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Afghanistan Sponsors a Visitor Program for Afghan Legal Defense Experts

The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan are sponsoring a visitor program for Afghan Legal Defense Experts in Boston and Washington, D.C. Over the course of ten days, the group will:

* Participate in a day of roundtable discussions on the state of human rights and the rule of law in Afghanistan, co-sponsored with the Carr Center on Human Rights at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, with Rory Stewart, Director.

* Conduct a panel discussion at Boston University Law School, where the participants will discuss the importance of defense lawyers to building rule of law on Afghanistan.

* Attend seminars hosted by Harvard Law School and the New England School of Law on Gender Violence, The Innocence Project, Judicial and Legal Ethics, Ethical Lobbying, and Family Law.

* Meet with Department of State and other Governmental Officials in Washington, D.C.

* Participate in a panel discussion at the U.S. Judicial Center with a group of U.S. Federal and State Judges

Launched in December 2007, the Partnership is an opportunity for America's legal community to support rule of law development in Afghanistan. The Partnership allows law firms and law schools to demonstrate their commitment to improving the justice system in Afghanistan. Since its inception, the Partnership has raised over $1 million in cash and in-kind contributions; sponsored multiple training opportunities in the United States for Afghan legal professionals; established a 501(c) 3, Friends of the Public Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan; and obtained a provisional agreement with Lexis-Nexis to provide English and Dari versions of all relevant Afghan legal texts free of charge to all Afghan legal professionals.

More information about the Public-Private Partnership is available at the State Department website at http://www.state.gov/p/inl/partnership/index.htm.