In its 21 years of independence, Azerbaijan had made significant progress in terms of socio-economic development. However, although some important results had been achieved in the justice sector, inter alia through an EC financed budget support programme, the justice systems needed to be further modernized.
In line with this approach, the global objective of the assignment was to contribute to strengthening the rule of law in Azerbaijan. The specific objectives were to provide technical assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan by supporting the development of an independent, professional, impartial and fair judicial system and improving the services provided by the agencies that implement criminal court orders.
This project was developed as part of the Institutional Reform Programmes (IRPs) on rule of law, aiming to strengthen the institutional capacity of key actors involved in justice reform, in particular the Ministry of Justice (including the Penitentiary Administration), the Judicial Legal Council and the Anti-Corruption Department within the General Prosecutor’s Office.
The project was made up of two components:
==Component 1: Judicial Reform
Results to be achieved for component 1
1. The core elements of judicial independence were analysed and relevant measures were addressed.
2. Anti-Corruption legislation and practices were strengthened.
3. The level of public trust in the Court system was increased.
The project supported the Judicial Legal Council in its role as guarantor of judicial independence. More specifically, the role and functions of the Judicial Legal Council and modernization of current legislation were analysed. Open debates and discussions on European and International standards on judicial independence were held at national level.
Close collaboration with the Ministry of Justice was ensured and the Head Department on Anti-Corruption within the General Prosecutor’s Office was institutionally strengthened.
Taking a rights-based perspective, the project fostered the legal education at grass-roots level (in 3 rural areas), and surveys amongst Court users, including the development of several sets of surveys/indicators. The project contributed to building the institutional capacity of the Head Department on Anti-Corruption within the General Prosecutor’s Office in order to properly enforce the integrity measures for the judiciary, including conflict of interest, and to modernize the techniques of criminal investigation and pursuit.
==Component 2: Offender Management System
Results to be achieved for component 2:
1. Preparations to introduce a Probation Service were significantly advanced.
2. Pilot projects demonstrated key aspects of a modern probation service.
3. The offender management agencies worked in closer cooperation.
The first task in offender management was to invigorate efforts to establish a probation service in Azerbaijan. Alternatives to prison sentences for mid-range offenders, and supervised early release schemes for more serious offenders, were considered essential aspects of effective offender management. The second part of this component involved demonstrating selected aspects of a modern probation service. Pilot projects were therefore established in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, other government departments and civil society. Moreover, this project introduced leaders of the penal agencies to methods of integration used in other countries, and supported practical action.
Coordination between the main agencies for penal services (i.e. police, prosecutors, courts and prisons) were improved.