On Saturday, December 10, 2016, MyJustice, Partners Asia, and Justice Base held a participatory workshop on justice system monitoring for nearly 50 lawyers from across Myanmar.
The workshop opened with an introduction to trial and justice system monitoring by Caitlin Reiger, team leader of MyJustice. She offered examples of successful monitoring from Timor Leste, Kosovo, and Cambodia, including how court monitoring programs have grown to support larger, systemic justice system strengthening.
Next, Justice Base led interactive discussions where small groups of lawyers used the Myanmar Constitution, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Court Manual to troubleshoot common fair trial violations and challenges. Participants drew on their experiences representing clients, especially the poor and vulnerable, to consider potential monitoring techniques.
Some common challenges cited by the lawyers include failure for key witnesses to appear in court, incorrect application of court procedures (like the right to a public hearing), lack of language translation services, and denial of access to their detained clients.
All participants received an introductory guide to justice system and court monitoring authored by Partners Asia, drawing on best practice from the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and Justice Base’s Trial Justice Manual.