E-Services for Lawyers – Workshops on MIZAN II
Ramallah, 21 December 2011 -EUPOL COPPS is organizing a series of training workshop sessions for lawyers on the functioning of the new electronic case management programme MIZAN II to facilitate the work of the lawyers.
Mr. Murad RUMMAN, Head of the IT Department of the High Judicial Council (HJC) and his colleagues are giving the training sessions to introduce the computer software and the method of operating it. The Palestinian Bar Association (PBA) is coordinating the workshops.
This information series consists of five workshops, taking place in Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus and Tulkarem. In course of the implementation of the electronic case management programme MIZAN II, court staff and judges have been trained already. Lawyers need to be informed about their access possibilities and working tools to the database as well.
Access to case files is crucial for lawyers, in order to prepare their pleadings and defence related correspondence. Lawyers’ right to access case files is part of the right to defence, and is guaranteed by the Palestinian Law.
In the first part of the workshops, the functioning of MIZAN II and the method of operating it is explained. In the second part, the attending lawyers are discussing the new electronic method to access case files. Outstanding issues in accessing case files are raised by the lawyers and formulated in recommendations by EUPOL COPPS Defence Counsel Expert Julia RUTZ. Those recommendations of all five workshops will be presented to the HJC for further amendments of the database, in cooperation with the PBA.
In his opening remarks at the workshop in Bethlehem, the representative of the PBA stated: “The development of MIZAN II is an important step in regard to the principle of transparency. It is a significant improvement for Palestinian people to access data with secrecy and to know, no secrets are hidden at courts. Transparency is a crucial base for Democracy.”
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