Best Practices For Remote Judging

In late September, the CEELI Institute was again be able to support the efforts of the Croatian Judiciary as it grapples with challenges related to the independence and impartiality of justice—both of which continue to be under challenge in the region. Content of the program was particularly framed around Opinion No. 18 of Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) addressing “the position of the judiciary and its relation with other powers of state in a modern democracy.” Discussions were further augmented by reference to relevant case decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the concepts of impartiality and independence articulated and defined therein. Such discussions are particularly relevant in the region, as working level judges are not, contrary...

The CEELI Institute recently completed its partnership with the Polish Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS) on a project to promote better interaction between civil society and the judiciary in central and southeastern Europe. The project was funded by the International Visegrad Fund and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the Visegrad Group, or V-4, consists of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia). The project, entitled “NGOs and the Judiciary – Watchdog Activities, Interactions, Collaboration, and Communication”, aimed to gather and share good practices designed to ensure more effective cooperation between NGOs and the judiciary, especially in cases where civil society and NGO projects involve civic monitoring of judiciary. The ultimate goal is to encourage the judiciary to view...

The CEELI Institute we delighted to support this year’s Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, held in Belgrade on June 20-22, and hosted by the Supreme Cassational Court of Serbia. The Conference of Chief Justices is a self-sustaining organization whose members lead the judiciaries of twenty-three nations from the Baltic Sea to the Caucasus. The Conference meets annually in one of the member countries to address the many common challenges faced by the Chief Justices in improving their countries’ judiciaries, promoting judicial independence, strengthening integrity and accountability, improving court management, fighting corruption, and building public support for the courts. The CEELI Institute has been honored to support the work and mission of the Conference since its inception...

In February, in partnership with the Malta-based International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) and with funding from the US State Department, the CEELI Institute initiated a multi-year program working with judges from the western Balkan region who must handle complex cases involving issues of terrorism, national security, and the transit of foreign fighters.  In particular, the program will promote understanding and use of relevant international guidance for judges on these matters, including particularly the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s (GCTF) Hague Memorandum Good Practices for the Judiciary in Adjudicating Terrorism Offenses. In light of the increased terrorism across Europe, the vast transit of refugees to Europe from Syria, and the particular burdens this puts on the Balkan countries,...

The CEELI Institute is hosting training for Ukrainian lawyers dedicated to the legal defense of journalists and bloggers across their country. In cooperation with the Regional Press Development Institute (RPDI), a Kiev-based NGO, CEELI is bringing these lawyers together for a seminar in Prague, as a follow-up to similar programs that were held in April and October 2015. After focusing on topics such as the protection of whistle-blowers, libel laws, media self-regulation, and comparative EU media law, this next phase (March 2016) focuses both on experiences with pursuing Article 10 (right to freedom of expression) cases at the European Court of Human Rights, and with the legislative transformation affecting state media in Central Europe. The topics, selected by the RPDI,...

The Roundtable on “Balancing Judicial Independence and Accountability,” took place on June 6-7, 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic. More than 30 non-high court judges and court administrators from 18 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as 3 judges from the Netherlands and the United States, participated in the Roundtable. The Roundtable looked at current challenges faced by the judiciary in Network member states and considered appropriate efforts to promote and strengthen judicial independence and accountability. Particular attention was given to the issues of independence and separation of powers, protection for judges from removal without cause, and public pressures on judges. This event was an extraordinary opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices between participants of Network member states....

In June, the CEELI Institute and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) joined together for a very special meeting in Prague, to mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of original American Bar Association/Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) project.  ABA/CEELI, founded in 1990, was the forerunner for both of current organizations.  The meeting also marked the 15th anniversary of the creation of the CEELI Institute.  The occasion brought together many CEELI and ROLI alumni, and others who have been prominent supporters of our efforts. The festivities were kicked off with a special video greeting from Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, offering reminiscences on the work of ABA/CEELI, and congratulations on the current commemoration.  This was...

Večer u příležitosti 74. výročí sovětských masových deportací obyvatel Baltských zemí ze 14. června 1941, který ve spolupráci s CEELI institutem pořádají velvyslanectví Estonské, Litevské a Lotyšské republiky. Od 18.00 bude otevřena výstava „Dopisy ze Sibiře napsané na březové kůře“. Dopisy na březové kůře byly v roce 2009 zařazeny do lotyšského národního registru v rámci programu UNESCO „Paměť světa“. Od 19.00 bude promítán dokumentární film Děti ledu (rež. Justinas Lingys, Litva, 2011, 28 min´). Dokument připomene životy a osudy dětí z Baltských zemí, které byly deportovány nebo se v důsledku sovětských represí v deportaci narodily. Jedná se o mezinárodní projekt, který realizoval litevsko-švédsko-lotyšský tým. Největší důraz tvůrci filmu kladli na problematiku vlivu deportací na pohled na svět, formování systému humanistických...

          Under the leadership of the Polish Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS) and with financial support from the Visegrad Fund and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The CEELI Institute is supporting the project “NGOs and the Judiciary – Watchdog Activities, Interactions, Collaboration, Communication.” The overall goal of the project is to exchange best practices from V4 countries and Western Balkans and to increase the “watchdog”capacities of civil society in the Western Balkans. The aim of the project is to gather and share good practices in area of cooperation between NGOs and judiciary, especially civic monitoring of the judiciary, with a focus on Western Balkan states. As NGOs are becoming more and more involved in...

The CEELI Institute joined with the International Bar Association (IBA) on September 1-3, 2015, to sponsor an innovative program promoting dialogue on the international legal mechanisms relevant to the resolution of ongoing regional conflicts. The program brought together IBA leadership, international experts and young lawyers in order to explore a variety of issues relevant to conflict resolution. The program included discussion groups, expert presentations, and a variety of practical exercises. This was the first in a series of such events sponsored by the IBA, in partnership with the Institute. Among those participating in the training were IBA Chair David Rivkin, IBA Executive Director Mark Ellis, and CEELI Institute Chair Homer E. Moyer, Jr. The program kicks off a busy fall...

From the Chambers of the Hon. Sandra Day O'Connor, retired justice, United States Supreme Court:

On June 10-12, 2015, twenty-six representatives from a wide range of Tunisian stakeholder agencies with anti-corruption responsibilities, including the Tunisian Anti-Corruption Agency, Instance Vérité & Dignité, the Finance Ministry, and the High Commission for Administrative and Financial Control, participated in CEELI’s training on forensic accounting and new tools to fight against corruption which took place at the Hotel Ramada in Tunis, Tunisia. The training was led by two international experts, Jean-Michel Ferat and Jean-Louis Herail, who both have vast knowledge and extensive professional backgrounds dealing with fraud detection, money laundering, high-level corruption, and other forms of fraud. During the three-day training the participants got familiar with current approaches and strategies employed for the investigation and prosecution of international anti-corruption efforts....

Expert on the Czech Judicial System and Relations Between NGOs and the Judiciary Application Deadline : 21-Jun-2015 Type of Contract : Individual Contract Languages Required : English, Czech Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) ASAP Expected Duration of Assignment : 4 Weeks In collaboration with Polish Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS) and with financial support from the Visegrad Fund and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The CEELI Institute is supporting the project “NGOs and the Judiciary – Watchdog Activities, Interactions, Collaboration, Communication,” and is seeking an expert on the role of the judiciary in democratic transformation and on how the judiciary can successfully partner with civil society in the Czech Republic. The...

In May 2015, the CEELI Institute, in partnership with Burma Center Prague, concluded another round of training for the Myanmar Lawyers Network (MLN), a group of Burmese lawyers focusing on pro-bono work. We took another step toward providing more direct support to grassroots lawyers in the region, organizing training in the cities of Pathein and Taunggyi for the first time. The training, led by veteran lawyers and professors Tomáš Vachuda (Anglo-American University in Prague) and Allen Snyder (University of San Diego), focused on practical trial skills, as well as on the changing political and legislative environment in Burma, parallels with similar experience in Central and Eastern Europe, and the what these changes mean for the legal profession.

In September, the CEELI Institute continued its multi-year partnership with the National Judicial Academy of India (NJA) by organizing an international exchange for Indian high court judges tasked with creating a brand new counterterrorism curriculum for use in training Indian judges. This exchange was the second such meeting of Indian and American judges facilitated by the CEELI Institute, the first being held in Bhopal, India, at the home of the NJA, last year. The Institute was also delighted to continue its partnership with the US Federal Judicial Center (FJA), in organizing this program. The U.S. exchange was a two-part engagement for the Indian delegation that incorporated firsthand exposure to the U.S. judiciary at both the state and federal levels, as...

In May, the CEELI Institute launched a new advocacy skills training effort for young lawyers from the Eurasia region. The one-week program is designed to build the confidence of young legal professionals in areas that are most relevant to human rights advocacy in a trial setting – i.e. oral presentation and argument, motion practice, and persuasive speaking. Faculty included a roster of highly experienced international trainers. The course is highly interactive and incorporates daily participant exercises, reflecting tried and true interactive components developed for use in clinical legal education programs, including the international programs run by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA). Participants were very enthusiastic, noting that the practical aspects of the workshop were something they had never...

The CEELI Institute was honored to again support the Annual Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, hosted in Vilnius by the Supreme Court of Lithuania from May 27-29, 2018. The Conference was originally launched in Prague, at the Institute, with support from the U.S. Department of State, and with the personal commitment of United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The Conference is now a self-sustaining body that meets annually, and provides the opportunity for the Chief Justices to discuss common challenges, share ideas, and work towards solutions. Front and center among this year’s discussions were the ongoing challenges to judicial independence that continue to be seen and felt across the...

The CEELI Institute is delighted to join in a partnership with the International Foundation Electoral Systems (IFES) on a new project to strengthen the implementation of anti-corruption standards in Europe, with particular focus on Bulgaria, Romania, and Montenegro. The project will focus first on the identification of priority substantive anti-corruption reforms, and then on steps to assist local stakeholders in implementation of those reforms; for example, the project will assist in addressing as of yet unmet recommendations arising out of the evaluation processes undertaken by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO). This project is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International, Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). This latest project continues long-standing collaborative...

In October, the CEELI Institute, working in cooperation with the Centre de la Protection Internationale (Strasbourg), launched the first session of what will ultimately be a three part course for young lawyers seeking to deepen their competency to work on cases involving violations of the rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, and seeking to perfect appeals of those violations to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), in Strasbourg. The ECtHR is currently among the most important avenues of international appeal and review open to citizens seeking redress from final judgments in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. Such redress is particularly important for citizens of European countries which are not members of the...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to welcome the Hon. Beverley McLachlin to Prague, as the keynote speaker for our Annual Meeting in late June. Justice McLachlin recently completed her 17 year term as Chief Justice; she was the first woman to hold that position, and was also the longest serving Chief Justice of Canada. Justice McLachlin spoke eloquently about the current challenges to establishment of the Rule of Law, the trends towards its “unraveling” in certain regions, and the need for effective responses to that trend. She promoted the notion of a shared international value and understanding of the Rule of Law, as something that transcends even national values. Justice McLachlin concluded by noting the work of the Institute in...

The CEELI Institute was honored to be invited to participate in the United Nation’s Launch of its Global Judicial Integrity Network.  The Launch, held in Vienna, on April 9-10, 2018, was a groundbreaking event attended by leaders of the world’s judiciaries and a select number of international judicial associations. The CEELI Institute was one of a handful of non-governmental organizations selected to join judges from around the globe at the event.  CEELI’s contributions to the Launch event included organizing and moderating a panel on the new professional and ethical challenges for judges raised as a result of the increasing use of social media by members of the profession.  This is a topic that CEELI has explored in depth within the context of its ongoing Central and East European Judicial Network.  For this panel, CEELI drew on the forward-leading experiences with social media by judges in...

  In April, CEELI returned to Gaziantep, Turkey for further engagement with exiled Syrian judges.  This is part of an ongoing partnership that CEELI has undertaken with the Swedish based International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) to provide a lifeline to Syrian judges who have fled the conflict and are now refugees in Turkey. The hope is that this group will someday be able to return to Syria, and help to rebuild legal and judicial institutions there which have been decimated by years of conflict. In the meantime, these judges are in need of ongoing support and mentoring.     The April program furthered our aim of working with the judges to develop their expertise in thematic areas relevant to post conflict settings. This most recent workshop focused on constitutional issues...

This year, the CEELI Institute launched a new curriculum designed to train practitioners on effective corporate compliance with international anti-corruption standards, including the operation of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the UK Anti-Bribery Law and the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).  The program is targeted at individuals who have responsibilities for advising their clients or employers on internal corporate compliance.  CEELI recognized a growing demand for such training, particularly for practitioners in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia. In house advisors are increasingly required to have detailed knowledge of relevant anticorruption statutes, as well as the broader international context in which multi-national corporations must now function. Avoiding corporate liability for corrupt practices is now critical to business operation, yet many lawyers in the region have had limited experience with international anti-corruption laws and with corporate compliance mechanisms. Our initial roll out of...

The CEELI Institute's 2017 Annual Report is now available! Take a peek and see what we've been up to in a busy 2017... [gview file="https://ceeliinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/compressed1CEELI_Annual_2017_Final-ilovepdf-compressed.pdf"]

The CEELI Institute is delighted to announce a spring session of our signature anti-corruption course on the investigation and prosecution of public corruption cases. This five-day, highly interactive training provides participants with a comprehensive framework for initiating and pursuing official corruption cases. The course will take place at the Villa Grebovka in Prague the week of April 23-27, 2018, and is designed to walk participants through the investigation of a case involving official corruption. Participants will work in small groups with a hypothetical case to develop their own investigation strategy, learning to use time-tested investigative tools and develop practical skills along the way. Participant efforts are augmented by expert guidance and instruction. Over the course of five days, students will: •...

The November 2017 session of the CEELI Institute’s popular program on “Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption” was also a milestone, marking five years that the Institute has been offering this innovative training program.  As one UN official recently noted, the course is now considered “the best in Europe.”  Since 2013, more than 300 participants from 16 different countries, ranging from Serbia to Singapore, have completed this program.   Feedback from our participants has remained consistently enthusiastic, and our participants routinely report that their time in Prague is well spent and is beneficial in their professional work. Participants at this most recent session included prosecutors, investigators, and NGO representatives from Armenia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine. As always, the five-day interactive...

In October, the CEELI Institute continued its ongoing efforts to support judges in countries on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, with support from the US Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau. The most recent program was designed to support judges from the Middle East and North Africa, and brought together judges and prosecutors from Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. The intensive three-day exchange focused on best practices for judges adjudicating cases involving terrorism and other national security issues, with special reference to The Hague Memorandum on Good Practices for the Judiciary in Adjudicating Terrorism Offenses, a Good Practice document based on relevant international guidance and developed under the auspices of the 30-nation Global Counter Terrorism Forum (www.thegctf.org)....

The CEELI Institute is delighted to be able to announce the launch of a new initiative to support civil society organizations, journalists and lawyers striving for greater public accountability and transparency in Central and Eastern Europe.  The project is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.  It will allow us to provide training, assistance and guidance to anti-corruption civic activists from across the region as they work to access publicly available government information, thereby highlighting and exposing official corruption.  The project will include civil society participants from the Visegrad, Baltic and Balkan regions, as well as the Eastern Partnership countries. Official corruption is often perceived as a major factor in undermining public trust in democracy and the rule...

The CEELI Institute is delighted to announce its newest judicial reference tool, The Addendum to the Manual on Independence, Impartiality and Integrity of the Judiciary: A Thematic Compilation of International and National Jurisprudence. This document will now join the original Manual on Independence, Impartiality and Integrity of the Judiciary: The Thematic Compilation of International Standards, Policies and Best Practices as an important reference tool for judges, legislators, government officials and legal scholars. Both documents are hosted on the CEELI Institute web site, where they are available for download. The Addendum follows the same approach as the original Manual. Whereas the original Manual focused on international instruments relevant to issues of judicial independence, integrity, accountability and function, the Addendum references similarly...

Building on our four-year track record of working with human rights lawyers in Burma, the CEELI Institute has now expanded our efforts in Burma to include support for members of the Burmese Parliament who are working to reform a range of outdated or repressive legislation. Many of these MPs are former dissidents and political prisoners who are now adjusting to new roles as legislators and drafters. Progress in changing these laws and paving the way for a genuine democracy is critical to securing democratic changes in Burma.  The MPs are also increasingly aware that the results of the next general election in 2020 will be partly dependent on success in reforming repressive laws. This project has been a logical outgrowth...

The CEELI Institute is pleased to initiate a multi-year partnership with the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, India, and the U.S. Federal Judicial Center, which will promote a series of exchanges between U.S. and Indian judges.  This effort, generously supported by the US Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau, will focus particularly on judges who are responsible for adjudicating complex cases involving terrorism and national security crimes. As is on our past work on this subject matter with judges from a variety of backgrounds, including the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa, the Institute will again make particular use of relevant good practice documents generated by the 30-member Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF), a body which includes both India and the United States (www.thegctf.org).  Of particular relevance for framing the discussions in this effort is the Hague Memorandum on Good...

In April 2018, the CEELI Institute resumed a program in partnership with the Swedish-based International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), focused on offering a professional lifeline to Syrian judges who are now in exile in Turkey but who hold on to the hope of one day returning to their country to rebuild the justice system.  Many of the exiled judges remain actively involved with international organizations that are working with refugees in Turkey, for example, by assisting with efforts to maintain basic public records of births, death, and marriages, in the absence of any formal mechanism for recording such crucial life events.  All of these Syrian judges are looking ahead to possible scenarios that might occur in Syria after the conflict ends.    In April 2018, the Institute convened a program in Gaziantep,...

The CEELI Institute was honored to support the Seventh Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, hosted in Budapest by the Supreme Court of Hungary from June 4-7, 2017.  The Conference was originally launched in Prague, at the Institute, with support from the U.S. Department of State, and with the personal commitment of United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The Conference is now a self-sustaining body that meets annually, and provides the opportunity for the Chief Justices to discuss common challenges, share ideas, and work towards solutions. Front and center among this year’s discussions were the ongoing challenges to judicial independence that continue to be seen and felt across the...

The CEELI Institute continues to be deeply engaged with judiciaries of Central and Eastern Europe, primarily through our ongoing Network of rising young judges, now entering its sixth year of programmatic activities and efforts.  The young judges are increasingly concerned about coping with the external pressures—political, social, media—that work to undermine judicial independence in the region. Recent legislative interference with the judiciary in Poland has been well reported, but disturbing trends are reported across the region. With knives out for judges across the region, they are also keen to pay greater attention to ethical issues, and to avoid conflicts and ethical pitfalls that have caught up with some of their peers. In September the CEELI Institute organized several events to address...

The CEELI Institute is delighted to announce its new joint partnership with the Association of Croatian Judges in delivering continuing legal education programs for judges from the Czech Republic, Croatia and other EU member states.  The project, funded by the European Commission’s Justice Directorate, is designed to strengthen judicial respect and protections for the legal rights of defendants in criminal proceedings. The project will promote greater understanding among EU judges charged with applying the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights in the field of criminal justice, and will specifically address the right to information in criminal proceedings (Directive 2012/13/EU), and the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings (Directive 2013/48/EU).    This effort is particularly significant because it is designed...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to again join in supporting the Seventh Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, hosted in Budapest by the Supreme Court of Hungary from June 4-7, 2017.  The Conference itself was launched in Prague, at the Institute, with support from the U.S. Department of State, and with the commitment of United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The Conference is now a self-sustaining body that meets annually in one of the countries represented, and provides the opportunity for the Chief Justices to discuss common challenges, share ideas, and work towards solutions. Front and center among this year’s discussions were the ongoing challenges to judicial independence that...

In February, the CEELI Institute staff was delighted to welcome the leadership of the highly respected Italian organization, the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, for in-depth meetings on future program collaboration and engagement. The CEELI Institute greatly values our increasing roster of programmatic partnerships with institutions across Europe. These collaborations are important in helping us to expand both the quality and scope of our programs. Institutional partnerships allow the participating organizations to tap into a deeper pool of experts, a greater diversity of participants and an increased level of substantive expertise. The staff collaboration and interactions that accompany partnerships encourage consideration of different perspectives and facilitate creative thinking about program design and delivery. Other recent joint...

In January, the CEELI Institute hosted the latest meeting of our Central and East European Judicial Exchange Network, comprised of some of the best and brightest young judges from eighteen countries in the region who have come together to share their best practices on issues of judicial independence, integrity, and accountability. This project is funded through a generous ongoing grant from the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (NL). The program focused on supporting judicial efforts to combat corruption both within and without the profession. In addition to examining issues of transparency in the conduct of the judicial profession, participating judges also examined issues related to the adjudication of corruption cases, including the unique evidentiary...

The CEELI Institute is pleased to report that it’s Manual on Independence, Impartiality and Integrity of Justice continues to be put to good use by judicial practitioners across the region. Most recently, our colleagues in the Republic of Georgia report that the Manual was used extensively by the High Council of Justice in the process of drafting Judicial Strategy for Georgia for 2017-2021. They note that the Manual was one of the guiding documents used in determining the main directions of the judicial strategy and the content of the strategy‘s sub-chapters. As one of the judges noted, the drafters and researchers appreciated the flexibility of the manual and the availability of a keyword system that facilitated the research. The CEELI...

In March, the CEELI Institute continued its ongoing efforts to support judges in countries on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, with support from the US Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau. The most recent program was designed to support judges from the Western Balkans and brought together judges and prosecutors from seven Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. These countries continue to be on the front line of European counterterrorism threats, as they sit directly abreast of the main transit routes for Syrian and other refugees, and see first-hand the phenomenon of returning foreign terrorist fighters. The intensive three-day exchange focused on useful practices for judges adjudicating cases involving terrorism and...

Mark your calendars to join us in Prague, at the Villa Grebovka, on July 9-10, 2017 for the CEELI Institute‘s Annual Meeting. Once again we look forward to bringing together a diverse cross-section of academicians, government officials and experts, as well as our board members, funders, partners, and friends, to discuss some of the most pressing issues we face in our efforts to advance the Rule of Law in ever more challenging environments. The gathering allows us the opportunity to convene prominent thought leaders from the international development community for frank discussions on the critical challenges facing our region as it struggles with war, corruption, and the rise of illiberal regimes which question the value of democratic transitions. The program...

The CEELI Institute is delighted to announce a spring session of our signature anti-corruption course on the investigation and prosecution of public corruption cases. This five-day, highly interactive training provides participants with a comprehensive framework for initiating and pursuing official corruption cases. The course will take place at the Villa Grebovka in Prague the week of April 24-28, 2017, and is designed to walk participants through the investigation of a case involving official corruption. Participants will work in small groups with a hypothetical case to develop their own investigation strategy, learning to use time-tested investigative tools and develop practical skills along the way. Participant efforts are augmented by expert guidance and instruction. Over the course of five days, students will: •...

The mission of the CEELI Institute is to advance the rule of law in the world in order to: protect fundamental rights and individual liberties; promote transparent, incorruptible, accountable governments; lay the foundation for economic opportunity and growth; and encourage peaceful resolution of disputes

Dear Friend of the CEELI Institute, In 2016, the work of the CEELI Institute in advancing the rule of law continued to change individual lives, and through them, the world. Over the past year, for example, CEELI brought young Israeli and Palestinian lawyers together to sit side by side to discuss their challenges and hopes for the future; for most, such an opportunity was unprecedented. As one young Israeli lawyer said at the outset, "before this I had never met a Palestinian." When defense lawyers in Eurasia received death threats for their work, CEELI was there to offer them shelter and respite. A young prosecutor from the Balkans who participated in our intensive anti-corruption training reported that "my skills for investigating frequent acts...

From November 14th-18th, 2016 the CEELI Institute organized its sixth round of training on “Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption.” The interactive five-day program brought together an extraordinary faculty line-up consisting of some of the world’s most experienced anti-corruption prosecutors, forensic accountants, and practitioners including Andrew Levchuk, former DoJ officer and current counsel to Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP, Jagvinder Brar and Michael Peer, forensic accountants with KPMG, and John Griffith, Associate General Counsel in the Office of Global Compliance at Weatherford. Together they provided participants with a comprehensive framework for investigating and prosecuting official corruption. The program was attended by 32 prosecutors, investigators, and judges from six countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine – as...

The CEELI Institute has long been a leader in innovative and effective judicial programming. We continue to work with judges from around the world, through programs designed to promote judicial independence, strengthen judicial accountability and improve judicial performance. We also provide a unique venue to foster judicial exchanges and engagement, in a safe, comfortable and neutral setting at our headquarters in Prague. As a result of our almost two decades or work, the CEELI Institute maintains deep connections with the judiciaries of the region and beyond. Among our representative projects for 2017 will be our continued support for the Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, to be hosted next year by the Supreme Court of Hungary. We...

The CEELI Institute continues its work with its core working group of judges from across Central and Eastern Europe to revise, expand and edit the Institute’s Manual on Independence, Impartiality and Integrity of Justice. The Manual is a unique tool, representing a systematic survey of virtually all relevant international standards applicable to the function, performance and operation of the judiciary. It cross-references over 130 international conventions and other sources of public international law, organizing relevant sources according to thematic categories of interest and use to judges in their work. The tool is, in short, a map to the judicial profession and the international standards that underpin it. The Manual represents an extraordinary commitment of time and effort by the Working...

The CEELI Institute is continuing its long work with the Tunisian judiciary, now focusing on a selected group of the most proactive judges from the sessions conducted over the past three years (2013-2015). This new phase of our engagement addresses public trust in the judiciary - a topic selected by the judges themselves. The participating judges have prioritized several aspects crucial for public trust in the judiciary, including relationship with the media, and greater outreach and educational programs for university and high school students. The judges are also committed to work on a judicial code of conduct, which they recognize will be helpful tool in garnering public trust. CEELI has worked with the judges to create relevant working groups, and...

An increasingly important aspect of the CEELI Institute’s continuing engagement with judiciaries across the region involves exploration of the relationships between the judiciary and the media. Discussions and materials addressing this topic is in high demand among judges who are faced with increasing media pressures, especially while handling political sensitive cases and high level corruption cases. Judges must also increasingly negotiate the potential pitfalls surrounding the use of social media platforms. Judges are concerned about their rights to privacy in an age of increasing media attention, and are also unclear on where the boundaries should be set in dealing with the press. They are also challenged in balancing the public’s interest against the rights of the parties before the court....

As part of our continuing engagement with the judiciaries from across the Central and East European region, the CEELI Institute recently co-sponsored an event, in cooperation with the Supreme Court of Macedonia addressing the ongoing challenges to judicial independence across the region—both within and without the EU. The program, held in late October, at Lake Ohrid, drew over 70 participants, including judges from Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia. The event provided a critically important platform for judges to exchange views and experiences in how best to respond to increasing external pressures on the judiciary. Particular attention was devoted to how judges can most effectively cope with pressures from the media, from the government...

In October, the CEELI Institute continued its ongoing efforts to support judges in countries on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, with support from the US Department of State’s Counterterrorism Bureau. This latest program brought together judges from the Middle East and North Africa--specifically, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon--along with judicial counterparts from the US and Germany for the intensive three day exchange on useful practices for judges faced with adjudicating cases involving terrorism and national security issues. Our program curriculum again followed the format we developed for previous trainings provided to judges and prosecutors in the Western Balkans, relying on The Hague Memorandum on Good Practices for the Judiciary in Adjudicating Terrorism Offenses, a Good Practice...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to join with the IBA in hosting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on September 23, in Washington, DC, at the IBA Rule of Law Forum. CEELI Institute Founder and Board Chair Homer Moyer moderated a discussion with the Justice on issues related to the role of the judiciary, the meaning of the Rule of Law, and the application of international law as a reference point for the Court. The Justice also took questions from the audience.  It was an inspirational and informative session, and we were thrilled to be a part of it.

The CEELI Institute is gratified to have participated in the preparation of a landmark effort to promote and define the role of NGOs in monitoring court proceedings and the function of the judiciary. The final project report, NGOs and the Judiciary: Watchdog Activities, Interactions, Collaboration, and Communication, was recently published by the Warsaw based Polish NGO, the Institute for Law and Society (INPRIS). The publication represents the culmination of a two-year effort, funded by the International Visegrad Fund (www.visegradfund.org) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The CEELI Institute was one of six key NGOS contributing to this effort, along with counterparts in Poland, Slovakia, Albania, Macedonia and Serbia. The report establishes key recommendations and good...

CEELI Institute Executive Director Christopher Lehmann and Judge Cristi Danilet from Romania recently led a panel at the Annual Conference of the International Association of Administrative Courts (IACA) held in the The Hague in May, where they were asked to present the CEELI Institute’s The Manual on Independence, Impartiality and Integrity of Justice. The Manual is a unique tool, representing a systematic survey of virtually all relevant international standards applicable to the function, performance and operation of the judiciary. It cross-references over 130 international conventions and other sources of public international law, organizing relevant sources according to thematic categories of interest and use to judges in their work. The tool is, in short, a map to the judicial profession and...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to recently welcome our first-ever delegation from Pakistan. In late August, the US Embassy in Islamabad (INL), the US Department of Justice (OPDAT) and the US Federal Judicial Center organized a joint exchange at the Institute bringing together Judges of the Lahore High Court (Punjab Province) and the US federal judiciary for several days of in-depth dialogue on issues of case management and court administration.  Among those participating in the discussions was Federal Judicial Center Director, Judge Jeremy Fogel.

The CEELI Institute is delighted to be able to announce the continuation of its groundbreaking program bringing together young lawyers from the Middle East to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role that international law can play in its resolution. This program has been generously supported by the International Bar Association for a second year. The program extension will allow us to continue to bring together the diverse group of young lawyers on a quarterly basis at the Institute in Prague, during which participants are able to speak honestly, exchange views, examine applicable principles of international law, and jointly explore difficult, emotional issues affecting Israel and Palestine. This program was highlighted last year at the IBA’s annual Rule of Law...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to again support the work of the Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe, which was hosted in June of this year, in Belgrade, by the Supreme Cassational Court of Serbia.  The Conference is now a self-sustaining body that has met annually since its inception in 2011, allowing the Chief Justices to discuss common challenges, share ideas and work towards solutions. This year saw two additional signatories—Serbia and Georgia-- to the Conference’s Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary, known now as the Brijuni Statement (due to its original drafting and signing in 2015 at the Croatian seaside town of Brijuni).  That statement reaffirms regional commitments to judicial independence and the...

Forum 2000 (www.forum2000.cz) is an annual convocation in Prague, originally founded by Václav Havel, dedicated to supporting the values of democracy and respect for human rights. The Forum provides a platform for global leaders to openly debate and share thoughts on this critical issue. This year, CEELI again joined in Forum 2000’s Festival of Democracy, hosting a panel entitled “Unwinding: Rule of Law Reform in Europe Under Pressure.”  The CEELI Institute panel addressed the uneven road in transformation of post-communist countries into fully functioning and healthy democracies. With the re-emergence of political nationalism and authoritarian instincts, pro-democratic cooperation across borders is of utmost importance. This session looked at current developments as well as possible strategies of international efforts aimed at advancing the rule of law...

The Villa Grébovka was packed with friends and colleagues from around the world for the Institute’s Annual Meeting on June 26th-28th, 2016. Board members, faculty, donors, former CEELI alums, and many more friends and colleagues came together in Prague for an opportunity to review our efforts over the past year, and to look ahead to programs for the coming year. This year’s meeting focused particularly on the ongoing challenges involved in delivering assistance in environments that are experiencing deliberate repression of civil society. Attention was given not just to the problems, but to possible solutions, including examination of effective strategies for delivering development assistance and supporting civil society in the face of hostile environments and government repression. We were particularly...

In June, the CEELI Institute continued its efforts on a multi-year program to engage judges handling complex cases involving issues of terrorism and national security, including the increasingly serious threats posed in Europe by the transit of foreign terrorist fighters. The program, which aims to promote understanding and use of relevant international “good practices” for judges on these matters, including particularly the Global Counter-terrorism Forum’s (GCTF) Hague Memorandum Good Practices for the Judiciary in Adjudicating Terrorism Offenses, convened a group of 21 judges from the Western Balkans for a 3-day session form June 15-17. Judges from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, as well as prosecutors from Macedonia, were present at the session which elaborated on...

The CEELI Institute, together with Burma Center Prague (BCP), continues its effort to train young lawyers in Burma, under the auspices of the Myanmar Lawyers Network.  The most recent sessions were delivered in May 2016.  The most recent programs took place among a dramatically changing political landscape following the landslide victory of the National League for Democracy in November 2015, which in turn began paving the way for democracy and the return to power of iconic leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. In addition to the continuing focus on building practical trial skills, the trainings focused on aspects of political and legal transformation (an issue that is at last possible to address entirely openly in the country) as well as the...

Please join us in Prague on June 26-27 for the CEELI Institute 2016 Annual Meeting. Our theme this year will focus on one of the biggest challenges now facing the international development community: effective strategies for delivering Rule of Law developmental assistance in increasingly difficult political environments. We have an exciting line up of panelists, drawn from the international development community, and from the ranks of those currently struggling on the front lines to keep the Rule of Law alive under repressive conditions. As always, we expect this year’s meeting to bring together an exciting mix of activists, academicians, diplomats, government officials and experts, as well as our board members, partners, and friends. The gathering allows us the opportunity to...

The CEELI Institute continues to expand its successful program to provide respite stays for human rights defenders working under pressure and in extreme situations. Since initiating the project in summer 2015, the Institute has now hosted seven of these brave and inspiring human rights attorneys through the program. Respite stay participants, to date, have worked in areas of anti-torture litigation, access to information, NGO defense, children's rights, and freedom of expression. Each participant creates his or her own program based on their interests and amount of time they will spend at the Institute. Examples of past projects have included learning documentary film making skills (for use in documenting and filming torture victim testimonies), providing interviews with international media on their...

In April 2016, the CEELI Institute delivered another of its series of anti-corruption trainings organized for Tunisian stakeholders in cooperation with the Tunisian National Anti-Corruption Agency (INLUCC). The session focused on detecting corruption and fraud in the issuance of government permits and licenses. Once again, we were able to secure outstanding international faculty for the program. Dan Newcomb is the founder of the Anti-Corruption group at the global law firm Shearman & Sterling, and has participated in numerous high-profile cases, including the investigation into the marketing practices of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, which was a precursor to the enactment of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Helge Kvamme is a partner with Selmer, a Norwegian Law Firm, and is a former...

In late April, we again conducted our popular program on “Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption” for a fully enrolled session. Participants at this most recent session included prosecutors, investigators, and NGO representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya, Serbia, and Tunisia as well as a number of observers, including representatives from the OSCE and from US embassies across the Balkan region. The five-day interactive program also brought together an extraordinary faculty line-up of some of the world’s foremost anti-corruption prosecutors and forensic accountants, who guided the participants through a case-based, interactive curricula using realistic case scenarios as learning tools. As part of the program, participants work throughout the week in small groups to develop their own investigation strategy, learning to...

In late April, the CEELI Institute again conducted its program on “Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption.” As with the previous sessions, the five-day interactive program brought together an extraordinary faculty line-up consisting of some of the world’s foremost anti-corruption prosecutors, forensic accountants, and practitioners including Jean-Michel Ferat, a US forensic accountant and Managing Director of Claro Group, David Hawkes, a German senior prosecutor and head of the Special Litigation Unit in the World Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency (IVP), Pamela Parizek, Partner at KPMG in Washington D.C., Bruno Cova, Chair of the Milan Office of the law firm of Paul Hastings, and Susan Ringler, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for a Fortune 100 company. Together, this esteemed faculty provided participants...

The CEELI Institute is excited to announce that our 2015 annual report is now available! The report follows the progress of our ongoing projects, including regional work in Tunisia and Burma, as well as our efforts here at the Villa Grébovka in Prague, including our highly acclaimed anti-corruption course, our CEE Judicial Network, and many more! Downloadable versions of all our annual reports can be found here. [gview file="https://ceeliinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CEELI-Institute-2015-Annual-Report.pdf"]

The CEELI Institute is currently conducting training for volunteers from the Ukrainian public monitoring group, OZON. OZON’s goal is to foster more open, accountable and transparent government.  As part of their program at CEELI, OZON monitors are discussing differences between Russian and Ukrainian standards of access to government information, the role of public monitoring with respect to access to information and the legal process of requesting information and court processes for defending rights to information. Among other activities, OZON plans to underake monitoring of court proceedings; securing open access to information on court proceedings in Ukraine and monitoring court information is a critically important part of overall efforts underway to address corruption in Ukraine.

The CEELI Institute was delighted to welcome former Jordanian Prime Minister, Dr. Abdelsalam al-Majali, who spoke at length on his long experiences in the Arab-Israeli peace processes. Dr. al-Majali offered valuable insights into the process of negotiation, the barriers negotiators face, how compromises can be reached, and how negotiators can successfully avoid impasse and stalemates. He offered important insights into how negotiations can successfully be used to resolve pressing political issues of our day. Dr. al-Majali was joined at the Institute by David Rivkin, the President of the International Bar Association, who led a discussion on the successful Israeli-Egyptian Taba border arbitrations. Mr. Rivkin is a partner at the New York law firm of Debevoise & Plimption, and a world-renowned...

On February 3-4, 2016, the CEELI Institute organized the latest of a series of trainings for the Tunisian National Anti-Corruption Agency (INLUCC), this time focusing on strategies and policies for effective detection, investigation, and prosecution of corruption and money laundering in the financial sector. Over 40 professionals gathered for the training in Tunis, including representatives from both national and private banks, judges, lawyers, and journalists. Combining their various backgrounds, the participants brainstormed effective ways of how to detect and tackle the entrenched corruption that continues to be a problem in Tunisia. Mr. Chawki Tabib, President of the INLUCC, delivered the opening remarks and the media, including Tunisian TV, were present covering the event. The CEELI Institute program was led by...

On December 18, 2015, the CEELI Institute, as part of its Central and Eastern European Judicial Network program, organized an online workshop on the “Evaluation of Judges.” The webinar was led by Mr. Pim Albers, an independent Dutch expert with global expertise in issues related to the judiciary and court administration. Mr. Albers gave an in-depth overview of international standards related to the evaluation of judges, how to develop and use clear performance standards and neutral performance indicators, and shared his experiences from recent initiatives on the evaluation of judges in Ukraine and Moldova. All ten judges from across the CEE region who participated in the event appreciated the presentation and supplemental discussion, as methods used for evaluating judges remains...

The CEELI Institute will again offer our signature anti-corruption course in April. This five day highly interactive training provides participants with a comprehensive framework for investigating and prosecuting official corruption. The course will take place at the Institute in Prague the week of April 25-30, 2016, and is designed to walk participants through the actual investigation of a case involving official corruption. As in the past, the course filled up quickly and we now have a waiting list for the April session, as well as plans under way to run the course again in early Fall. During the course, participants will work on a hypothetical case in small groups to develop their own investigation strategy, learning to use time tested...

With CEELI Insitute support and encouragement, the Supreme Courts of Central and Eastern Europe have joined together to sign a landmark Statement of Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary. The Principles were approved at the Annual Conference of the Chief Justices, hosted by the Supreme Court of Croatia, in Brijuni, Croatia, in October 2015. Justices from the Supreme Courts of 16 participating countries from the region signed the Statement. It represents the culmination of three years of work by the Justices. The Statement is to some extent modeled on the 1997 Beijing Statement of Principles of the Independence of the Judiciary, drafted and signed by the Conference of Chief Justices of the Asia Pacific Region. The “Brijuni Statement of...

Due to high demand, the CEELI Institute conducted a second session of our highly acclaimed training program on “Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption” at the Villa Grebovka, in early November. This session again brought together a highly experienced faculty line-up consisting of some of the world’s most experienced anti-corruption prosecutors, forensic accountants, and practitioners. The Institute also conducted a second, similar program later in November, at the special request of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Institute’s Anti-Corruption curriculum has had outstanding student feedback, and is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive framework for investigating and prosecuting official corruption. The Institute’s efforts to provide high quality anti-corruption training continue to draw demand, especially as official...

In September, the CEELI Institute worked together with a Ukrainian civil society organization (The Kyiv based Center for Civil Liberties) to train a network of Ukrainian citizens engaged in monitoring the conduct of law enforcement agencies, courts, and local government throughout the country. The project, named “OZONE” to signify its aim of promoting transparency, brought together regional leaders from across Ukraine to study best practices for projects promoting government accountability. The program focused particularly on communication strategies, including the development of useful and tangible reports as part of an accountability campaign, and effective communication of their efforts with the public and media. Participants examined other successful public monitoring campaigns, including a similar high profile court monitoring project in Georgia that...

With a generous donation from the director of the Oak Foundation’s international human rights program, the CEELI Institute has completed the renovation and furnishing of a one-bedroom flat at the Institute, which is dedicated for use by participants of a new respite and sabbatical program for human rights lawyers working under stressful and challenging conditions. Our program is designed to help mitigate the damaging effect of the severe stress and untenable workloads carried by many among the community of human rights lawyers. Often working in hostile and authoritarian environments, these lawyers work tirelessly to defend their clients – often at great personal risk and risk to their families. Depending on the length of their stay, participants are encouraged to write...

The CEELI Institute, in partnership with Czech NGO Burma Center Prague, is again preparing to deliver another series of legal skills training sessions for independent Burmese lawyers, to be held this month in two regional Burmese cities. The trainings are delivered as part of a long-term cooperation agreement with the Myanmar Lawyers Network (MLN), an organization of independent Burmese lawyers active in pro bono defense of politically prosecuted citizens and vulnerable populations. U.S. Judge Christopher Whitten and Polish law professor Marta Skrodzka will lead the training, which is focused on building practical advocacy skills.  The program will also address the role and experience of lawyers in a society transitioning from a totalitarian regime to democracy. The training sessions predominantly target...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to host and cosponsor a conference on International Human Rights Obligations of Post-Communist Countries, in partnership with the Law Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno and the Czech Institute for European and Comparative Law, held at the Institute in October. The conference was attended by almost 100 professional participants from across the Czech Republic, and focused particularly on recent research by Masaryk University scholars on the process of signing and ratification of international human rights conventions by Central and Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Aspects of the Czech transition to democracy have recently been under siege by some sectors of the Czech political spectrum. This conference highlighted the Czech Republic’s role...

The CEELI Institute is again conducting our highly acclaimed training program on "Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption” at the Villa Grebovka, in Prague. Due to high demand for the program, the Institute is running multiple training sessions this year. November's program brings together a highly experienced faculty line-up consisting of some of the world's most experienced anti-corruption prosecutors, forensic accountants, and practitioners. This course, which has had outstanding student feedback, is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive framework for investigating and prosecuting official corruption. It is the Institute's only tuition-based course and one that continues to expand, especially as official corruption has emerged as one of the most prevalent and pernicious threats to the rule of law around the...

The Conference of Chief Justices of Central and Eastern Europe is a self-sustaining organization whose members are the Supreme Court Chief Justices who lead the judiciaries of twenty-three nations from the Baltic Sea to the Caucasus, including the Balkan Peninsula. The Conference meets annually in one of the member countries to address the many common challenges faced by the Chief Justices in improving their countries’ judiciaries, promoting judicial independence, strengthening integrity and accountability, improving court management, fighting corruption, and building public support for the courts. The CEELI Institute has been honored to support the work and mission of the Conference since its inception in 2011. This year’s Conference was hosted by the Supreme Court of Croatia, from 11-14 October at...

The CEELI Institute was delighted to host a program on Non-Conviction Based Confiscation and Asset Management, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section).The program was attended by 20 very senior Lebanese Officials, including representatives of Lebanon’s judiciary and civil society, and by officials from the Lebanese Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Special Investigation Committee.  Speakers included the Vice-Chair of the Egmont Group (the international coordinating body for FIU’s), a member of the Lebanese Parliament, experts from the International Centre for Asset Recovery (at the Basel Institute, Switzerland) and federal prosecutors and investigators from the US Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of a brief period of liberalism, economic and social reform and democratization of Czechoslovakia, known as the Prague Spring.  In January 1968, a moderate, Alexander Dubček replaced his hard-line communist predecessor to become the Secretary of the Community Party in Czechoslovakia. His leadership marked the beginning of a new era in Czechoslovakia, even if for just a short time. In response to economic depression and complaints that the Soviet Union was exploiting its people, Dubček launched an “Action Programme” of liberalizations. This resulted in increased freedom of press, religion, association, and travel, the rehabilitation of victims of political purges during the Joseph Stalin era, a revised constitution to guarantee civil rights and liberties, a switch...

We are happy to share the release of our 2021-2022 annual report, detailing our activities for the past year.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Institute has received a steady stream of requests for assistance from our many colleagues, partners, and friends directly affected by the violence in the country.

Building Public Trust and Confidence in The Judiciary: Strategies for Strengthening Judicial Independence

Building Public Trust and Confidence in the Judiciary: Strategies for Strengthening Judicial Independence

This series encapsulates the unique legal challenges of the day and will feature interviews, conversations, and reports with learning judges, civil society actors, and representatives …

In this series, we review the opportunities provided by the digitalization of justice and the challenges and benefits it presents to the judiciaries in Central and Eastern Europe…

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, judiciaries across the region and world were forced to rapidly adjust their daily operations.