The signing of the Declaration took place at the historic 16^th century Grosse Stube in the Town Hall of Davos, where leaders have gathered for hundreds of years and diplomacy has flourished. The event marked a renewed global commitment to implement Sustainable Development Goal 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

At the event, the signatories included:

• Reverend Karen I. Tse, Founder and CEO of International Bridges to Justice
• Tarzisius Caviezel, Mayor of Davos
• Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship;
• Ayatollah Dr. Ahmad Iravani, President of the Centre for the Study of Islam and the Middle East
• Bani Dugal, UN principal representative of the International Baha’i Community
• Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
• Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan, Pakistan Minister of State for Information Technology & Telecommunication
• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, President of the Zaytuna College
• Nasereldin Haghamed, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide
• Swami Agnivesh, President Emeritus, World Council of Arya Samaj
• Ally Martina Clark, Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace

Support global efforts to advance access to justice by signing the Declaration online.

International Bridges to Justice extends its warmest thanks to the Guerrand–Hermès Foundation for Peace for supporting the event.

 Photos courtesy of Irene Hell from “Friends in Media e.V.”

Tarzisius Caviezel, Mayor of Davos — “The Grosse Stube in the Town Hall of Davos dates from 1564. I hope that this time and the historical surroundings give strength and penetrating power in your work on justice. Thank you for having chosen Davos and our Town Hall for the signing of the Declaration on Access to Justice to Prevent Torture.”

Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship; Advisory Board Member of International Bridges to Justice  —  “Three common values that we all share are; First, to respect the dignity of each individual and the diversity of mankind; Second, community over self-interest; And third, to be a steward for the next generation, a steward for intergenerational values. In particular, IBJ is attached to the first value – to give people their dignity. IBJ gives people who are arrested their dignity. This is something I wholeheartedly support. I see that there is a lot to do, but I also see a lot of passion and compassion. And that is what is needed.”

Reverend Karen I. Tse, Founder and CEO of International Bridges to Justice — “Today we have all come together, from many parts of the world, to gather for something that is beautiful; To support defenders as keepers of the dream. IBJ started with lawyers working to give peace, justice and protection. But there is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and we see the same with the work of IBJ. Here in Davos is also a village. Religious leaders, technology ministers, the mayor, the students – you have all come together to make the dream happen. We know that if we work together, if we commit, if we act, it can be done. That ending investigative torture can be done. This declaration is more than just signing a piece of paper: It is a declaration of commitment, our commitment to place whatever gift we have into the greater whole.”

Bani Dugal, UN principal representative of the International Baha’i Community — “The international community has a key role to play in mitigating the suffering of ordinary people. In the future, it won’t be possible for a small group to decide the future of humanity. Everyone, every group, every individual, must take ownership of this issue and do what they can to advance justice.”

Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and ICT, Government of Rwanda — “Many of you know Rwanda as the country of a thousand hills and a million smiles. But you also know that 22 years ago, this country was reduced to ashes and blood. The genocide left hundreds of thousands of survivors in need of justice. After the genocide, if we had not placed human dignity first, torture would have been used as the easiest and cheapest way of getting information. And we know that the one thing that you cannot get with torture is the truth. Today, even the poorest people in Rwanda have access to justice. And if Rwanda can do this, every country in the world can do this.”

Ayatollah Dr. Ahmad Iravani, President of the Centre for the Study of Islam and the Middle East — “This is a great job that IBJ is doing, access to justice to people who are tortured. According to Islamic law, the most important task is to do justice and be just. If you go back to the Koranic verses, there are tens of hundreds of verses that emphasize the importance of justice. There are millions of people who face injustice at every moment – prisoners, the homeless, those who do not have the basic needs of a human being. Justice is at the core of everything. So we ask that God fills our hearts with love and the desire to help human beings.”

Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches — “Justice is a gift, a gift that comes with life. No matter where someone is living, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, age, community, race, or nation, we are all given the gift of justice; and the responsibility to maintain this gift of justice for everyone else. We are with IBJ, with those who are tortured, and those who are at risk of being tortured, in our thoughts and in our prayers.”

Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan, Pakistan Minister of State for Information Technology & Telecommunication — “When Karen first reached out to me, I was in Pakistan, and the mission she described was something I thought was required to be done. What IBJ is doing should be available in every country. Why should we restrict it to certain places and not reach out to the people who need the help of IBJ the most? We will work together with IBJ in Pakistan. We will work for the girls, we will work for the women, we will work for the needy, we will work together for all those who need us most. If there is justice in society available to everyone, one thing becomes guaranteed: peace becomes our friend and peace is what we are all looking for around the globe.”

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, President of the Zaytuna College — “Justice always has to be understood within the context of mercy. It is so important that we cultivate in our young people a sense of mercy and empathy. Aristotle said that societies collapse when philia diminishes – philia, the brotherly love that holds and binds people together. Mercy and the cultivation of mercy is something that our world is sorely lacking in many places right now. And when people torture other people, it is because they lack this moral sentiment. And so we remember that God commands to justice, but he also commands to mercy.”

Nasereldin Haghamed, CEO of Islamic Relief Worldwide — “Justice cannot happen when space for civil society is shrinking. We are at a difficult time when our work is being challenged; when lots of people, women, children, refugees, are abused and left behind. But working together, with other faiths, other organizations, we can bring peace to these communities.”

Swami Agnivesh, President Emeritus, World Council of Arya Samaj — “If we cannot stand up for justice for others, we cannot expect justice for ourselves. So we need to speak here and now because if we do not, then we risk our own lives. In pure self-interest, we should all unite in one voice to say no more torture. If we really mean business, we need to join hands and hearts and all we can mobilize. And International Bridges to Justice should become the rallying point for each one of us. Because without justice there can be no peace, without justice it is a hollow peace, the peace of the graveyard. So I call on us all to stand up for justice together.”

Bhavani Khemka, International Bridges to Justice Youth Initiative — “I have been working with IBJ since I was in high school. I organized peace vigils at my school in Singapore and worked in six different locations in Cambodia to create video stories of those who have been wrongly accused of crimes. These are people who have been saved by IBJ’s lawyers from torture, as thousands of others have been saved across the world.”

Trevor Winstral, Die Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule (SAMD) — “In the world I see problems that appear too big to tackle. Each solution offered seems to have an insurmountable impediment, whether that be money or power, or anything else. The only type of solution I can see possibly working is a solution in which the problem is concretely defined and which appeals to basic human values. IBJ is one such solution. When I see an insurmountable obstacle, IBJ sees the solution, IBJ sees hope.”

Attendees listening to speakers during the event.

Speakers and attendees gather after the signing of the Declaration.

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, signs the Declaration during the WEF Annual Meeting

 Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Gavi Board Chair and former Finance Minister of Nigeria, contributes her support

Karen Tse, in Kandal Prison, Cambodia, in April 2012.

When Karen Tse, a San Francisco public defender, arrived in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia to train defense lawyers in 1994, one of the first things she wanted to know was how criminal cases were investigated. When she asked her trainees, “there was silence,” Ms. Tse recalls. Suspects always came with confessions, the lawyers explained, making investigations unnecessary.

All too often, those confessions—true or otherwise—resulted from abuse in custody, even in cases involving children. Ms. Tse met a 12-year-old Cambodian boy in jail after he’d been severely beaten into confessing to the theft of a bicycle; he had no prospects for a trial. In places where the rule of law is weak, Ms. Tse says, “torture is the cheapest form of investigation.”

She spent three years in Cambodia, where the public defenders she trained made history when a theft case against a vegetable seller was thrown out by a judge who agreed, after seeing cigarette burns on the vendor’s body, that her confession had been extracted under duress. Ms. Tse then returned to the U.S., earned a degree from Harvard Divinity School and, in 2000, founded International Bridges to Justice, or IBJ, a nonprofit organization that promotes judicial reform and advocates for systematic, early access to counsel for prisoners.

The Geneva-based group—supported over the years by foundations, private donations, the U.N., the State Department and others—works in Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, India, China and Cambodia. It has trained 22,000 defense lawyers, most of them in China, and launched rights awareness campaigns that it says reach 25 million people. The group also trains police and works with activists and legal defenders in 37 countries through its “JusticeMakers” program, which supports innovative approaches to criminal justice reform.

Most countries where torture occurs already have laws on the books mandating the right to counsel and the right not to be tortured. Improving public awareness of these laws and ensuring early access to competent defense lawyers significantly reduces abuse in detention, Ms. Tse says. Between 2001 and 2012, the torture rate for prisoners represented by IBJ-affiliated lawyers, who work in 22 of Cambodia’s 25 provinces, dropped from nearly 100% to just 1.3%, the group says.

Karen Tse, in Kandal Prison, Cambodia, in April 2012.

Most of the world’s 3.2 million people now imprisoned and awaiting trial “are not political prisoners,” Ms. Tse notes. Unlike dissidents, whose high-profile cases often may catch the eye of human rights defenders, “these are everyday, average, poor people,” accused of petty or violent crimes. They are also among the least likely to have access to a lawyer or to know their rights. “The majority of people who are tortured in the world are the poorest of the poor,” Ms. Tse says.

Ms. Tse, 50, is a Cleveland native, a mother of two and the daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong. She is also an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. “Traditionally, the way people deal with human rights is after torture and violations have occurred,” she says. “We’re about prevention. We want to make sure darkness doesn’t have the final word.”

« Plus de 800 personnalités influentes se réunissent pour préparer l’avenir, élargir les possibilités et en créer de nouvelles. La Conférence Mondiale WIN inspire, donne du contexte, des outils, de la connaissance et un important réseau de soutien pour que les femmes intègrent leurs valeurs féminines aux toutes leurs activités et qui suscitent une forte prise de conscience globale » {1}

Karen était membre lors de la Conférence WIN d’un panel comprenant Maggy Barankitse, Lorella Zanardo, et Anke Domscheit-Berg et elle a ainsi pu parler du travail qu’elle réalisait avec IBJ. Lors de cet évènement elle a reçu le prestigieux Prix WIN qui vise à récompenser les femmes remarquables chaque année.

Regardez aussi les commentaires des suiveurs de Karen sur Twitter!

{1} http://www.winconference.net/WINConference/P_Home/OAwAAH1LT2tQbVFheVZhcFhCCQA

“More than 800 leaders from across the world, join together to prepare for the future, expand possibilities and realize new opportunities. WIN inspires, provides context, tools, knowledge and a generous network of support for women to contribute authentically, integrating their feminine values and global awareness into all that they do.” {1}

Karen was invited to speak about her work on a panel of the WINConference’s “most inspirational women” alongside Maggy Barankitse, Lorella Zanardo, and Anke Domscheit-Berg. That night Karen was chosen for the prestigious WIN Award,  given to one “outstanding and inspiring woman” each year.

Twitter was buzzing with picture and quotes from Karen’s address!

{1} http://www.winconference.net/WINConference/P_Home/OAwAAH1LT2tQbVFheVZhcFhCCQA

Panellists and moderator for the Security and Law Enforcement Panel

Last week, Karen Tse, CEO and founder of International Bridges to Justice, made an important contribution to the discussion on how law enforcement and human rights can effectively coexist, at the World Justice Forum in The Hague. The World Justice Forum, organized by the World Justice Project, took place between the 8^th and 11^th of July 2013. This dynamic and innovative forum brought together diverse professionals and academics from across the world to discuss issues concerning the implementation of justice and the rule of law. Karen spoke on the panel on Security and Law Enforcement, contributing insight on IBJ’s successful global work on fighting the use of torture as an investigative tool.

Karen was joined by a diverse and stimulating group of panellists; Kiran Bedi, former Director General of the Indian Police Service; and Innocent Chukwuma, Regional Representative of the Ford Foundation from Nigeria. The session was opened by Alejandro Hope, Security Policy Analyst from IMCO & México Evalúa, who acted as a moderator for the panellists.

Karen, drawing on IBJ’s experience of working with the police to break the narrative which presents human rights defenders and police officers as each others’ enemies,  recounted her experience training law enforcers in Cambodia which inspired her to found IBJ 12 years ago. At this time, torture was routinely used in Cambodian police stations as an investigative tool. By discovering the genuine will of law enforcers to move forward from the brutal Khmer Rouge regime where torture was used systematically, Karen was able to train hundreds of police officers in lawful methods of investigation. This experience formed a precedent for IBJ’s global work in ending torture.

The success of working together with police officers to stop torture has been evident in the positive changes in the countries where IBJ operates. “The journey of IBJ has been remarkable”, Karen explained, “IBJ has been embraced in all the countries where we’ve worked”. Recently, in Myanmar in June 2013, Karen met with the Chief of Police who overtly requested to find out how IBJ can help stop torture taking place in police stations across the country. Karen concluded that IBJ’s global achievements have shown that as long as people and communities have the will to move forward, we have the power to create, transform and reform.

The other panellists also embraced the topic with thought-provoking speeches. Innocent Chukwuma from the Ford Foundation presented a stimulating argument on the indispensible importance of informal justice and policing systems in security and law enforcement. These speeches inspired many interesting questions amongst the audience.

Ultimately, Karen’s contribution at the World Justice Forum proved that not only does IBJ’s practical model for bridging law enforcement and human rights continue to actively contribute to realizing justice worldwide, but IBJ also plays a leading role in the theoretical dialogue which frames current debates on strengthening the rule of law around the world.

Karen Tse inpires the audience at the World Justice Forum

Contributed by Eva Steketee

There were some shocking tales as well as some stories of hope. The youngest juvenile prisoner we met was a 14-year-old boy, Sophea. He had been in prison for over one month without the knowledge of his legal rights, or his right to a lawyer. What is most disturbing is the fact that, given his age, Sophea was likely sacrificed to the justice system to resolve a dispute between two families – a frighteningly common practice in Cambodia. Furthermore, under Cambodia law a trial cannot proceed for juvenile cases without a lawyer. Without IBJ’s intervention Sophea would have remained unrepresented and in detention for months, unable to attend school. It is likely that he would have only been appointed a lawyer at the final stage of the legal process, leaving very little opportunity to investigate the facts of the case or establish innocence. Without a lawyer Sophea’s case would be delayed, making him particularly vulnerable to excessive pre-trial detention. After our visit to the prison, Sophea now has been assigned a lawyer, a voice to advocate on his behalf and more importantly provide him with hope.

What was really special about the day was Karen’s energy that resulted in the most beautiful smiles and a room full of laughter. It was great to see the young boys return to their youthful playfulness and the women laughing and clapping. These moments of joy were a stark contrast to our surroundings. Vandeth’s hard work and Karen’s tenacity is an example of how IBJ provides hope. Their humbling but inspirational belief that we can and will succeed was shown in every smile and heard through every laugh. The impact and hope that IBJ brings to people lost in the darkest parts of the prison system was truly moving.

* Kate Flower is a volunteer with the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) Program. The AYAD Program is part of Australian Volunteers for International Development, an Australian Government, AusAID initiative.

Karen Tse, IBJ’s founder and CEO, and Daniel R. Fung, Chair of the Board of Directors, travelled to Cambodia to meet with the IBJ staff to collaborate and improve skills.  On April 7, 2012 eight lawyers and five investigators met at the IBJ office in Phnom Penh.  The day was divided into three parts: blessing by the monks, defender skills training, and visioning for IBJ’s future in Cambodia.  Throughout the day there was a common theme – how can IBJ provide competent and comprehensive legal aid to all Cambodian citizens?

The first stop was Sonsam Kosal Pagoda where 16 Khmer staff, two volunteers, Karen and Daniel gathered to participate in a blessing by the monks.  The monks blessed the staff for prosperity, luck and to strengthen IBJ in Cambodia to help all its citizens.  The blessing marked a sense of unity that was evident for the remainder of the day.

Back at the office Karen opened the session with a lively and encouraging speech that recognized all of the lawyers’ dedication and hard work. She said that the IBJ program in Cambodia can be a model for the world, “like the seed and the root which is strengthening the whole world.” Karen urged the defenders to continue to work together, strategize, multiply their resources, strengthen their skills and most importantly, to commit their hearts and minds to find a vision for the future of Cambodia.

Before moving on to the defender training, IBJ’s staff introduced themselves and described the values that drive their work. Mr Chheang Makara, Mondulkiri’s provincial lawyer, who often defends ethnic minorities, noted that the Street Law Training Sessions have raised awareness about IBJ’s work among institutions throughout the province. He further expressed his pride and commitment in being an IBJ lawyer.

Mr Kin Vibol, Takeo’s provincial lawyer said:

“I have many reasons that motivate me to work for IBJ. The first is to provide pro bono defense to the poor. Without my defense, my clients would be given the maximum sentence, which in most cases is unfair. If my clients are innocent, I aim to prove this and have them acquitted. IBJ has been increasingly recognized by competent authorities throughout Takeo and Kampot as well as by the local people. This awareness is due to our Street Law Trainings and by word-of-mouth. I have direct contact with the police who can contact me by phone at any time. Having direct access to our clients held in police custody provides a real opportunity to prevent them from being tortured and guarantees their right to a fair trial. This is IBJ’s mission and purpose.”

Daniel then met the group for the first time and voiced his happiness to be back in Cambodia.  He marvelled at the huge amount of progress the country has made since his last visit twelve years ago. Daniel stressed the importance of the rule of law and an effective judicial system as an essential key to a functioning society.  In order to strengthen the defenders, Daniel then demonstrated his impressive legal skills to improve the trial skills of the IBJ lawyers.  He focused on the importance of cross-examination with the prosecution’s witness and the art of establishing the truth and eliminating prejudices by introducing a different perspective of the facts to arrive at this truth.

After lunch the lawyers were asked to look at two case studies: murder and assault.  They were asked to raise the line of defense that they thought would assist the accused and establish the truth.  Daniel provided them with many thought-provoking questions that prompted strong answers. In both cases the lawyers provided a number of convincing arguments that would help prove their client’s innocence. Daniel was very impressed by the responses. The defenders were then put through an interactive role-play to demonstrate the lessons learnt from Daniel’s lesson.

The final session was a vision exercise that took the lawyers 12 years into the future.  Karen asked the question: what do you want legal aid in Cambodia to look like in 12 years?  The staff split into three groups of four, and each group drew their vision for IBJ in 2024. The responses were amazing.  The first group drew a dove as a symbol of peace and dignity through recognition of the rights of the accused and a right to a fair trial.  The second group described IBJ’s work as the rising sun as they aspired to have quality legal aid available to all, end torture, eliminate poverty and eliminate all forms of corruption and have Cambodian known as a “state of law.”  The third group focused on legal empowerment of all Cambodians, so that they know their rights and the law.  They also want Cambodia’s judicial system to strengthen, and specifically the relationships between defense lawyer and justice stakeholders.  All groups wished for legal aid to be present in all 24 Cambodian provinces to ensure that there was early systematic legal aid representation for all Cambodian citizens.

Daniel, Karen and Vandeth closed the day with thanks and words of encouragement. Karen said that she was so inspired to hear all their dreams for the future.

“Listening to you I realize one thing, I realize that you are writing history, not only with each case—case by case—that you stand for, but you are writing history because your vision is more grand than only your individual cases. Your vision is how to institute systematic early access to a lawyer in Cambodia. And we realize that you are taking steps and you may not reach your dream today or tomorrow, not even next month, maybe not even next year , but I promise you that if we all work together in this room, by the year 2024 this will not be a dream. You, we, I, all of us together will have participated in and created this historic effort. Bring your light to the darkest corners of the provinces and prisons. I want to thank you for bringing the light, not only in Cambodia but throughout the whole world.”

After a long, successful and fulfilling day, a group picture was taken and the defenders went home to start preparing themselves for the Khmer New Year.

* Kate Flower is a volunteer with the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) Program. The AYAD Program is part of Australian Volunteers for International Development, an Australian Government, AusAID initiative.

IBJ Founder and CEO Karen Tse will deliver IBJ’s message to Stop Torture in the 21st Century at TED Global on Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 2:15pm-4:00pm (Edinburgh, BST/GMT+1).

In too many countries, it’s still normal to torture prisoners for confessions and information. Karen Tse works to end that.

A former public defender, Karen Tse developed an interest in the intersection of criminal law and human rights after observing Southeast Asian refugees held in a local prison without trial, often tortured to obtain “confessions.” In 1994, she moved to Cambodia to train the country’s first core group of public defenders. Under the auspices of the UN, she trained judges and prosecutors, and established the first arraignment court in Cambodia.

In 2000, Tse founded International Bridges to Justice to help create systemic change in criminal justice and promote basic rights of legal representation for defendants on the ground. Her foundation complements the work of witness groups, who do the equally vital work of advocacy, reports, photographs. Tse’s group helps governments build new systems that respect individual rights. In IBJ’s first years, she negotiated groundbreaking measures  in judicial reform with the Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian governments. It now works in sixteen countries, including Burundi, Cambodia, China, Rwanda, India and Zimbabwe.

She says: “I believe it is possible to end torture in my lifetime.”

For more information, visit Ted Global.