Legal Aid Assessment and Roadmap May 2017 Legal Aid Assessment and Roadmap (LAAR) submitted to the Ministry of Justice of Afghanistan and the World Bank April 30, 2017 Project Direction The Asia Foundation & The Ministry of Justice Authors Dominique Day & Siavash Rahbari Research Support Ali Shah Hasanzada, Mustafa Razm Kohestani, Ashraf Mozafari, Abdul Wadood Haqmal, & Rahim Gul Maroof Statistical Analysis Mohammed Anwar Ahmadi, Mahdi Frough, & Fahim Ahmad Yousuf About The Asia Foundation: The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region addresses five overarching goals—strengthen governance, empower women, expand economic opportunity, increase environmental resilience, and promote regional cooperation. Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC. Working with public and private partners, the Foundation receives funding from a diverse group of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals. For more information, visit www.asiafoundation.org. i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................................... II ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................................... 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................... 2 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 3 KEY FINDINGS ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 Strengths: High Level of Awareness and Substantial Impact ........................................................................ 4 Weaknesses: Lack of Implementation, Availability, and Coordination ......................................................... 5 Threats and Opportunities ............................................................................................................................ 6 KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Immediate Priorities ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Medium-Term Investments ......................................................................................................................... 11 Ongoing Goals ............................................................................................................................................ 12 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 14 CONSULTATION .................................................................................................................................................... 14 DESK RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................................... 15 FIELD ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................................... 15 Design ......................................................................................................................................................... 16 Field Assessment Instrument ...................................................................................................................... 18 Field Assessors ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Respondents ............................................................................................................................................... 19 CASE FILE REVIEW ................................................................................................................................................ 21 SURVEY OF THE AFGHAN PEOPLE ............................................................................................................................. 22 3. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................... 24 4. AFGHANISTAN’S LEGAL AID FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................... 28 POLICY LANDSCAPE ............................................................................................................................................... 28 THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL ........................................................................................................................................ 30 Special Populations: Women and Children ................................................................................................. 32 A. Women .......................................................................................................................................................... 32 B. Juveniles ......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Special Courts .............................................................................................................................................. 33 Alternative Venues ...................................................................................................................................... 34 ACCESS TO COUNSEL ............................................................................................................................................. 35 Duty to Provide Notice ................................................................................................................................ 35 C. Judicial Officers, Police, and NDS ................................................................................................................... 35 Distribution of Responsibility ...................................................................................................................... 37 Mandatory Obligation in Felony Case ......................................................................................................... 38 Mandatory Obligation for Trials In Absentia .............................................................................................. 38 Ability to Choose Defense Advocate ........................................................................................................... 41 Indigency Determinations ........................................................................................................................... 42 A. Indigency Forms ............................................................................................................................................. 42 B. Legal Aid Reaches Eligible Recipients ............................................................................................................. 43 PUBLIC RIGHTS DELEGATED TO DEFENSE COUNSEL ...................................................................................................... 44 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST ......................................................................................................................................... 45 QUALITY OF SERVICES ............................................................................................................................................ 45 ii LICENSING AND ACCREDITATION .............................................................................................................................. 46 EDUCATION ......................................................................................................................................................... 47 University Education ................................................................................................................................... 47 Staj .............................................................................................................................................................. 49 MIXED MODEL OF LEGAL AID ................................................................................................................................. 49 BUILDING BLOCKS OF LEGAL AID ............................................................................................................................. 51 Legal Aid Providers ..................................................................................................................................... 52 Service Delivery Mechanisms ...................................................................................................................... 52 A. Institutional Indigent Defense Providers ....................................................................................................... 53 B. Individual Providers of Indigent Defense Services ........................................................................................