Suspects spend too long in detention without a fair trial, courts are failing to administer justice and key legal officials are barely on speaking terms. These were among the topics discussed by a meeting of law and order representatives in the Afghan province of Uruzgan this week.

The participants also discussed staff shortages in all branches of the legal system in Uruzgan. From the outset of its mission in 2006, the Netherlands has been working with Afghan partners to develop the province’s legal system.

Developments entered a new phase this week, when the key players who form the backbone of Afghanistan’s legal system took part in a ‘shura’ – a type of consultative council – at the Dutch mission’s base in Uruzgan. Its purpose was to bring together leading members of the legal professions and to boost the local population’s confidence in the authorities. The mayor of Tarin Kowt, the provincial capital, Afghan police representatives, the public prosecutor, provincial judges, the governors of the provincial prison and representatives of the Ministry of Justice discussed the problems and potential of the local legal system. UN representatives and staff of the Australian reconstruction team were also present.

After the meeting, the participants were featured on Voice of Uruzgan, a radio station which reaches a large number of local people. ‘Together, we are helping to put the Afghan legal system on the right track,’ said Jennes de Mol, the Civilian Representative who is heading the Provincial Reconstruction Team.

In August 2010, when the Dutch Task Force withdraws from Uruzgan, its role in supporting the Afghan legal system will be taken over by Australia.



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