IBJ’s Annual Report 2007

“American civil rights leader and Nobel Laureate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  This belief – that every individual is entitled to defend herself from injustice – is the guiding principle of our work. Access to legal counsel, protection from torture, opportunity for fair trial – these are the building blocks of human rights in the 21st century.

At International Bridges to Justice, we believe that every person sitting in custody without the assistance of a qualified defender tests a criminal justice system’s integrity.

How can we deliver justice as a matter of course? How can we help to realize the promise of the United Nation’s Convention Against Torture (CAT) and other widely ratified human rights treaties? How can we end torture as an investigative tool in the 21st Century?

IBJ’s strategy is simple: Anyone accused of a crime must be afforded legal representation shortly after arrest. Not only does such advocacy ensure that a defendant is protected from abuse; it also increases the likelihood of bail, and boosts the chances that the accused will be able to defend himself against the charges.

IBJ works with justice stakeholders committed to this goal – government offi cials, private law firms, police, and others. As one of our funders noted, “IBJ does not use advocacy as a tactic—no damning reports, no gruesome photographs, no candlelight vigils for political prisoners. Instead, [IBJ] fi ts the evolution of criminal defense into a government’s overall aspirations for social development and good international standing.”

In 2007, IBJ built on six years of success with ambitious programs in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that empowered attorneys though interactive workshops, planned pilot projects to place defenders in police stations, and brought juvenile rights to a broader audience in China through our Campaign for Youth Justice.

In 2008, we hope to bring legal counsel to more people in more countries than ever. To that end, we’re launching a new country program in India – with staff in New Delhi and West Bengal. We’re also kicking off a global competition that identifies and funds open source ideas for criminal justice reforms on a local level. Called “JusticeMakers,” the competition will extend the collaborative spirit of IBJ well beyond our current capacity for formal programming.

Together with our partners, colleagues and friends in the human rights sector, IBJ continues to move forward – affirming Dr. King’s maxim of our interconnectedness, and a belief that we will overcome. Justice can’t wait.”

Karen I. Tse 
CEO and Founder