Iraqi judges and prosecutors attend training on fair trial standards and human rightsGerman senior judges, prosecutors and defence counsels gave lectures and conducted other training sessions for 16 Iraqi judges and prosecutors on fair trial standards and human rights between 20 June and 2 July 2010 in the North German city of Lübeck. During the two-week course the participants discussed the implementation of international fair trial obligations in national systems, the cooperation between the police, prosecution and courts during the investigative phase, rules of evidence, the rights of the defence, reasons for appeals on points of law, anti-corruption strategies. The participants also monitored a trial in a district court and visited a prison. The Head of the mission EUJUST LEX Francisco Diaz Alcantud attended the closing session where he took the opportunity to discuss with the Iraqi participants the situation in their home country and future needs of the Iraqi criminal justice system. All Iraqi participants emphasised the inspiration they had received on how to strengthen the judiciary in their home country.
Head of Mission Francisco Díaz Alcantud
European Union Integrated Rule of Law Mission for Iraq (EUJUST LEX) is a civilian crisis management operation under the auspices of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy.
Following an invitation to the EU by the then Prime Minister of the elected Iraqi Interim Government, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, to commence training activities for Iraqi rule of law professionals, the operational phase of the EUJUST LEX mission started on 1 July 2005. During a meeting with the Head of mission on 18 June 2006, the current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also extended his welcome to and support for the mission and its activities. In January 2010
Mr. Francisco Díaz Alcantud was appointed Head of mission of EUJUST LEX. He succeeds Mr. Stephen White.
The Council decided on 14 June 2010 to extend the mandate of the mission from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2012.
Established to strengthen the rule of law and promote a culture of respect for human rights in Iraq, EUJUST LEX provides professional development opportunities to senior Iraqi officials from the criminal justice system. Member States provide courses which offer learning opportunities and demonstrate best practice in rule of law. In addition, the courses facilitate an exchange of views between the EU trainers and the Iraqi participants. The core aim of the courses is to foster confidence, mutual respect and operational cooperation between the different branches of the Iraqi criminal justice system (police, judiciary and penitentiary). EUJUST LEX is the first EU Integrated Rule of Law mission.
From the outset, the Head of mission has set three guiding principles for all staff to adhere to. These are:
Most of the EUJUST LEX team are based in the coordination office in Brussels. The mission also has a small but vitally important liaison team in Baghdad.
On 26 April 2010, the Council reaffirmed the strong commitment of the European Union to support the continued development of the rule of law in Iraq. The proposed activities for the mission over the next 2 years will also increase its presence and visibility in Iraq, as well as more specialized and alumni follow up training in country, building upon the success of recent pilot activities.