The Foundation hosts a workshop for lawyers in Malé in partnership with the Bar Council of the Maldives
The Max Planck Foundation together with the Bar Council of the Maldives, conducted a workshop for lawyers from 22 to 24 November 2019 in Malé, Maldives. The workshop was attended by practising lawyers, as well as lawyers from various state institutions (such as the Attorney General’s Office, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Gender and Family, the Criminal Court, the Drug Court, the Human Rights Commission and the Department of Judicial Administration.
The workshop centred around strategic litigation, fair trial rights and professional ethics of lawyers. It also discussed public interest litigation in the Maldives, conducted by a local lawyer, Mariyam Shunana. All sessions were interactive, and the participants engaged in rich and lively discussion about their experiences and knowledge of the local context.
The trainers presented on the concept of strategic litigation, including principles of case selection, risks, media and communications strategy and factors to consider as legal professionals implementing strategic litigation. Fair trial rights, including minimum guarantees applicable to all proceedings and criminal proceedings, and access to justice, with a particular focus on vulnerable communities, was also discussed. Furthermore, the standards of conduct applicable to lawyers as well as modalities for investigating alleged violations of such standards were also presented. All sessions included a discussion on international and domestic law, as well as conversations on the interaction of such laws with issues arising within the domestic context.
The Vice President of the Bar Council, Abdulla Muizzu, opened the event and commended such workshops and spoke of the need for such discussions within the Maldives. At the end, the President of the Bar Council, Maumoon Hameed, distributed certificates to all participants.
This workshop was the first of three to be held in partnership with the Bar Council of the Maldives as part of the German Federal Foreign Office funded project, “Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Maldives”. The next one is scheduled to take place in Malé in 2020.