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.

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EUJUST LEX ROL PROGRAM
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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.

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VISIT TO MOI HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER
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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.

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PROPOSED EXPANSION OF HR TRAINING
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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.

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COMMENT
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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

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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