The OSCE Office organizes simulated court training sessions for legal professionals in Azerbaijan

BAKU, 18 June 2009 - Judges, prosecutors and lawyers began a training course today that was organized by the OSCE Office in Baku and includes simulated court proceedings to illustrate fair trial standards and encourage their effective application in real life.

The practicing judges, prosecutors and lawyers are taking part in a series of three-day sessions which are organized together with the Judicial Legal Council, the General Prosecutor's Office and Azerbaijan's Bar Association. The training sessions aim to improve the functioning of the Azerbaijani judicial system in accordance with international best practices.

"The OSCE Office in Baku has been very active over the past years in supporting training to enhance the professional skills of members of the judiciary and staff from the General Prosecutor's Office," said Ambassador Bilge Cankorel, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku.

"I hope that these training sessions will be of great use to all participants and will support the professional development of the judiciary, prosecutors and practicing lawyers in Azerbaijan."

The training sessions will be divided into seminars on fair trial standards, best practices in court management and the organization of simulated court sessions. The simulations focus on the application of fair trial standards in the daily management of a courtroom, and will help to assess the interaction of the different actors involved in the judicial system.

In April the OSCE Office organized a special "train the trainers" course for a group of 15 prospective instructors, chosen amongst experienced judges, prosecutors and lawyers. They received in-depth training on conducting moot court simulations in order to perform future training sessions as part of the professional education curriculum of the relevant institutions.