Project Description: 2002-07When ILF-Afghanistan opened its first office in Afghanistan in August of 2003, its goal was to set up a countrywide network of high-quality public defender offices. Implementation of ILF-Afghanistan has been carried out in four phases: preparation (2002-03) including the publication of its “Survey of The Customary Laws of Afghanistan”; pilot project in Kabul (August 2003 to January 2004); expansion in Kabul and to the provinces (2004-06); and the “nationalization” of ILF-A, through a process of handover and exit of the NY-based ILF (2006-2009). ILF-A is now in its fourth phase, the nationalization of ILF-A – with oversight and management assumed entirely by Afghans. This began in September 2006 with the selection of three Afghan board members. ILF-Afghanistan began with two Afghan lawyers (one man and one woman) and one experienced U.S. criminal defense lawyer, called an International Fellow, who worked on a volunteer basis supervising and training her Afghan colleagues on a day-to-day basis. Four years later, ILF-A has 34 lawyers (and a total staff of 81) in six offices all over the country: Kabul, Kunduz, Jalalabad (Nangahar province), Kandahar, Herat, and Ghwor. In January 2008, ILF-Afghanistan expects to open another office in Mazar-i-Sharif (Balkh province). To date, its attorneys have represented over 3000 poor Afghans – men, women, and children -- accused of a crime. According to its projections, by the end of 2008, ILF-Afghanistan will be representing 62.5% of detainees in half of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. |