August 2010 

Earlier this month, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) hosted participants of its two-week 2010 legal education exchange program between Tajikistan and the United States. The team of 16 judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys studied the U.S. criminal justice system, by comparing it to their own and by holding discussions with their American counterparts. The tour stands to benefit ongoing criminal system reforms in Tajikistan as earlier this year the country adopted a Criminal Procedure Code that incorporates adversarial elements similar to U.S. criminal procedure.

The tour began in Washington, D.C., with an overview of the American justice system. The visiting legal professionals met with representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section and its Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training, the American Bar Association and the Office of Tribal Justice. They also observed court proceedings at the District of Columbia Superior Court and met with federal and D.C. superior court judges.

ABA ROLI coordinated with the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office in Idaho to hold the second week of the tour, affording the visitors one-on-one discussion opportunities with their American counterparts, while allowing them to experience the American criminal justice system from arrest to incarceration. In Idaho, the group observed court proceedings, shadowed police and participated in home-stays with legal professionals in and around Canyon County. In honor of the visiting team, Canyon County commissioners declared August 9–13, 2010, Tajikistan Week and several local newspapers reported on the exchange program.

To prepare the participants for the study tour, ABA ROLI led a 12-week forum on the U.S. legal system in Dushanbe. The tour is part of ABA ROLI’s legal education and exchange program in Tajikistan, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.

To learn more about our work in Tajikistan, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at rol@staff.abanet.org.