On Thursday August 12, 2010, International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) hosted it’s 2nd Annual Gala in Singapore, Singapore. The Gala was held at the St. Regis hotel on Tanglin Road, situated in the heart of the city.The evening began with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. in the reception hall, followed by a formal seated dinner, program, speakers, as well as simultaneous live and silent auctions. Ten out of 11 of IBJ’s Justice Makers Fellows from the 2010 Asia Competition attended the Gala, and were featured guests for the evening. JusticeMakers were present from the following countries: Georgia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In addition all of IBJ’s Country Program Fellows were in attendance and honored as special guests - representing Cambodia, China, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Burundi. A significant portion of IBJ Geneva Staff was also in attendance.

Above: Bijaya Chanda - 2010 JusticeMakers Fellow India; Joyce Zhao Hao - IBJ China Country Program; Nana Chapidze - 2010 JusticeMakers Fellow Georgia; H.M. Harshi Chitrangi Perera - 2010 JusticeMakers Fellow Sri Lanka; Rosselyn Jae Garcia de la Cruz - 2010 JusticeMakers Fellow Philippines.

The Program started with a welcome address by IBJ Founder & CEO Karen I. Tse. Speakers for the night also included Kishore Mahbubani - notable academic, Professor in the field of Public Police and Dean of the Lee Kuwan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and author of “Can Asians Think?” Daniel Fung, President of IBJ’s Board of Directors, also spoke at the event and welcomed all of the guests to Singapore in support of IBJ. IBJ Country Fellows Ajay Verma from India, Joyce Zhao Hao from China, and Innocent Maja from Zimbabwe also gave inspirational and memorable speeches during the evening.

Above: Sanjeewa Liyanage -International Program Director, Geneva; Karen Tse - IBJ Founder & CEO, Geneva; Peter Kenyon - Operations Director, Geneva; Kellie Krake - Training Director, Geneva; Paul Demakis - IBJ Deputy Director, Geneva.

Above: Subhas Anandan - Senior Counsel and Senior Partner of Khattar Wong law firm and prominent Singapore criminal defense lawyer; Sanjeewa Liyanage - IBJ International Program Director, Geneva.

Above: Vivian Dinh - IBJ Volunteer Lawyer, Singapore; Jamila Willis - IBJ Volunteer Lawyer, Geneva; and Kara Nottingham - IBJ Volunteer Lawyer, Geneva.

Throughout the evening there was a silent auction taking place, where interested parties bid on a variety of goods, ranging from jewelry, art, a spa treatment at the Grant Hyatt Singapore, Golf Lessons with a Professional Golfer, Brunch for six at the exclusive Flutes Restaurant, to an Apartment Rental in a Picturesque Portuguese Costal Town and a Three-Day Porsche Rental. All of the items were auctioned off successfully.

At the end of the evening, a live auction was also held, which was hosted by well-known television personality star in Singapore. During the live auction, participants bid on items including a Week Long Vacation Home in St. Moritz, an original Diane Von Furstenberg Dress, a packaged Golf Resort Retreat, a two-night hotel stay at the St. Regis Hotel, and a designer watch.

All of the proceeds raised during both the silent and live auction will go towards running IBJ’s Global Programs and ensuring their continued sustainability and success. All goods for both the silent and live auction were donated to IBJ from various sources.

First row from left: Ajay Verma - IBJ India Country Fellow; John Boscoe Bugingo - IBJ Rwanda Country Fellow; Ouk Vandeth - IBJ Cambodia Country Fellow; Astere Muyango - IBJ Burundi Country Fellow - Kellie Krake - IBJ Training Director, Geneva; ADD; Innocent Maja - IBJ Zimbabwe Country Fellow; Paul Rickard - IBJ Cambodia Program Officer; Tay Kok Chin - IBJ Singapore Director; Second row from left: Joyce Zhao Hao - IBJ China Country Program; Vivian Dinh - IBJ Volunteer Lawyer, Singapore; Kara Nottingham - IBJ Volunteer Lawyer, Geneva; Jamila Willis - IBJ Volunteer Lawyer, Geneva; Junaid Khalid - 2010 JusticeMakers Fellow Pakistan; Paul Demakis - IBJ Deputy Director, Geneva; Bottom row from left: Chen Dong - China Country Program; Peter Kenyon - IBJ Operations Director, Geneva; Liam Hanlon - IBJ Intern, Geneva; Fanny Cachat - IBJ Africa Program Officer, Geneva; Marcus Starke, former IBJ volunteer.

Altogether, the Gala was a great success - bringing together members of the global community who are aligned in an effort to promote IBJ’s mission of eradicating torture and ensuring that every man, woman and child has access to counsel at the earliest possible stages of criminal proceedings. The Gala also served as an opportunity to unite IBJ staff and supporters, spread across different continents, and to bring everyone together to share a special evening in celebration of IBJ’s work, and the important achievements that have been made and that will continue to come. IBJ would like to thank all of the volunteers, participants, sponsors, and supporters who contributed to making this event a huge success.

Very often, lawyers feel isolated - and overwhelmed by their responsibility of people’s fundamental freedom. Bringing them together helps build the movement for legal rights in their country and around the world. The global movement for legal rights will be given a kick-start over the coming weeks, as IBJ Asia and Africa Fellows gather for a 10-day Summit in Singapore, where IBJ has recently laid the foundations of the Justice Training Center.

From August 8^th to August 14^th, eight IBJ Country Fellows from Burundi, Cambodia, China, India, Rwanda and Zimbabwe will meet to discuss a path towards their ideal of justice, receive training in criminal defense and learn from each other’s experience. The Fellows will be invited to explore their personal stories, reflect upon their motivations for pursuing a legal career and imagine an ideal justice system in their country, beyond the discouraging circumstances they sometimes face. They will then receive motivational training in legal techniques, including case strategy development and trial advocacy. These sessions will equip the Fellows with the leadership qualities they need to organize the legal community in their countries and achieve their vision for justice. Experienced Singaporean defense attorneys will engage in discussions with the Fellows to share insights about their role in the criminal justice process and their ways to overcome challenges.

Above: Bonding moments between the Fellows and IBJ Staff last year at the Fellows Summit (Photo by Sanjeewa Liyanage)

  The Country Fellows will be joined in their discussions by the eleven 2010 Asia JusticeMakers Fellows from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The JusticeMakers will give short presentations on their projects, including the challenges they face and their strategies for achieving their project objectives. The intensive, six day event will include cross-disciplinary training in areas including criminal defence skills, leadership, public speaking and negotiation skills, giving them the opportunity to strengthen the skills that will be vital to the success of their projects. Additionally, the JusticeMakers fellows will participate in sessions on fundraising, fostering motivation and harnessing volunteer resources, to arm them with the tools they need to achieve their long-term visions for criminal justice. The JusticeMakers will also be hosted by the International Relations Committee of the Law Society of Singapore, who will lead a discussion on ‘The Work of International Bridges to Justice in Developing Countries’ with the participation of Philip Jeyaretnam, one the 2010 Asia JusticeMakers Competition Judges.

Above: One of the 2010 JusticeMakers, Rasul Jafarov from Azerbaijan (center), holds a press conference to announce the start of his project which aims to educate prisoners on their right to counsel and early release.

August 12^th will mark the official welcome of the 2010 Asia JusticeMakers into IBJ Fellows Community. For the occasion, the Singaporean legal, business and diplomatic community is invited to attend a gala which will be hosted the same evening.

On Thursday, June 24th, the IBJ-Rwanda Defense Resource Center (DRC) settled into its new headquarters in Remera - a bustling corner of eastern Kigali. This opening arrives a week ahead of the 48th anniversary of Rwanda’s independence; and ten days before Rwanda’s Liberation Day - a mere 16 years ago. Though these are significant milestones for a country which has overcome unimaginable obstacles, IBJ Rwanda Fellow John Bosco Bugingo knows there is still much work to be done if Rwanda is to reach its potential.

Since its inception, the IBJ Rwanda Program was housed at the firm of the IBJ Country Fellow, Bugingo - “JB” to those who know him -with the patient acquiescence of his partners. The office kept long hours, as he transitioned seamlessly between the roles of public defender and IBJ Fellow.

The opening of the DRC is a significant achievement, and represents one of four components of the IBJ-Rwanda program. The purpose of the DRC is to provide a forum for public defenders to access legal resources, prepare cases, and seek advisement from IBJ criminal defense experts. The DRC is funded with a grant from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

The IBJ-Rwanda program also includes provisions for a criminal defense task force, which in partnership with the Kigali Bar Association and the Ministry of Justice, seeks to improve Rwanda’s legal aid capacity. Before opening the DRC, IBJ-Rwanda successfully conducted the first of many national campaigns intended to educate the citizenry of their basic legal rights. Also, the program seeks to create a core of well-trained defense lawyers through a series of special training events - the second of which occurs on July 2nd and 3rd. These are ambitious projects, which the opening of the IBJ-Rwanda Headquarters and DRC is intended to facilitate.

As the nation prepares to celebrate during the upcoming holidays, the IBJ-Rwanda staff, volunteers, and associates are continuing to pursue their mandate: to fundamentally change defense practices in Rwanda to ensure that the legal system benefits its citizens. Though less monumental than Rwanda’s Independence and Liberation Day Commemorations, the opening of the Kigali DRC is surely also worth celebrating.

Above: Building in Remera, Kigali which houses IBJ-Rwanda DRC. (Photo by Hadijah Batamuriza)

Above: Rwanda Country Fellow John Bosco Bugingo (right) and DRC Coordinator Hadijah Batamuriza (left) (Photo by Patrick Pratt)

Above: Patrick Pratt - IBJ Rwanda intern, summer 2010 (Photo by Hadijah Batamuriza)

JusticeMakers Fellow Evans Muswahili is working in Vihiga district, Kenya to reform traditional beliefs and practices in his community. He has focused his JusticeMakers project on helping women who suffer from prejudice and violence, due to the continued practices such as forced wife inheritance and underage marriage.  The work Evans is doing is vital because outdated beliefs are the main contributor to gender-based injustices. Women were previously afraid to speak out against the discrimination they faced from corrupt judicial officials, employers and village chiefs. Additionally, they had been unable to access the appropriate legal procedures, such as a fair trial, that would grant them justice.

Evans at home with his children.

Evans explained the challenges of operating in a district, such as Vihiga, that is so resolutely patriarchal. He found it difficult to convince male members of the community that his project was not disproportionately empowering women at the expense of men. Evans’ determination and efforts to convince more ‘hardliner’ males was finally rewarded as the men in Vihiga district now fully support his project. The women in Evans’ community have praised his work and the fact that they finally have someone who voices the problems they face in Kenya’s criminal justice system. On a more light-hearted note, Evans pointed out that many women laugh at the fact that it’s a male voice addressing their concerns!

Evans at a function, with one of the many women he is helping in his community.

In a major breakthrough, Evans secured a working relationship with the Provincial Administration of Vihiga district, which is the authority controlling local governance in Kenya. This gives Evans access to key actors such as chiefs, village elders, judicial officers and the administration police. Consequently, it has enabled Evans to educate members of the judicial system on their responsibilities and obligations to women through seminars. This breakthrough has also meant that Evans can establish forums in which the judicial officers, members of the public administration and the public can interact and conduct peer review of each other.

Evans at Vihiga prison.

During a meeting Evans explained the grave situation in the prison system of Vihiga district. At a 600 capacity prison there are currently 3000 prisoners locked away awaiting trials. Additionally, those who stand accused of petty crimes are sharing their cells with capital offenders. Owing to the overcrowding in prisons, many of the prisoners died. The healthcare facilities have been unable to deal with the high numbers of prisoners needing treatment for diseases such as TB and cholera. Some of the prisoners’ reactions to their dire circumstances has been violent, threatening the lives of prison wardens and fellow prisoners. Evans has been documenting and reporting on this problem, and then writing letters of petition to the prison superintendent. His efforts have led to the approval of a prison being constructed in Vihiga which will help reduce the overcrowding of the district’s prisons.

Evans plans to broadcast a two hour radio show once a week which will help raise awareness for his JusticeMakers project. He also hopes it will increase the number of people he can reach and offer help to. More details about the radio show to follow soon!

Last week, IBJ documentary journalist Danny Thiemann and I had the chance to visit two prisons in Divinopolis, Brazil, where IBJ Fellow Aziz Saliba is working on a legal justice awareness campaign. The first, Presídio Floramar, is an adult prison designed for 250 inmates, though it currently holds approximately 500. The second, Centro Socio-educativo, is a youth reeducation center that accommodates less than 50 people. Both are considered to be among the better prisons currently operating in the country.

Dr. Saliba is hoping to send his educational DVDs on the right to habeas corpus to the same prisons and the communities from where the inmates come from.

Captions written by Danny Thiemann and Michelle Ferng

Guards are posted outside a workroom at Presídio Floramar where prisoners sew uniforms for inmates across Brazil. Half the wages they earn are pocketed and the other half go towards maintaining the prison.

On the other side of the bars, prisoners work together in a common room.

A defense lawyer meets with her client. Many of inmates in Brazil are unlawfully detained yet unaware of their rights to habeas corpus, a legal action deterring the illegal imprisonment of themselves or another person.

Upon arrival at Presídio Floramar in Divinópolis Brazil prisoners are given a standard set of clothes and personal items. Individuality is far from encouraged in the adult prison, in contrast to the prison system for adolescents, where inmates between 12-18 are allowed to wear their own clothes.

A small team of professionals designs educational courses for math, reading and writing at Floramar Prison. As the picture shows classes have spotty attendance and most educational materials are re-used donated materials.

Prisoners are given time during the day to sunbathe in a courtyard at Floramar Prison in Divinópolis, Brasil. After being counted, they are allowed to move freely about the courtyard. Some chant, sing to themselves or talk with the guards, but they are on the whole much quieter than the inmates at the adolescent jail next door.

A man guards the Director of Security as he gives the IBJ team a tour of Floramar Prison in Divinópolis Brazil.

Prisoners are allowed an conjugal visit from a legally registered wife or husband every fifteen days.

From left to right: Director of Security Cabo Eduardo, Prosecutor Alessandro Garcia Silva, Prosecutor Carlos José e Silva Fortes, and Ms. Vanda, a lawyer who was meeting with clients at Floramar. The team gave IBJ journalists a tour of Floramar Prison.

A woman stands guard at Floramar Prison in Divinópolis, Brazil that holds both male and female inmates and employs both male and female guards throughout the prison.

Prisoners hang their laundry at Presídio Floramar in Divinópolis.

A woman at Floramar Prison in Divinópolis, Brazil receives some time alone in the same courtyard pictured above.

A woman looks out of her cell in Floramar Prison located in Divinópolis, Brazil. 27 female inmates are included amongst 373 male prisoners in a facility that is twice over capacity.

An inmate washes dishes in the kitchen at Floramar Prison. Administrative staff, guards, and prisoners all eat the same meal, which is prepared daily.

Racial stereotypes and racial profiling have long been issues challenging the penal systems in Brazil. In this photo a handcuffed inmate consults with his lawyer beside Floramar’s open courtyard — a rare exception, noted Dr. Saliba’s assistant, Cecilia Neves Silveira, to the race relations observed in most prisons.

General Director (right) and the Director of Security (left) at Floramar Prison, accompanied by a guard, consult in the main courtyard.


Meanwhile, across the street at the adolescent prison, a woman watches the cameras in the facility. Here, the staff is keen to reduce the presence of guards and relies more on recorded video for supervision.

A basketball court also serves as a soccer field for inmates. Administrative staff note that every time a soccer ball is shot over the prison walls, the inmates immediately go to work repairing it once the ball is retrieved because the state does not have enough resources to send new recreational materials.

An art room at Centro Socio-educativo displays inmates’ artwork, showing a range of subjects and inspirations.

A security guard tours the cells. Guards at this youth detention center do not use guns and are restricted in their ability to use physical force when enforcing compliance.

Prosecutor Carlos José e Silva Fortes extends his hand to reassure a young client at Centro Socio-educativo.

Imprisonment does not dampen the youthful spirits of inmates, as one young man reaches out spontaneously to pose for the camera.

The morning began with a session of qigong, hosted by Heim Center curator Eduardo Von Fellenberg, to focus and direct the fellows on the last day of the Summit. Much of the day was intended to aid the fellows in learning about the logistical aspects of IBJ, namely country evaluation, monitoring reports, and the importance of keeping accurate accounting records to secure long-term funders. Before heading off the International Red Cross Museum and the United Nations to celebrate the end of the summit and see some of the sights of Geneva, the Summit closed with a final feedback and brainstorming session, addressing both the challenges faced going forward and the lessons learned from the week.The common thread was the challenge faced by securing sufficient amounts of funds for criminal defense projects in each of the fellow’s countries. Picking up on the tools learned in the fundraising session, led by Pam Calhoun earlier in the week, Rwandan fellow John Bosco Bugingo brainstormed ideas on how to locally fundraise, suggesting the possibility of holding a ‘Give a Dollar for Justice’ radio spot on the local radio programs, whereby the majority of citizens in Rwanda will learn the message of IBJ and give. Burundian fellow Astère Muyango liked this idea, highlighting the importance of the radio in both fundraising and getting out the message of legal rights.The last fellow to speak was Ajay Verma, who commented on his pride in creating a ‘fellow task force,’ comprised of the six fellows present at the Summit this week.  Because of this week, Verma noted, the fellows were able to appreciate and fully understand the challenges, both alike and dissimilar amongst, of their colleagues around the world. With wide support, Verma suggested that the fellows act as a global support group to one another, continuing to be in touch with one another to discuss problems or challenges faced as they soldier on in the name of criminal justice.(Staff and Fellows listen intently to presentations on the last day of the First Annual Fellows Summit held in Geneva)

Most lawyers would consider themselves lucky to hear the experiences of practiced defense attorneys in their own countries. Few, then, ever imagine that they might be able to spend a week learning with skilled defenders from five different countries. This week, IBJ’s “Fellows“-criminal defense attorneys who are spearheading IBJ’s programs- have come together from Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Burundi, Cambodia, and India for the first-ever “Fellows Summit” at Fondation Heim in Chambésy, Switzerland, to share the wisdom drawn from their diverse international experiences.

The Fellows immediately dove into the critical issues of criminal justice in their countries. During Monday’s opening session, the Fellows took turns introducing each other to the governing rules of criminal procedure in their countries. Almost immediately after Cambodia Fellow Ouk Vandeth began his summary, the other Fellows responded eagerly with questions about the procedural protections available to Cambodian defendants. The Fellows left no stone unturned with questions ranging from the right of a detainee to access a doctor to the amount of time the police can hold a detainee in prison before appearing in court. The conversation quickly turned into a symposium on comparative criminal procedure as the Fellows took on their topic with the passion that only practitioners can bring.

After Monday’s intellectually charged discussion, the focus shifted on Tuesday to a different but equally crucial element of a criminal defender’s practice. Poet and musician Antony Hequet led IBJ in a vocal exercise that taught Fellows and staff how to use the power in their voices. The halls of Fondation Heim rang with the sounds of IBJ staff and Fellows stretching their vocal chords. India Fellow Ajay Verma and Rwanda Fellow John Bosco Bugingo stood out for their vocal prowess, especially when they faced off in a grunting match toward the end of the session that left everyone laughing.

With their understanding of criminal procedure enhanced, not to mention their ability to make themselves heard, IBJ Fellows, staff, and interns are ready to continue learning from each other throughout the remaining days of the Summit.

 IBJ Zimbabwe Fellow Innocent Maja (left) and IBJ staff plan their next move

After a successful Gala held in Bern on Saturday, today marks the start of the First Annual IBJ Fellow Summit, being held all week at the Heim Center in Geneva. After gathering the fellows and highlighting the main aims and goals of the Summit, the fellows each gave a presentation on their respective countries, highlighting the main problems faced, visions for the future, and suggestions on how to go about implementing change. While each fellow highlighted different problems, certain themes cut across cultures.

 

During the presentation, Indian fellow Ajay Verma quoted the Chief Justice of India, who stated that, while victims are the popular focus of criminal lawyers, the accused, many times are the victims themselves. The idea behind this statement is that, because of the highly prevalent rates of torture and coerced confessions in all of the countries the fellows are from, the general presumption that one is innocent until proven guilty falls by the wayside when one is accused. This reality, combined with over-populated prisons, a lack of lawyers willing to take on criminal defense cases, and institutionalized practices of torture in criminal investigations, all fellows seemed to generally agree that there was much room for reform in their respective countries.

 

While these fellows have only known each other, in most cases, for a very short amount of time, the common bond and vision of change and criminal defense reform certainly was the underlying theme of the day. As each presenter finished their presentations, the other fellows asked directed questions about their colleagues’ legal systems. The questions presented were clear indications that the fellows were intently listening to compare and contrast one another’s legal systems and challenges. What was most interesting about the questions asked was the commonality and understanding that cut across the countries.

 

While John Bosco Bugingo remarked that criminal defense cases were simply not willing to be taken on by attorneys because of the lack of money in this area of law, the rest of the fellows nodded enthusiastically, indicating that this problem ran across all systems they work in. What was also striking was the day to day difficulties criminal defense lawyers face. Many fellows remarked on the lack of Bar Association funding for pro bono defense cases, along with the apprehension of judges and police officers towards allowing the accused access to criminal defense attorneys.

 

Despite the difficulties faced, all of the fellows remain hopeful. As Karen Tse remarked at the opening of the day, the underlying theory of IBJ is that individuals can change the world, aided by the power and support of the community . As the fellows come together this week, this power is realized as communities, both global and local, come together in the name of criminal justice.  (The IBJ team - including our six country fellows - is pictured below.)