AIPJ and LBH Jakarta Recognise Work of Criminal Defence Lawyers (CDL)

On Friday night members of the AIPJ team attended a small gathering hosted by LBH Jakarta to celebrate the end of the Criminal Defence Lawyers (CDL) Pilot.  Team Leader of AIPJ, Craig Ewers,  thanked the criminal defence lawyers engaged in the pilot for their dedication and success in ensuring in Jakarta that defendants from poor families had legal representation.

“Your work has demonstrated the value of legal representation in the criminal justice system.  There are many Indonesians that found justice through you and you should be very proud of your achievements in this program.  Your work is a central part of criminal justice reform and we hope that this fine work can continue to be supported through the Government’s legal aid system and other assistance.”

Even though the CDL project has now been completed with AIPJ, LBH Jakarta Director, Alghif, indicated that CDL will be integrated into daily activities so it is no longer project based.

Romy, the previous CDL project manager, said that the pilot had proven the value of legal presentation in ensuring a fair trial:

“ Before CDL, defendants were not represented and were not given the opportunity to understand their rights and present their arguments, but when CDL lawyers jumped in to represent them, the trials were made fair, and many defendants were released. CDL lawyers had also conducted advocacy to reduce torture in detention or during questioning by police and prosecutors.  Judges had also recognised the value of defence lawyers to proper hearing process and have started to insist on fair trial standards being met.”