The Europe and Eurasia Program, also known as CEELI, was founded in 1990 as the ABA's first international technical legal assistance program. Today, the ABA has programs in nearly 20 countries in the region. These furnish technical assistance on a wide range of issues essential for further consolidation of the rule of law, including: judicial independence and effective judicial ethics regimes; adjudicating war crimes cases and increasing application of human rights norms; increasing access to justice; reforming legislation and legal institutions in countries striving for European Union accession; reforming law schools to better prepare tomorrow's legal professionals; combating corruption by adopting public integrity measures; building a "rule of law culture" by educating the public about legal rights and responsibilities; and revising procedural and substantive criminal codes to attack trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime, and other domestic and transnational crimes. Increasingly, the Europe and Eurasia program (CEELI) is working to establish "legacy" organizations that can continue to support reform after the ABA Rule of Law Initiative departs a country, as well as focusing on cementing relationships with in-country reformers with whom it can remain in contact and support after its offices close.

 

Street Law Program Helps Unite Multi-Ethnic Communities

Gulipa Kozhogulova is a resident of Yuzhny neighborhood in the southern city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan. A retired artist and chair of the Female Council of her neighborhood, she is fully engaged in raising her grandchildren. Her neighborhood is a community of low-income families with some daunting challenges. Read more »»

Defense Attorneys in Kyrgyzstan Attend Workshops on Their Safety and Protection

Since the June 2010 ethnic violence, attorneys in Kyrgyzstan have increasingly become the target of threats and physical attacks for representing politically unpopular defendants. Pressure on advocates by law enforcement officials has become a serious problem, with many advocates having been arrested and suffered premeditated violence. Read more »»

More than 400 Tajikistani Law Enforcement Officers Trained on Criminal Procedure Code

From June to November 2011, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) trained 437 Tajikistani law enforcement officers on the country's Criminal Procedure Code (CPC). The nationwide trainings focused on increasing trainees' knowledge of the code, which was adopted in April 2010, and on equipping participants with the practical skills they need to better implement it. Read more »»

Aspiring Tajikistani Journalists Trained in Investigative Reporting

To strengthen journalists’ role in providing accurate and comprehensive information about and increasing public awareness of the rule of law, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) organized an October 31 to November 2, 2011 workshop on investigative reporting for 11 aspiring Tajikistani reporters. Read more »»

Ukrainian Investigators Learn New Techniques to Combat Cyber Crime

In late November, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) offered two trainings on cyber crime investigation to 28 Ukrainian investigators. Supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and conducted in cooperation with the Microsoft Corporation, the training allowed participants to familiarize themselves with the latest technology and to learn technical computer skills from certified Microsoft experts. Read more »»

Criminal Law Encyclopedia Published in Moldova

While Moldova amended its Criminal Code in 2009, legal professionals did not have a resource providing comprehensive analysis of the updated code. To fill this gap and to help enhance legal professionals’ knowledge and understanding of the code, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) supported the publication of a criminal law encyclopedia. Read more »»

Newly Accredited Online Education Expands Professional-Development Opportunities for Lawyers

In November, Ukraine’s Higher Qualification Commission of Advocates accredited a distance learning program for lawyers. Supported by the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI), the newly introduced program will create more continuing legal education (CLE) opportunities for lawyers, especially for those in remote areas. Read more »»

Media Rights Institute of Azerbaijan Publishes a Media Law Manual

On September 24, the Media Rights Institute (MRI) of Azerbaijan published its Media Rights Manual in Baku. More than 130 journalists, lawyers—including those representing journalists prosecuted in relation to their participation in the 2011 opposition protests—and representatives of various news agencies, and local and international non-governmental organizations attended the event. Read more »»

Central Asian Lawyers Trained in International Human Rights Law

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and the International Commission of Jurists co-sponsored an October 18–23 conference on international human rights law in Geneva. A total of 20 lawyers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended the conference, which provided participants with practical training on international human rights instruments and enforcement mechanisms. Read more »»

Video: Good Morning America Anchor Takes Part in our Tajikistan Program

During a November 7 Good Morning America broadcast, ABC News anchor Ron Claiborne shared some highlights from his recent trip to Tajikistan, where he served as an expert for an ABA Rule of Law Initiative program teaching journalism techniques to students in Tajikistan. Watch video »»