Newsroom
The Open Society Justice Initiative pursues strategic litigation and engages in policy advocacy in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Read our News Releases and Advocacy Updates on our work.
New Report from Turkey Finds Accused Lack Legal Representation
An empirical study of legal aid in Istanbul jointly undertaken by the Open Society Justice Initiative and Istanbul Bilgi University found that only 10 percent of criminal defendants in Istanbul are represented by a lawyer.
April 06, 2008Legal Aid Law Adopted in Moldova
The Moldovan parliament voted unanimously to approve a new legal aid law developed by a working group which benefited from extensive consultations with the Open Society Justice Initiative.
July 30, 2007New Legal Aid Law Adopted in Georgia
A new legal aid law adopted in Georgia introduces a full-fledged model of public defenders as legal aid providers, a development praised by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
June 26, 2007Second Public Defender Office Launched in Ukraine
Ukraine's second pilot public defender office was launched last week in Bila Tsirkva, an initiative that is part of a project on legal aid reform in Ukraine operated by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the International Renaissance Foundation.
February 21, 2007Ukraine Public Defender Office Promotes Rights of the Accused
A newly opened public defender office—a joint project of the Open Society Justice Initiative and two other civil society groups—recorded a major success last week when it was assured by Regional Director of Kharkiv Police that local police will...
December 21, 2006Mexico Plans Its First Pretrial Services Agency
Mexican officials gathered in Chihuahua to plan the country's first pretrial services agency at a meeting organized and led by the Open Society Justice Initiative and its Mexican partner organization, Renace.
November 07, 2006World Bank Awards Grant to Pioneering African Paralegal Nongovernmental Organization
Timap for Justice, a nongovernmental organization cofounded by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Sierra Leonean National Forum for Human Rights, received an $879,000 grant today from the World Bank to provide justice services in Sierra Leone.
October 23, 2006Open Society Justice Initiative Trains Lawyers in Combating Torture
Lawyers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan join international human rights law experts this week for a practical seminar on strategic litigation to combat torture and ill-treatment organized by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
June 23, 2006