Today, Tuesday, corresponding to 12/20/2022 AD, the Sixth Forum for Advocating for Community Restorative Justice was held in Aden, which was held: in partnership with Afaq Youth Foundation within the project to promote comprehensive access to justice in Yemen with the support of the Dutch government and the United Nations Development Programme.

In coordination with the President of the Appeal Court in Aden, Judge Mohammad Mahmoud Al-Junaidi, 6 of the judges of the first instance courts in Aden participated in the work of this forum.

In addition to the representatives of the office, the head of criminal investigation in Aden, the assistant director of Aden security and the head of community committees in the administration of Aden governorate.

And Mrs. Zikra Maatouk, Head of the Human Rights Department of the Transitional Council

and Mr Wael from the United Nations Development Program and MissYusra Al-Bakri from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Yemen.

In addition to the President of the Yemeni Women's Union, a representative of the legal team of the United Nations Development Program and Brigadier General Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Dhalei, Director of the Prisoner Organization's office in Aden

In addition to journalists, media professionals and social figures.

The forum was inaugurated by Mr Mohammad Qassem Noman, President of the Yemen Center for Human Rights Studies, in the presence of Miss Samah Jamil, Coordinator of the Advocacy Program.

   Mr Noman explained in the opening speech, saying: I would like first to extend my thanks to His Eminence Judge Muhammad Al-Junaidi, President of the Court of Appeal in Aden, for his support and positive interaction with us, for the success of holding This dialogue forum, which we are holding today, with the participation of a number of judges of the courts of the first instance in Aden Governorate.

Thanks and appreciation are extended to the dear Attorney General of the Republic, the President of the Supreme Court of the Republic, the Director of Security of Aden Governorate, the Minister of Justice, and the heads of appeals office offices in the north and south of Aden Governorate, with whom we previously held meetings to create partnership in supporting the Community Restorative Justice Advocacy Program in Aden, which is implemented by the Yemen Center for Human Rights Studies, which is the project Which many civil society organizations in Yemen are working on, including in Aden (Yemen Center for Human Rights Studies in the field of advocacy for the goals of the project in partnership with  Afaq Youth Foundation, which undertakes the field implementation of community restorative justice through community mediation committees that were formed in the targeted directorates in Aden Governorate, in addition to the Yemeni Women's Union in Aden, the Prisoner Organization, and the contribution of the legal team of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Mr Noman went on, "We are meeting today as part of the advocacy program in the sixth forum, which is held in the presence of judges of the courts of first instance in Aden, to stand in front of the mechanisms for accelerating the pending cases of male and female detainees in police stations in the directorates of Aden Governorate.”

We hope that there will be a coordinated vision for joint action that would address the conditions of male and female prisoners, male and female detainees, and achieve comprehensive justice for them, as determined by national and international laws concerned with the human rights of male and female prisoners. Saluting Mr Numan

    The start of the work of community conciliatory committees in the directors.. He also saluted the legal team of the United Nations Development Program, which achieved remarkable successes that led to the release of dozens of male and female prisoners, male and female detainees.. He also saluted the efforts of the Yemeni Women's Union - Aden and the Prisoner Organization in their efforts and successes in the course of achieving the goals Humanity, protection of rights, law and justice towards universal access to justice.

 

After that, Ms. Afra Hariri, the legal advisor to the advocacy program, presented a paper to the forum entitled: Mechanisms for accelerating pending cases of male and female detainees in police stations in Aden Governorate and its directors.

It includes the following topics:

1- The main problem in criminal justice and the lack of law (the length of judicial time).

2- The aim of the acceleration mechanism.

3- The mechanism of action of the community restorative justice project and the promotion of comprehensive access to justice in Yemen.

Mrs Afra emphasized in the introduction to her review of the submitted paper. The forum stressed the importance of holding this forum, in which a number of our dear judges in the courts of first instance in Aden governorate participate, so that we can hear through them what benefits and enriches our program for advocating restorative justice in society, so that the outputs of this forum will be added to the outputs of the rest of the meetings and forums that we previously held within the program of meetings and forums, and with which they will continue. Within the work program of the advocacy team of the Yemen Center for Human Rights Studies, noting that all these outputs will contribute to setting the strategic vision that we want to come out with to ensure the continuity of the work of the community conciliation committees that are currently working in the targeted directorates in order to enhance comprehensive access to justice in Yemen.

 

After extensive discussions and interventions presented by the judges and male and female participants in the work of the forum, a number of recommendations and proposals were made, which we list as follows:

Recommendations and suggestions:

Emphasizing the importance of supporting the work of community reconciliation committees in Aden.

- Emphasis on the complementary role of the prosecution, the judiciary and lawyers to make the work experience of the community conciliation committees in Aden a success.

- Provide security protection for judges.

- The need for controls to accommodate complaints against judges and prosecutors.

- Conducting a training program for security leaders in the security department and police stations.. The training is carried out by judges and prosecutors for those who have high experience and competencies.

Emphasizing the importance of applying social restorative justice.

Work on rehabilitating male and female prisoners and reforming prisons in a manner that leads prisons to carry out their reform tasks in reforming and rehabilitating the accused.

Closing illegal prisons.

Limiting powers of detention by respecting the obligation to enforce the law.

Submitting daily and weekly reports on the work of the Public Prosecution Office and the police departments.

- The need to abide by the law by the security agencies and local authorities.

- The importance of qualifying the directors of police departments in the field of dealing with laws and the role of the judiciary and the prosecution.

- The need for rapprochement and continuous coordination between the prosecution, the judiciary and the security services to solve the detainees' cases and expedite the settlement of their cases.

- The need to go to the judicial inspection of the prosecution and courts.

- The Public Prosecution’s follow-up to the police departments on a daily and periodic basis, and to create a joint and integrated work mechanism.

- Referring the outputs and solutions to the Court of Appeal to convert them to an executive path, at a minimum.

Participants praised the work of the Sixth Dialogue Forum for its discussions inspired by the practical reality of the experience of judges, prosecutors and citizens, enriching the work of the role of judges, the role of courts, the role of the prosecution, the role of security and societal components.