EUJUST LEX TO EXPAND HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINING IN 2009

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003599 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2018 TAGS: PHUM KJUS PREL EU IZ SUBJECT: EUJUST LEX TO EXPAND HUMAN RIGHTS TRAINING IN 2009 Classified By: Acting Deputy Political Counselor Timothy A. Lenderking for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: An EU Integrated Rule of Law Mission for Iraq (EUJUST LEX) team spent ten days in Baghdad examining how best to restructure its current training programs for the extension of its mandate in mid-2009. For the next mandate, the EUJUST LEX program for Iraq wants to offer more substantive classes on human rights training in the Rule of Law field. The visiting team spent four days at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) discussing programming needs with MoI staff. The team said they will propose to Brussels to begin training the staff of the MoI Ethics and Human Rights Center at the Police Academy and then expand to train MoI human rights trainers and possibly institute a specialized class on human rights for police officers in EU states. End Summary. -------------- EUJUST LEX ROL PROGRAM -------------- ¶2. (SBU) EU Integrated Rule of Law Mission for Iraq (EUJUST LEX) has a four-year mandate, which will expire in July 2009, to provide Rule of Law training programs to Iraqi police officers, judiciary officials, and correction officers in different EU countries. As of August 2008, the programs have trained 1669 Iraqis, including 920 police, 502 judiciary officials, and 247 corrections officers. EUJUST LEX plans to extend its mandate for Rule of Law training when the current mandate expires July 2009. EUJUST LEX also intends to alter the training courses to reflect internal Iraqi developments, such as offering more substantive classes on human rights training. -------------- VISIT TO MOI HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER -------------- ¶3. (SBU) EUJUST LEX Rule of Law/Human Rights officer Leslie Wilmart-Angelo and Police Course Coordinator John Bro met with PolOff on November 3 and 10 to discuss where EUJUST LEX can most effectively assist in human rights training. Between those dates, Angelo and Bro spent four days at the Minister of Interior (MoI) discussing new program courses with various MoI officials. The team will propose to Brussels that EUJUST LEX expand its role in human rights training for MoI officials. ¶4. (SBU) The team visited the MoI Ethics and Human Rights Center, which is a small building with two crowded classrooms, six trainers, and two administrative staff. The center does not have its own budget, and it relies on USG funding to run the training classes. The center is part of the Police Academy, and all new officers spend a week at the center as part of basic training. The MoI promised the center a new building early 2009 and has plans to build two new centers in Basrah and Mosul. -------------- PROPOSED EXPANSION OF HR TRAINING -------------- ¶5. (C) The center currently does not receive any substantive or capacity-building training. The team will propose to help the center improve its curriculum and offer training classes for the director and deputies. Over time, they hope to expand and offer training to the center's trainers, possibly with one course at the Danish Institute of Human Rights. When the center moves to the new building, EUJUST LEX will propose to use the two old classrooms for continuous human rights training run by visiting EU human rights experts. ¶6. (C) Deputy Minister of Interior Adnan al-Asadi told the team he would like EUJUST LEX to add a human rights specific class for police officers that would devote the whole class to human rights. The team told PolOff that they were surprised by this ambitious request. When they met with him last year, al-Asadi claimed that "there were no violations in the MoI, and we know it all already." The team said they would look into establishing a specialized human rights class for police beginning in July 2009. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) EUJUST LEX has done valuable training of Iraqi Rule of Law professionals over the last three years, and we will continue to encourage an extension of the mandate that ends in July 2009. Although there is often donor duplication in certain fields, the team has found a gap in international BAGHDAD 00003599 002 OF 002 human rights training, and we will encourage them to pursue this new training program for MoI officials. Embassy Baghdad would appreciate any encouragement USEU Brussels could give to EUJUST LEX officials on approving the proposed expanded human rights programs in its next mandate. CROCKER