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    Afghan officials attend justice course in Parwan

    BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

    12.27.2012

    Story by Erica Fouche 

    Combined Joint Task Force Paladin

    BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - More than 100 local Afghan prosecutors, criminal investigators, and judiciaries attended a Prosecution Support Package familiarization session at the Justice Center in Parwan Dec. 27, 2012.

    The hour-long course was hosted by Combined Joint Task Force Paladin’s theater exploitation team and provided an in-depth overview of the critical benefits of creating sustainable, quality PSPs, which include forensic and biometric data such as DNA, for judicial proceedings.

    “After the fall of the Taliban, much of our judicial structure and capabilities were gone,” said Maj. Mohammad Shukrullah, JCIP chief prosecutor. “The TEX trainings have allowed us to re-establish training and bring our capabilities to full strength. The PSP has provided guidance on how to present cases and evidence more efficiently to the court, and has made our prosecutors more knowledgeable in their trials.”

    Ray Hilburn, CJTF Paladin TEX law enforcement subject matter expert, led the familiarization course with the help of a linguist.

    “In order for fingerprint evidence and DNA matches to have legitimacy in the Afghan courts, the judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys need to understand the scientific principles behind this forensic technology,” said Hilburn, who brings more than 20 years of law enforcement experience to TEX. “The purpose of today’s session was to create a common base of knowledge among the Afghan criminal justice officials. My role is to transfer my knowledge and experience to our Afghan partners in order to improve their ability to deliver justice in Afghanistan.”

    Maj. Matthew Hill (USAF), deputy officer in charge of JCIP stressed that a key factor to remember is that Afghanistan’s system is a civil law system, as opposed to the U.S. common law system, which is adversarial and usually involves a significant amount of arguments.

    “In civil law, everyone is on an equal playing field, receiving the same case file and evidence prior to the case being indicted, so that evidence needs to be as accurate as possible,” said Maj. Hill. “We want them to see how to facilitate the training to others and they can continue the training after we leave, and we really want to make sure they understand what they’re looking at. We think they have a good grasp of it but we really want to cement it in their minds that the PSP contains very valuable evidence.”

    TEX also provides a two-day forensic evidence collection and explosive training session for Afghan judiciaries throughout Afghanistan.

    “Most of today’s attendees drove from Kabul,” said U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Burrows. “The PSP has really begun to be seen as an asset for the Afghan judicial system, so that’s why even with today’s poor weather, we’re still experiencing a great turnout. We continue seeing improvements in their dedication when representing clients and trying cases and that’s ultimately why we’re here.”

    With the combination of the two-day training sessions and continued reinforcement of the PSP, TEX leadership is confident Afghan justice officials will increase their knowledge of forensic evidence support to the Afghan legal process.

    “I am sure today’s session will leave a lasting, positive impression upon the Afghan legal system as it moves forward,” said Hilburn.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 12.27.2012
    Date Posted: 01.08.2013 07:14
    Story ID: 100070
    Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF

    Web Views: 130
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN