October 2008 

Easy access to legal information is not always a given, but advocates in Tajikistan are now one step closer thanks to an innovative ABA ROLI program that connects the country’s three main collegia (bar associations) with research assistance and database and Internet connections. This innovation will level the playing field with prosecutors, who continue to enjoy superior access to basic legal information and are therefore advantaged in the courtroom vis-à-vis advocates.

By providing computers, database access and an expert legal research assistant at each collegium, ABA ROLI is enabling advocates to better represent their clients and to better uphold the rule of law. While any member can visit the center for in-person research assistance, services are also offered by phone, mail and e-mail to meet the needs of those in more remote locations. The interest by advocates has been considerable and their use of this new resource has already provided concrete results.

One client in Khudjand was spared jail time as a result of his advocate’s ability to search the database. After visiting the collegium and soliciting help from a research assistant, the advocate was able to present information to the judge that indicated a fine to the court was the appropriate penalty for the crime, rather than the three-to-five year prison sentence the judge had initially favored.  

In another case, advocates at the Republican Collegium were able to secure spousal and child support for a woman and her two children. After being married under Islamic law, the woman and her ex-husband had never registered the marriage. With the help of the database, advocates were able to access forms and online information that helped to strengthen the case and secure support for the family.

While the formal opening of the database centers is not scheduled until later this month, Larisa Petrosyan, ABA ROLI program manager, noted that the centers have already exceeded expectations. Advocates at each collegium have been using the centers and word is spreading fast—during the second month of operations, the number of research requests almost doubled.

“It’s gratifying to have a project that is such an immediate success and has such a positive impact on the community,” says Petrosyan.