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Law and Criminal Justice - 1997-1999
Program Coordinator: Fuad Suleymanov
In developing law programs, OSI-Azerbaijan keeps the following goals in mind: promote legal reform, support development of democratic institutions and civil society, promote respect for and protection of human rights, and promote dissemination of legal information.
The Law/Criminal Justice Program's mission of OSI-Azerbaijan is intended to the overall effort to bring the law closer to the people in everyday life. Specific focus remains on:
- legal education,
- human rights,
- rule of law,
- democracy,
- criminal justice and judiciary,
- anti-corruption and transparency.
Legal information
Within the legal information project there have been several activities to distribute information and inform people about their legal rights:
- Organized the production and distribution of informational 'wallet cards' dedicated to voters' and citizens' rights
- Organized and provided wide public access to the database, "Legislation of Azerbaijan" in an ON-LINE regime for the Businessman's Bulletin Publishing House.
- Organized the distribution of Human rights Books to local Human rights NGO's.
- Organized Human Rights Clinics and Training
- Established a resource center uniting 12 of the major Human Rights NGO's.
Legal education
Several programs within the Legal education program were in conjunction with COLPI (Constitutional and Legal Policy Institute). Together, we worked to promote the law industry and to bring those interested closer to law programs. OSI-Azerbaijan and supported the following initiatives of the program:
- Textbook donations and translation (together with COLPI)
- Provision of legal scholarships for graduate law programs.
- Training for young law professors (together with COLPI)
- Clinical legal education.
Khazar University won a grant from OSI-Azerbaijan to begin a clinical legal education program.
Free legal aid
Legal aid is an important way to promote a civil society. OSI-Azerbaijan's legal aid program encompassed three areas in conjunction with the Azerbaijan Democracy Development Foundation:
- Set up free legal aid clinic in Baku and 2 mobile legal aid services to the regions and to refugee camps. Three teams of lawyers working under one coordinator also have been organized to run the clinic.
- Developed a draft NGO law: working with the parliament, law drafters in the presidential office, and NGOs, OSI-Azerbaijan developed both a law as well as recommendations for changes to the tax code and various other codes.
- Legal and other services for NGOs: a series of seminars were conducted on issues such as NGO registration, tax reporting, etc. In addition, a NGO information insert was placed in one of the national newspapers, which will serve to advertise NGO activity and also provide NGOs with current legal and other information.
Human Rights
Together with the Library program, the foundation has set up libraries that have various books and periodicals dealing with Human rights. In addition, books have been sent to local Human rights NGO's.
NGO law reform.
The foundation co-funded a project in 1997 with UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) to provide technical assistance to the Parliament in drafting a new NGO law. OSI and UNHCR worked with ICNL (International Center for Not-for-Profit Law), who developed a draft law in January 1998.
Anti-corruption program
An Azeri man, Ogtay Gamidov, won a grant from the foundation in early 1998 to establish an anti-corruption center, open a hotline, and print articles in local newspapers on corruption and the harmful effect of corruption.
- 1997 Program Expenses: USD 1,116
- 1998 Program Expenses: USD 55,831
- 1999 Program Expenses: USD 175,472
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