ASF at UN Congress on Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention

At the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in Doha (Qatar) until 19 April, ASF will be sharing its experience in post-conflict countries and countries in transition, during 2 side-events. The first one (on 14 April) will address the role of the justice system in democracry-building in Tunisia. The second one (on 16 April) will focus on pre-trial detention.

14 April – 5 pm. Together with members of civil society, ASF will address the role of the justice system in democracy-building in Tunisia: how is access to justice essential for sustainable development? What lessons can be drawn from the experiences of Tunisian civil society in the wake of the 2011 revolution? Will Tunisia pass the test, using access to justice to face socio-economic challenges?
With:

• Amira Yahyaoui, President of the Tunisian NGO Al Bawsala
• Mouheb Garoui,Executive Director of I Watch (the national chapter in Tunisia of Transparency International, a global movement that combats corruption)
• Katie Shay, Legal and Policy Coordinator at ICAR (International Corporate Accountabilty Roundtable)
• Shira Stanton, ASF

16 April – 3 pm. What are the socio-economic issues and consequences of a systematic and abusive use of detention before judgment? What are the ways forward tested on the ground which could help reduce the number of arbitrary detentions? How can access to justice limit the use of pre-trial detention? Representatives of bar associations, justice administration and institutions from South Africa, Burundi and Tunisia will share their findings and most importantly their experience in reducing the use of pre-trial detention:

• Edouard Minani, Director of the Centre for Professional Legal Training in Burundi
• Lotfi Ezzeddine, lawyer (Tunis), member of the executive committee of the Tunisian Justice Observation Network
• Vidhu Vedalankar, CEO Legal aid South Africa
• Bruno Langhendries, ASF

ASF will present 3 recent studies about detention in Burundi, DR Congo and Tunisia.

In addition, at a workshop on Public Participation organised by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Australian Institute of Criminology, ASF will be presenting field initiatives that work at the local level, enabling people to become effective actors rather than passive recipients, people who can then address the justice sector needs of their communities and States.

The UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is held every five years, bringing together over 4,000 Government and civil society representatives. We will be there as well. For further information, please contact doha@asf.be.