Faculty from the U’s College of Law will help try to fix Afghanistan’s tarnished legal system.
As part of a new program, faculty members from the U will train Afghan prosecutors. The effort aims at creating a “fair, equitable and effective” legal system in Afghanistan, according to a press release.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced the effort at an event at the Department of State on Thursday. The program, called the Private-Public Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan, is a partnership between the state department, the Afghan attorney general and U.S. law firms and schools.
In recent years, Rice said Afghanistan has made improvements in its justice system by tackling corruption. She said the nation is still trying to recover from military conflict.
“We all remember the Afghanistan of the past — a country ravaged by war and by the Taliban’s cruelty, isolated from the world, and a haven for al-Qaida,” she said. “Establishing a fair, democratic, and transparent justice system in Afghanistan is essential to the country’s success, and we know that there is much work remaining to be done.”
The U is one of several U.S. law schools and law firms selected to help with the effort. U professors involved with the program said they expect 15 to 20 Afghan prosecutors to travel to Utah in the late spring or summer. The group will work with U faculty to develop a new training program for prosecutors back in Afghanistan.
A group of faculty might also travel to Afghanistan beforehand to assess the judicial system.
Erica George, a U law professor who specializes in human rights, said the training will be a collaborative effort. She said both sides will give input, rather than American lawyers just telling Afghans what to do.
To repair Afghanistan’s legal system, George said, the country must create respect for the rule of law — an idea which she said is unfamiliar to Afghan society.
Wayne McCormack, a U law professor, said the program will teach Afghan prosecutors ideas about U.S. legal practice that can be applied to fit their country’s needs.
“We’re not trying to impose our system on their country — that would never work,” he said.