The ILF is demonstrating that criminal defense is an indispensable force behind justice reconstruction. Without defense lawyers asking courts to apply the rights contained in a new constitution or a new law, legal reform is meaningless. Without defense lawyers asking the courts to free a person illegally detained, the person will remain incarcerated. Without a defense lawyer challenging forced confessions or illegally obtained evidence, the activities of law enforcement remain unchecked.
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The International Legal Foundation (the ILF), is a not-for-profit public defender organization, created to assist in the establishment of fair criminal justice systems in post-conflict countries. It is guided by two fundamental principles: (i) laws must be drafted with an appreciation of the cultural realities of the country in which they will function, and (ii) defense lawyers -- as guardians of due process -- are indispensable to any fair system of justice and must be provided to anyone accused of a crime. To realize these principles, the ILF sets up public defender offices in post-conflict countries or partners with an existing NGO using a pioneering model of mentoring and on-the-job training for local lawyers. |
The organization is currently implementing one project, ILF-Afghanistan (formerly known as Legal Aid Afghanistan) and beginning work in Nepal, ILF-in-Nepal. The ILF grew out of two privately funded justice-related projects: Legal Aid Rwanda and the International Law Project, the precursor of ILF-Afghanistan, at the Afghan University, in Peshawar, Pakistan.
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