting to new
legislation. IHRLI helped ISISC train 450 judges, 50 of whom were women,
drawn from around the country. Each training worked with groups of 30
judges that participated in an intensive educational program
supplemented by on-going consultations. The program was developed in
coordination with the Judicial Reform Commission, the Afghan Ministry of
Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Office of the Attorney General. The
project included study tours to Egypt and Italy for selected
participants and the most successful participants were recruited as
trainers for future ISISC projects.
Training Course on the Interim Criminal Procedure Code (2004)
ISISC worked in cooperation with the Italian Justice
Office in Kabul to train over 120 Afghan judges, prosecutors, police
officers, law professors and Ministry of Justice officials on how to use
the new Interim Criminal Procedure Law. The training was conducted at
Kabul University and combined lectures with participatory and practical
exercises including mock trials and case studies.
United Nations Independent Expert for Human Rights in Afghanistan (2004 2005)
Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni was appointed as United
Nations Independent Expert for Human Rights in Afghanistan by the
Secretary General in 2004. In this capacity, he traveled with ISISC and
IHRLI staff to Afghanistan to conduct field research used to prepare an
interim report presented to the General Assemblys Third Committee in
October 2004 and a final report to the Commission on Human Rights in
Geneva in April 2005. As Independent Expert, Professor Bassiouni drew
attention to an array of issues including: repressive actions by
factional commanders; violations by state security forces, the
unregulated activities of private security contractors; serious threats
to human rights posed by opium production and trafficking; violations of
womens rights; and, abuses committed by the United States-led
Coalition forces. He called on the Afghan government to work with the
international community to design and implement a comprehensive
strategic plan regarding the rule of law, justice and human rights.
IHRLI staff who traveled to Afghanistan to support Professor Bassiouni
included Martin Cinnamond, Kelly McCracken, and Daniel Rothenberg. In
addition, a number of consultants and DePaul University fellows and
students assisted in the preparation of the reports, alongside support
from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights.