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    Rule of Law Conference in Nangarhar

    NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

    10.11.2009

    Story by Pfc. Elizabeth Raney 

    Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

    NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Members of the Afghan Legal Rights Departments and Afghan police from Nangarhar, Kunar and Laghman provinces came together for a rule of law conference at the Nangarhar governor's palace in Jalalabad district, Oct. 11.

    The intent of the conference was to discuss the strategy for improving the legal system in the region.

    The morning was filled with briefings and presentations made by U.S. and Afghan agencies and non-government organizations operating in eastern Afghanistan including representatives from the U.S. State Department, the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, and the Afghan Justice Sector Support Program.

    "The conference succeeded in bringing all of these key players together into one room," said U.S. Army Maj. Jeffrey Thurnher, Task Force Mountain Warrior's legal officer, from Woodbridge, Va. "This was the first time all of these police and judicial leaders have gathered together for a regional conference."

    After lunch, the attendees reconvened and divided into three groups. One group discussed building ties between the formal and informal legal systems. In many remote areas of Afghanistan, local elders and shura members resolve disputes and pass judgement outside the formal system of law.

    The second group discussed improving public awareness of legal rights, and the third worked on improving cooperation between prosecutors, police and courts in order to reduce arbitrary detentions.

    "The hope was to develop two or three suggestions for how to handle each of those problems and to challenge the group to begin implementing them," Thurnher said. "They discussed ways to tackle some of the most challenging problems facing the legal systems of their provinces."

    U.S. Army Capt. Craig Scrogham, a native of Richmond Hill, Ga., and Task Force Mountain Warrior's rule of law attorney, said the attendees also discussed a pilot program used in Kabul to track cases more effectively.

    Scrogham hopes the program will be available in the area soon.

    "The timing couldn't have been more perfect because all the ministries joined together in Kabul the week after the conference and signed into law the use of this case-tracking system," Scrogham said.

    "Although we certainly did not develop a comprehensive strategy with just one meeting, we took a great step toward increasing cooperation between the groups and developed some great ideas for making changes," Thurnher said.

    "We have done training for Rule of Law before, but we have never brought all of these groups together for a session before," Scrogham said. "Training normally has been specific to police or to prosecutors or to Huqooq Department officials. Being able to talk to everyone at once was one of the primary benefits of this session."

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 10.11.2009
    Date Posted: 10.26.2009 20:04
    Story ID: 40701
    Location: NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AF

    Web Views: 204
    Downloads: 172

    PUBLIC DOMAIN