I Support International Bridges to Justice. I Believe Very Fervently That
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2010 Bridges/Annual Report of International Bridges to Justice I support International Bridges to Justice. I believe very fervently that the accused have rights, and we must do everything we can to stop torture being used as an investigative tool. These people,the accused, are not guilty until they are proven so. They are innocent until they are proven to be guilty, and so I would commend every right thinking person to support International Bridges to Justice. Desmond Tutu 1 International Bridges to Justice is dedicated to ensuring the basic legal rights of ordinary individuals throughout the world. Specifically, IBJ works to guarantee everyone the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment and the right to a fair trial. Contents Message from the CEO 1 IBJ’s Model 2 Help IBJ End Torture 3 JusticeMakers 4 Country Programs: Cambodia 8 China 10 India 12 Burundi 14 Rwanda 16 Zimbabwe 18 64 rue de Monthoux eLearning 19 CH-1201, Geneva, Switzerland IBJ in Singapore 20 Message from the Chairman 22 [email protected] Financial Report 23 Governance 24 Phone: +41(0).22.731.24.41 Staff & Consultants 26 Fax: +41(0).22.731.24.83 Volunteers 26 2010 Donors 27 www.ibj.org F OUNDER ’ S V ISION Celebrating Ten Extraordinary Years It was with gratitude for ing countries: Rwanda and being the rule but rather an hub, the Singapore Justice the abundance of your faith Burundi, post-conflict states exception. Training Centre. We also and support that in 2010 we that are scarred by genocide, We have implemented established the Legal Training celebrated the tenth anniver- and Zimbabwe, which was other pioneering initia- Resource Center, offering sary of International Bridges at the peak of overwhelming tives, most notably our defense attorneys web-based to Justice. political and economic insta- JusticeMakers program. courses, and the Criminal What began in China, bility when we entered. Following the three on- Defense Wiki, the first Wiki where we have now estab- In nearly all these ven- line competitions we have dedicated exclusively to global lished regional defender tures, we moved forward conducted since 2008, we criminal defense practice. resource centers, distrib- against the initial advice of have provided funding for While IBJ’s accomplish- uted nearly a million rights- many who were certain we innovative criminal justice ments have been many, none awareness posters with the would fail. We did so out of reform projects undertaken could have occurred without Ministry of Justice’s logo, and a firm belief that the needs by 33 JusticeMakers Fellows the incredible support of trained thousands of lawyers are greatest in countries like from 25 countries and built all of us defenders, donors, and police, was followed these. We are grateful for a global platform utilized volunteers, staff, board by another major first – a your leap of faith with us, by over 6,000 lawyers and members, and supporters defense skills training for allowing us to work with human rights defenders. We working together to bring this 200 lawyers in Vietnam. We defenders throughout the have piloted an exchange pro- message of hope to the world. then began a program in world to kindle the flame gram called “Communities Standing with us, having the Cambodia, the country that against darkness. of Conscience”, in which de- courage to see the reality of inspired me to start IBJ after Cambodia perhaps best fense lawyers from developed the situation and the leader- my encounter with a 12-year- exemplifies how far we have countries provide training, ship to move beyond and see old boy in pre-trial detention come in such a short period mentoring, and support to the possibility, you have had for stealing a bicycle. of time. As the only NGO defense lawyers from develop- the prophetic imagination Our next foray was into there focused exclusively ing countries. I have been to create the IBJ that exists India, where we conducted on criminal legal aid work, astonished by the very real today. the first national defense IBJ now represents indigent and tangible progress that Thank you for being an training in partnership with defendants in 13 out of is possible when sparked by indispensable part of IBJ’s the government’s legal aid Cambodia’s 24 provinces. In mentoring support and even first ten years. I know that in authority, reaching legal aid three provinces where IBJ has small amounts of financial the next ten years, with the lawyers in all 28 states. Soon legal aid centers, Takeo, Prey capital. wholehearted commitment thereafter, we expanded IBJ’s Veng and Pursat, investigative Capitalizing on the power of all of us, we will bring the programming into three torture today is almost 100 of our networks, in 2010, dream of legal protection for of Africa’s most challeng- percent eliminated, no longer we opened our first regional all to fruition. “We are grateful for your leap of faith with us, allowing us to work with defenders throughout the world to kindle the flame against darkness.” IBJ CEO and Founder Karen Tse 1 I BJ’ S M ODEL Ending Torture in the 21st Century Implementing a more humane vision of criminal justice is best accomplished with cooperation from the entire legal community. In countries throughout defenders and legal rights Criminal Justice tation and enhances societal the world, systematic human advocates to support the Roundtables understanding of the impor- rights abuses disguised as work of defense attorneys in Implementing a more tance of defense attorneys, routine criminal processes developing countries. In each humane vision of criminal jus- increasing public support are a daily reality. The indig- of its country programs, IBJ tice is best accomplished with for their work. IBJ employs a nities suffered by countless works at both the national cooperation from the entire variety of media platforms to individuals accused of crimes level, influencing decision- legal community. To promote raise awareness, from posters amount to a colossal injustice makers to institute system- mutual respect among the to radio broadcasts. hidden in plain sight. wide reforms, and on the different stakeholders, IBJ Despite the strides many local level, where IBJ fosters regularly convenes roundtable Defender Resource countries have made in grassroots transformation meetings where defense law- Centers and Legal recent years towards formal through trainings, criminal yers, police, prison officials, Services recognition of international justice roundtables, public prosecutors, and judges can The Defender Resource criminal justice conventions, awareness campaigns, and the engage with one another and Centers (DRCs) are IBJ’s domestic laws purporting to provision of legal services to identify common ground. principal vehicle for achiev- safeguard defendants’ rights the indigent accused through Representatives from local ing transformative change. are all but toothless, absent Defender Resource Centers. government, community Serving as the centers of effective enforcement. IBJ members, and legal academics IBJ’s in-country activities, believes that skilled defense Trainings are also invited. By providing the DRCs enable IBJ to attorneys, equipped with IBJ’s most basic func- a forum for these parties to complement its legal de- adequate training and sup- tion is to increase defender communicate constructively, fense trainings with mentor- port, are the key to unlocking capacity. There simply are IBJ fosters institutional un- ing and one-on-one case the full potential of criminal not enough skilled defense derstanding of the role that consultations, opportunities justice reforms. attorneys available to provide defense attorneys play in the for networking and skill- adequate representation to development of a functioning sharing, and the provision Mission everyone accused of a crime. criminal justice system. of technical support for International Bridges to Nor is there the necessary in- defense lawyers. Justice is dedicated to ensur- frastructure to support their Rights Awareness The DRCs also operate ing the basic legal rights of work. To address these short- Campaigns as community legal centers – ordinary individuals around falls, IBJ provides training to Knowledge is a powerful the first place to go for those the world. Specifically, IBJ new and experienced crimi- tool in the fight for human seeking help for themselves works to guarantee every per- nal defense attorneys, both rights. By equipping ordinary or accused family mem- son the right to competent increasing the number of individuals with awareness of bers. Through the DRCs, legal representation, the right lawyers taking criminal cases their legal rights, IBJ greatly IBJ-trained lawyers take to be protected from cruel and improving each lawyer’s increases the likelihood that hundreds of cases annually, and unusual punishment, ability to provide competent they will assert their rights increasing access to justice and the right to a fair trial. representation. IBJ also trains if arrested. By publicizing for the indigent accused and other actors within the justice the role that lawyers play in strengthening the country’s Theory of Change system, such as police, prison protecting the accused from pro bono culture. Thus, IBJ’s mission is global in officials, and judges, in best illegal detention and torture, they provide a model for the scope, marshaling a world- practices for safeguarding the IBJ encourages individual de- implementation of a properly wide community of public rights of the accused. fendants to demand represen- functioning legal aid system. 2 Two Burundian children on International Day Against Torture Photo courtesy of Nathalie Mohadjer HELP IBJ END TORTURE We ask for your commitment to help in what- Make a Tax-Deductible Donation There is no faster way to add resources to IBJ’s efforts than a financial ever way you can. We need assistance with contribution. IBJ offers a variety of ways for individual, corporate, and institutional donors to support our efforts.