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Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

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appropriate, convict insurgents <strong>and</strong> terrorists <strong>and</strong> support anti-corruption<br />

prosecutions.<br />

Due process <strong>and</strong> clarity of legal procedures are also important for protecting human<br />

rights. During 2010 we worked with the Afghan government <strong>and</strong> the international<br />

community to progress the new criminal procedure code. We also worked<br />

extensively with the Afghan government to hold them to their commitments to<br />

improve access to, <strong>and</strong> accountability in, the justice system. Increasing access to<br />

legal representation is another crucial aspect of improving the justice system. We<br />

provided an international adviser to the Afghan Independent Bar Association <strong>and</strong><br />

funded training <strong>and</strong> outreach events for defence lawyers.<br />

In Helm<strong>and</strong> Province, we improved access to the state-administered justice sector<br />

through a range of initiatives. We provided ongoing mentoring <strong>and</strong> case-tracking<br />

support to judges, prosecutors <strong>and</strong> huquq representatives who form part of the<br />

Ministry of Justice, coupled with salary support <strong>and</strong> performance management for<br />

prosecutors. In addition, we provided training for legal professionals on criminal<br />

procedure, judicial ethics <strong>and</strong> fair trials <strong>and</strong> funded Helm<strong>and</strong>’s only “publicly funded”<br />

lawyers to provide criminal defence representation.<br />

Rule of law<br />

Corruption remained a serious problem. The Afghan government entered into<br />

important anti-corruption commitments at the London <strong>and</strong> Kabul conferences <strong>and</strong><br />

progress was made on some of these commitments, including the filing of asset<br />

declarations. The international <strong>and</strong> Afghan members of the Monitoring <strong>and</strong><br />

Evaluation Committee, which will monitor the implementation of anti-corruption<br />

commitments, are now in place <strong>and</strong> we are looking to the Afghan government to<br />

support the work of the Committee in 2011. We will continue to support the Afghan<br />

government as they translate anti-corruption commitments into action.<br />

In 2010 we provided support to the Afghan government on tackling corruption<br />

through supporting law enforcement <strong>and</strong> the management of public finances. This<br />

included developing the capacity of the Ministry of Interior to investigate cases of<br />

corruption within the police force, <strong>and</strong> building sustainable internal <strong>and</strong> external<br />

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