Mizzima
The Ministry of Justice under the National Unity Government (NUG) is providing training virtually or in a hybrid model for judges and law officers in respective areas as part of preparations to establish courts for the federal union of the country, according to its official public release on 4 August.
The document said that the ministry’s Alternative Dispute Resolution training is now being delivered to 19 judges, five law officers, and six officers from the headquarters from 3 to 5 August, with expectation to be beneficial in reaching an effective settlement related to cases arising in respective communities.
The statement also said that the Ministry of Justice is playing great emphasis on implementing the Rule of Law for the people during the Interim period; likewise, the whole National Unity Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is exerting effort in every aspect to ensure the success of the people’s revolution against the dictatorship.
The Ministry of Justice has been able to successfully carry out Rule of Law activities to some extent during the interim period, and in addition to that, we also have numerous initiatives in the pipeline that will further expand.
The Ministry of Justice recognizes that providing legal services and establishing functional courts, law offices, and prisons are crucial activities during the interim period.
The Ministry of Justice is well aware that it is the people’s wish that the secret trials and perversion of the courts by the terrorist junta be swiftly replaced by a fair and just legal system accessible by all. To do that, they need skillful judges, prosecutors and lawyers, and said individuals also need to understand that “the law is the defender of the people, not a tool of the powerful.”
The Ministry has been active in training both judges and prosecutors, many of whom are already providing judicial proceedings in areas where the NUG can safely do so. As the breadth of those areas increases, so too will the need for additional judges, law officers and lawyers. They are cooperating with the Union Ministries, governmentdepartments, Parliaments, People’s Defense Forces, Ethnic Armed Organizations, and Civil Society Organizations to train those persons who are selected as judges, law officers and lawyers to ensure that they are trained to provide competent rulings under the present constraints that are placed by the situation on the ground during this active revolutionary period.
The Ministry of Justice is working towards delivering prosecution training courses for law officers, orientation training and refresher training courses to enhance the capacity of judges and law officers, as well as legal training courses for military officers and administration officers, in the near future.
The Ministry is also working with the other ministries of the NUG and other organizations to recruit and appoint appropriate persons for the sectors of implementing justice and provide necessary training as the people fight to liberate their homes, townships and districts from the illegal rule of the terrorist Military Council, the press release says.
Despite the challenges that they face, the courts have been active. Up to June 2023, 74 civil cases and 306 criminal cases were heard and tried, with 29 of the civil cases and 173 of the criminal cases being resolved and decided. As a result, the percentage of resolution is 53%.
The structure and procedures of courts that are now operating in accordance with the situations on the ground during the interim period are one of the initial steps towards courts that will be established in the future Federal Union. The people of Myanmar deserve a judicial system that is fair, impartial, and consistent with democratic standards. We, the Ministry of Justice, are committed to achieving that to the best of our abilities with what we have to build that kind of judicial system that the people demand and deserve.
