Through JustGiving, you can now make a small donation to ensure that Chanlina, a 13 year-old girl currently detained at a prison in Cambodia, is released and able to go back to school. JustGiving is a global social platform for giving that makes a real difference to causes everywhere.

Despite her young age, Chanlina has currently spent over eight months in a cell along with 87 other prisoners awaiting trial for a crime that she did not commit. In Cambodia, the minimum age for detention is 14 years old, however, since Chanlina is adopted and has no birth certificate to establish her true age, she is being charged as an adult. She passes each day in her cell with no friends, little food, no schooling for her illiteracy, and “feels as if [she] has no purpose”.

After meeting with Chanlina and her adopted mother, IBJ Cambodia’s country manager Ouk Vandeth decided to represent Chanlina on a pro bono basis. Due to the continued postponement of her trial date, Chanlina continues to sleep alone on little more than a plastic bag spread out on the concrete floor of her crowded cell.

Just a small donation can change Chanlina’s life. With your support, we can get Chanlina out of prison, reunite her with her desperate mother, and get her back to school.

Visit JustGiving and donate now.

Some names have been changed to protect privacy.

17 September 2014

On September 17, 2014, we went to Prey Veng province to visit Theara, a former IBJ client recently released after being acquitted. Theara’s house is only 40 kilometers away from IBJ’s provincial Defender Resource Center, yet it took us nearly three hours to drive there  considering the rain and mud. IBJ Lawyer Mr. Prak Phin and his assistant Mr. Leang Sina drove us through many green paddy fields until we finally arrived in the early afternoon where we met Theara with his family to tell us his story.

On the road to the village

Back on December 17, 2013, Theara and his wife suddenly woke up at 8: 30pm after hearing a gunshot. His mother in law, living in the house next door, wanted to see what was happening and Theara’s wife asked him to go with her mother. When they arrived at the neighbor’s house where the noise had come from, a lot of villagers were already there. A group of four men had apparently gone into the house with guns to rob the owners. They kicked the husband, bound his hands and threatened his wife, asking for her jewelry and cash. According to the victims, they stole a total of 12 million riels (about 3,000 US$) and an additional 1,545 US$.

By the time the villagers and later the police officers arrived at the scene, the four men were already gone. Nevertheless, the victim’s wife said she recognized Theara as one of the men who had just robbed her. She said that she heard the perpetrators speaking in a particular dialect which was, according to her, only known by Theara in the village.

Theara and his two daughters in front of their house

With no further investigation, the police officers arrested Theara and took him to the police station for further interrogation. While in police custody, the officers told Theara to confess and demanded to know the names of the other perpetrators. When he denied being involved, they started to kick his left leg, which was already weak, again and again for several hours. No one informed him about his right to a lawyer and he had never heard of legal aid services. After two days in police custody, Theara was sent to Prey Veng prison where he endured an overcrowded cell and harsh conditions.

This story shows once again how proper investigation techniques in Cambodia are less often used. Due to a lack of means and will, arresting someone and making him/her confess is still the more convenient and cheapest way of solving a crime for the police.

After a few months in prison, a court clerk finally asked Theara if he had a lawyer. As he did not, the investigating judge appointed him IBJ Lawyer Mr. Prak Pin. The first time they met, Theara felt stressed, but was also relieved not to be alone anymore. From the moment he met Prak Pin, he trusted him and knew he had a chance to get out of prison.

IBJ lawyer Prak Phin & Theara

On August 28, 2014, after more than 8 months of detention, the trial finally took place. Theara was accused of theft with violence, punishable by imprisonment from three to ten years according to article 357 of the Cambodian Criminal Code. The IBJ defense lawyer brought exculpatory pieces of evidence before the court, including 8 eyewitnesses, one of which was the victim’s aunt, and 58 villagers’ testimonies (including the village and commune chiefs) attesting to Theara’s alibi and innocence.

On September 3, 2014, the judge issued his verdict: Theara was acquitted. He was released five days later. He immediately went to take care of his mother in Battambang province (450 km from Prey Veng) who had fallen ill while he was in prison. Theara is now taking care of his mother and working to cure his left leg before returning back to work as a fruit picker in a few months.

While Theara was detained, his 16 and 17 year old daughters had to work at a factory to support the rest of the family, including a three year old baby, while his wife was forced to take out a loan.

Though he is now back in his village, he has yet to see the neighbors who accused him of theft and is afraid of meeting them again.  “I have a family to feed and a loan to reimburse, so I need to work as soon as possible and avoid problems.” Unfortunately, this is also the reason why he will not be suing his neighbors for compensation or prosecute the police for ill-treatment.

Prak Phin, provincial lawyer (right) and Leang Sina, provincial investigator (left)

Theara is very thankful to IBJ and their defense lawyers. He concluded by saying “ {An} IBJ lawyer found justice for me. I {could} never thank you enough. Without a lawyer, I would probably still be in prison. IBJ offered me a rebirth!”

growth as a defense lawyer”

Chinese Lawyer Ge Chunrong

Although IBJ’s Defender Resource Center in Northwest China has only been operating for three years, there have already been notable improvements in the quality of representation and the confidence of criminal defense attorneys who have attended IBJ trainings. One attorney shared her gratitude toward IBJ in a six-page letter, which bore the heading: “IBJ, my mentor and friend in my growth as a defense lawyer; thank you for all your help.”

In the letter, Ge Chunrong detailed her history as an attorney. She began practicing law in 2001 and in 2005 began volunteering with the Shaanxi Women’s Federation to serve those in need. The problem, she explained, was that at the time she began, there was a lack of skills trainings. Lawyers like her were ill-equipped to properly defend their clients. This changed three years ago when Ge met IBJ. She has since attended 10 IBJ trainings and workshops. In her words, “The defense skills and ideology IBJ passed to me revitalized me and broadened my way of thinking,” helping her to achieve positive results in many of her cases.

Ge’s letter listed in detail the skills that IBJ has imparted to her, including respect for clients, client interviewing techniques, and how to investigate client backgrounds in order to apply for bail. She further praised IBJ for bringing together all judicial stakeholders to bring about change: “IBJ sets up bridges for all sections of judicial departments and builds platforms for the Public Security Bureau, prosecutors, judges, and lawyers to sit together to communicate and promote the mutual understanding and support of each other. Communication is the best way to solve problems.”

Finally, Ge described how she recently defended a death penalty case successfully, using the skills she learned from IBJ. A young man was charged with intentional murder of his father. Ge took the case from the District Court all the way to the Supreme People’s Court, tirelessly gathering evidence and fighting for her client. Several times, the client lost hope and wanted to end his life, but Ge gave him courage. In the end, she was able to prove that the death had been an accident, thus sparing her client execution. She said, “IBJ’s trainings not only gave me the skills to use, but also gave me the spirit of persistence to fight for the interests of my clients.”

Ge Chunrong is one of many legal professionals trained by International Bridges to Justice in China. Your continued support, especially at this time, is what allows us to continue trainings, provide legal aid, and host rights awareness events. Please consider making a donation to support future criminal defense lawyers, and all who they service, through this link. Thank you for your generosity.

IBJ’s first lawyer training in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s 2nd largest city, in May 2011

International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) first established its Zimbabwe Country Office with the Harare-based DRC, which has quickly become a crucial legal hub for the entire nation and has consequently led to increased cooperation with local civil society. The program was established in 2008, the same year a government power-sharing agreement was signed to facilitate the adoption of new legislation, particularly in the field of human rights. This has created an unprecedented opportunity for effective human rights enforcement.

Since the beginning of this project, IBJ Zimbabwe has already come a long way. The police and prison officials have grown more accepting of lawyers’ interventions for the accused. Most notably, IBJ’s influence on Zimbabwe’s practices and legislation as evident by the institution of a free bail system, where low-level offenders are freed from pre-trial detention on condition of appearing for trial.  Your donations made this possible. Please click here to donate again and be part of their transformative work.

Quick Facts:

• 2013 Prison Population: 16,902 (129 per 100,000)
• IBJ-mobilized lawyers took on 108 pretrial detainee cases between December 2009 and October 2010
• In 2010, there was a 42% increase in IBJ-trained lawyers meeting the minimum competency standards for representation of accused persons
• Further, a 81% increase in preventing the use of coerced statements in criminal proceedings was seen
• In 2011 and 2012, IBJ lawyers represented more than 150 indigent accused who otherwise would have had no access to counsel

IBJ’s relentless fight for legal rights has been recognised in a positive light as Innocent Maja, Country Fellow, was featured as a facilitator of a January 2011 panel discussion on the abolition of the death penalty in Zimbabwe. In the same year, IBJ legal fellows appeared and were interviewed on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s SFM “Wheels of Justice” radio program, which is estimated to reach a half-million listeners. However, the IBJ program works not only on the national level, but takes measures to reach out to smaller communities in remote, rural provinces.

At the September 2014 roundtable meeting, the IBJ Zimbabwe fellows were able to address the main causes of the rise of corruption in the system such as poor remuneration for legal practitioners and other key justice stakeholders, general decline in morals and ethics, a culture of greed and self-enrichment, poverty, and abuse of power by state officials.

In order to consolidate and sustain progress through this next phase, IBJ has defined three imperatives for its future work in Zimbabwe:

• Expand the Defender Resource Centers to meet the country’s legal representation needs
• Continue and expand capacity building training of legal professionals
• Expand the reach of legal rights awareness campaigns to empower indigent Zimbabweans to claim their rights

This is why we are calling for your donations to IBJ Zimbabwe this week. Your continued support for International Bridges to Justice and IBJ Zimbabwe is the only way we can guarantee all citizens the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial throughout the country. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity.

For more on the Zimbabwe Program:

http://www.ibj.org/where-we-work/zimbabwe/

http://www.ibj.org/category/programs/zimbabwe/

http://www.ibj.org/meet-ibj/our-team/team-zimbabwe/

Burundian Lawyers following one of IBJ’s eLearning Modules

International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) has been providing early access to council in Burundi since 2006, with the establishment of a Defender Resource Center (DRC) that now covers 9 of the 17 provinces.

Since the establishment of a DRC in the capital city of Bujumbura, IBJ has developed strong relationships with the Minister of Justice and other key justice stakeholders of the Burundi Bar Association. In April 2009, a revised version of the Burundi Penal Code was ratified, criminalizing the use of torture, when our DefenseWiki became available to justice officials through IBJ’s DRC in Bujumbura. Since then, over 400 justice sector professions have participated in DRC trainings and roundtable discussions.

 Quick Facts: 

• IBJ lawyers have handled 360 cases with a 30% acquittal rate
• 60% increase in access to lawyers for those in policy custody
• 8 imprisoned children have received legal aid within the last few months
• IBJ lawyers and advocates make weekly visits to educate prisoners about their basic legal rights
  • 14 rights awareness campaigns held: 13,000 “Know Your Rights” posters distributed, reaching over 31,000 individuals
  • 85% of individuals educated by rights awareness campaigns agree they are in a better position to ask for the respect of their rights in case of arrest

Lawyers, Judges, and Police Officials come together for Roundtable Discussions

In 2010, President Pierre Nkurunziza ordered the immediate release of hundreds of prisoners from the overcrowded prisons. The incorporation of an IBJ rights awareness slogan into Article 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code signed in 2013,  shows to what extent Burundi’s government is interested in further developing our programming on the national level.

Despite IBJ’s substantial progress, the country is still estimated to have only around 300 lawyers to serve a population of approximately 9 million. The prison population has recently reached 11,000, with the majority of inmates unable to afford legal representation.

IBJ Burundi will continue to train judicial officials on all aspects of the legal process and provide legal aid for minorities, minors, and vulnerable people. It’s time to take the success of IBJ Burundi’s programming in Bujumbura and implement it countrywide!

Thank you in advance for helping to bring universal access to legal aid in Burundi. Join the #SEChallenge and donate today!

« 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

Campagne de sensibilisation aux droits légaux d‘IBJ

Les prisonniers étudient un manuel

Les avocats d’IBJ ont répondu aux questions et facilité la discussion

Les femmes et les hommes prisonniers de tous âges y ont participé

Les photos ont été généreusement fournies par Kan Seng Houth.

IBJ Legal Rights Awareness Campaign

Prisoners review information packets

IBJ Legal Fellows answered questions and facilitated discussion

Male and female prisoners of all ages participated

Photos generously provided by Kan Seng Houth.

septembre 2014

M. Kheng et Nou Chandeth, un avocat d’IBJ

En juin 2013, dans la province de Kampong Thom, Kheng [1] venait de quitter la maison de sa mère à moto lorsqu’il fut arrêté par la police. Ne comprenant pas ce  qu’il se passait, il se débattu avec les policiers qui essayaient de l’arrêter. Les policiers l’ont ensuite mis en garde à vue et interrogé. Il apprit alors qu’il était accusé de vol avec violence, crime commis la veille dans la province voisine de Siem Reap. Kheng, qui n’avait jamais entendu parler de ce vol, n’était en aucun cas impliqué dans l’incident. Alertés par leurs collègues de Siem Reap, les policiers de Kampong Thom étaient à la recherche de suspects et ont décidé d’arrêter Kheng probablement parce que celui-ci avait déjà été jugé pour port d’arme illégal dans le passé.

Pendant la garde à vue,  la victime du vol fut convoquée pour identifier le suspect. Elle a clairement affirmé que Kheng n’était pas l’auteur du vol, déclarant qu’il ne lui ressemblait pas du tout.  Les policiers ont néanmoins décidé de garder Kheng en garde à vue afin de pouvoir continuer à  l’interroger. Kheng leur répéta qu’il ne savait rien et qu’il revenait simplement  de la maison de sa mère au moment de l’arrestation. Les policiers ont tout de même affirmé dans leur rapport que Kheng était l’auteur du crime, qu’il avait avoué et plaidait coupable.  Lorsqu’ils lui ont demandé de signer le rapport Kheng n’a pas réussi à le lire tant la pièce était sombre et ses yeux enflés du fait de l’altercation lors de son arrestation. Il n’eut d’autre choix que de le signer, sans pouvoir le lire correctement  et fut donc placé en  détention provisoire.

Heureusement, Kheng avait entendu parler d’IBJ à la radio lors d’une émission expliquant le rôle de l’avocat de la défense et de la possibilité de demander une assistance juridique dans l’un des bureaux provinciaux d’IBJ (Defender Resource Center). Après deux mois de détention provisoire, il put finalement demander à sa famille de contacter l’avocat d’IBJ basé dans la province de Kampong Thom qui le représenta lors de son procès en février 2014.

Le rapport de la police étant faux,  Kheng présenta sa propre version des faits lors du procès. Son avocat souleva le manque de crédibilité des preuves qui n’étaient constituées que du rapport de la police. Il appela la mère de Kheng à témoigner devant le tribunal et elle confirma qu’ils étaient ensemble avant l’arrestation. Il appela également la victime du vol qui réaffirma que Kheng n’était pas le coupable. Enfin, l’avocat d’IBJ souleva le droit à la présomption d’innocence reconnue par la Constitution cambodgienne et le Code Pénal Cambodgien. Les juges rendirent leur décision en mai 2014 et Kheng fut acquitté et libéré.

Kheng aura passé 9 mois et 21 jours en prison, dans une cellule de 10 mètres sur 5 avec plus que 60 prisonniers. Il ne pouvait voir sa famille qu’une ou deux fois par mois, pendant 15 minutes maximum. Malgré un sentiment de profonde injustice, Kheng est resté convaincu qu’il serait innocenté mais s’est beaucoup inquiété pour sa femme qui, enceinte de leur deuxième enfant, était seule à s’occuper de leur ferme.

Fort heureusement, Kheng savait qu’il avait le droit  à un avocat grâce aux émissions de radio émises par IBJ. Il est aujourd’hui très reconnaissant en vers IBJ de l’avoir aidé et ne cesse d’en parler autour de lui et d’informer ses voisins des  services d’aide juridique gratuits d’IBJ.

[1] Nom changé.