IRLI partners with Malawi NGO’s to commemorate International Human Rights Day
Malawi News Agency Online
IRLI has partnered with two Non-Governmental Organizations in Malawi-Child Rights Advocacy and Paralegal Aid Centre (CRAPAC) and Paralegal Advisory Service (PASI) and together they are committed to raising awareness of human rights in prisons. Together they also marked International Human Rights Day 2014 under the theme: “human rights, responsibilities and accountability: holding duty bearers answerable”. During the commemoration, the partners donated food, soap and sporting utensils which included footballs and jerseys to the prison.
Read Dave Munkhondiya’s article here from 20th Dec 2014
and
Malawi’s Daily Times article here from 15th Dec 2014 written by Alick Ponje
Dinner hosted in Law Society to thank Rachel Power for her contribution as Coordinator of IRLI
December 2013
Law Society Gazette
Previous Law Society President, James McCourt, hosted a dinner for members of IRLI to thank Rachel Power for her hard work and commitment during her three years as IRLI Coordinator, and to welcome the new Coordinator, Emma Dwyer, to the role. Read here.
Irish Lawyers Share The Knowledge in South Africa
May 2013
Law Society Gazette
Magistrates Urged to Integrate Restorative Justice
23 May 2013
The Daily Times, Malawi
Magistrates in the country have been urged to divert from the traditional way of always punishing offenders and instead integrate a restorative justice approach which focuses on the needs of victims and offenders. Read here
Law Awards 2013: Applying the rule of law where it is needed most
19 May 2013
The Sunday Business Post
This year, the Bar Council’s Human Rights Award went to Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI), a project-oriented, non-profit rule of law initiative established by the Law Society of Ireland (LSI) and the Bar Council of Ireland (BCI) to use the law as a means of tackling global injustice and empowering all people to live in a society free from inequality, corruption and conflict. Read here
O’Reilly Gives Advice to Law Students in Vietnam
May 2013
The Argus
Dundalk-based solicitor, Sean T. O’Reilly has just returned from a lecture tour of Vietnam where he was part of a group of Iriah and American lawyers providing legal skills training to lecturers and law students. Read here
Rule of Law International Project: Improving Access to Justice in Malawi
December 2012
FLAC News
IRLI is a project-oriented, non-profit charity established by the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council. Read here
Judge bemoans unfair bail procedures
9 November 2012
The Nation, Malawi
High Court Judge Esmie Chombo, who is also President of the High Court, has said unfail bail practices and procedures are denying many Malawians access to justice and fair trial.
Chombo said this in an interview in Lilongwe yesterday on the sidelines of a day-long training workshop on Access to Justice for magistrates. Read here
Magistrates denying bail unjustifiably
9 November 2012
The Daily Times, Malawi
While the country is grappling with challenges posed by congested prisons, the country’s magistrates are fueling the problem by unjustifiably rejecting bail applications, a senior High Court judge has said.
The High Court judge, Justice Esmie Chombo made the remarks yesterday in Lilongwe at the opening of a workshop for magistrates on access to justice. Read here
Justice for the Rich, Injustice for the Poor
9 November 2012
The Daily Times, Malawi
People from all classes and walks of life commit crime. Malawians are aware of wealthy criminal suspects, someof whom committed serious crimes such as diversion of govenment’s millions of Kwacha into their personal accounts. The citizens are also aware of millionares who are implicated in murder cases but are walking with their heads high up in the streets of our cities. The suspected criminals are currently out on bail. Read here
Irish law charities make their mark internationally
12 November 2012
The Irish Times
LAW UPDATE: The Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland have slowly been coming together to make their mark in the field of international development.
A project in South Africa that began in 2002 quickly gave life to projects in Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, Bosnia Herzegovnia and Kosovo. As projects began to expand, it became quite apparent that Irish lawyers have a lot to contribute to the enhancement of rule of law overseas. Read here
Ireland Promoting the Rule of Law in Malawi
December 2011
Law Society Gazette
Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI), partially funded by Irish Aid, sent three Irish lawyers – Sonya Donnelly BL, Ruth Dowling BL and Carolann Minnock – to Malawi in August to work on a criminal justice project for the coming year. Read here
Three Irish lawyers join Legal Aid to unclog justice system
27 October 2011
The Maravi Post, Malawi
LILONGWE—Three lawyers from the Irish Rule of Law International have joined Malawi’s Legal Aid Department and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in a move designed to unclog the justice system.
Carolann Minnock, Sonya Donnelly and Ruth Dowling will help suspects who can’t afford lawyers; those without means to post bail and also people who might think they were forgotten as there are too many cases but too fee lawyers. Read here
Irish lawyers to boost legal aid
27 October 2011
The Nation, Malawi
Three lawyers from Irish Rule of Law International have joined the Legal Aid Department nad the office of Director of Public Prosectutions in as one way of supporting the country’s criminal justice system. Read here
Kildare Solicitor for African legal aid project
The Leinster Leader
A Kildare solicitor has recently been appointed to a legal aid project in Africa, writes Henry Bauress. Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) has recently sent three Irish lawyers, including Kildare solicitor, Carolann Minnock, to Malawi. Read here
Newbridge solicitor working on justice and human rights project in Malawi
25 October 2011
The Kildare Nationalist
A YOUNG Co Kildare solicitor, Carolann Minnock, is among a group of three lawyers currently working on a project in Malawi, Africa, designed to address issues of justice and human rights there. Read here
Sonya Donnelly – Lawyer
22 September 2011
The Cork Independent
Lawyers do not generally enjoy the greatest of reputations. Positive images are rarely summoned up in our mind’s eye.
One Cork woman conforms to no negative stereotypes about those who practice law. Sonya Donnelly, originally from Fermoy, has embarked on a mission to help bring something fundamental to the people of Malawi. Read here
Rule of Law Initiative – the Kenya Experience
April 2010
The Bar Review
In October 2009, I represented the Bar Council of Ireland, in a needs assessment mission to Kenya, on the Kenya Justice System. This originated from an email, titled Kenya which surfed its way into my inbox, sometime in 2008. IT came via the Rule of Law Initiative. Curious, I opened it. The subject was to investigate doing a Rule of Law project in Kenya Read here
Irish legal project fostering the rule of law in Ethiopia
September 2009
FLAC News
Brian Gallagher is a former Chairperson of FLAC and is now managing partner in Gallagher Shatter, with a wide range of legal practice including constitutional and administrative law, civil litigation, employment law and family law. Brian is a member of the Law Society’s Human Rights Committee. He is involved in the Law Society’s ‘Rule of Law’ project. Read here
Backing rule of law in developing states
31 January 2011
The Irish Times
Last Thursday saw the launch of the Pamodzi Promoting Rule of Law project in Ireland – a joint initiative of the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland dedicated to promoting the rule of law in developing countries.
Pamodzi is committed to implementation of the rule of law as a means of tackling global injustice and empowering all people to live in a society free from inequality, corruption and conflict.
Further information on the project can be got on pamodzi.ie.
Delegation of Kosovan Lawyers visit Dublin
27 December 2008
The Irish Times
A DELEGATION of four lawyers from the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA) has visited Dublin as part of a new joint initiative by the Bar Council and the Law Society to promote the rule of law in countries in the developing world. Read here
Independent legal profession a key priority
27 December 2008
The Irish Times
THE CREATION of an independent legal profession is seen as an urgent task by the Kosovo Chamber of Advocates (KCA), according to its president, Musa Dragusha. This brought him and three of his colleagues to Ireland as part of an ongoing relationship with the Law Society and the Bar Council. Read here
