OSCE Office in Baku launches training courses for judge candidates

BAKU, 9 November 2009 - The OSCE Office in Baku launched a project comprising training courses for judge candidates today to support the judiciary's professional development and to develop curricula for a newly-established Justice Academy. 

The project is supported by the Judicial Legal Council, which prepared a four-month training programme, and Azerbaijan's Justice Academy, which will host the courses. The programme covers topics related to human rights, criminal law and civil law, with a special emphasis on the role of the judge in leading a fair trial.

"Professional legal training is crucial to establish a modern and efficient judiciary," said Ambassador Bilge Cankorel, the Head of the OSCE Office in Baku. "Comprehensive initial training for judges is particularly important to achieve an even greater impact in terms of capacity-building of the judiciary."

The courses target 80 judge candidates who passed two rounds of written examinations and an oral exam.

The training sessions combine lectures and practical exercises. Participants will discuss practical cases to learn how to make motivated decisions based on current legislation. Legal experts from the OSCE Office and international and national experts will teach the course.