opentrial.org - Civil oversight of the law

OpenTrial, a Norfolk initiative, is the world's independent, civil check on legal systems. Only by engaging civil society can the rule of law properly spread and take hold around the world.

Click here to help empower civil society for justice

and the OpenTrial for Dignity & Justice Group on Other Norfolk groundbreakers include: Robert Walpole, first Prime Minister of Great Britain; Elizabeth Fry, prison and social reformer; Horatio Nelson, tactically and strategically inspirational naval leader; Thomas Paine, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual and one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S.; Charles Townshend, prominent protagonist in the British agricultural revolution; Edward Richardson, agricultural trade unionist; and Thomas William Coke, pro-civil liberties politician, agricultural reformer and supporter of American independence.

"A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

"An injustice sufferer's trauma, sense of vulnerability and powerlessness must cease to be compounded by the realisation that few will lift a finger to help."

Testimonial

OpenTrial assists victims of legal system dysfunction.

Since June of 2011, I have received continuing and unstinting assistance from OpenTrial and benefited enormously Read more

CASES & PLACES TO WATCH

The cases in Turkey of Omur Cagdas Ersoy (charged with belonging to a left-wing armed faction that no longer exists) and Cengiz Dogan (a Kurd, effectively charged with being in two places at the same time). As the government gets tougher, it now has imprisoned: 500 students for the alleged membership of terrorist groups, around 76 journalists, 47 lawyers and thousands of Kurd sympathisers.

Is Yulia Tymoshenko likely to receive a fair trial in Ukraine? Read more

Latest: The trials of medical staff from the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, Bahrain, have been brought forward to 30th January. There are fears this is to thwart international monitoring by observers who arrive in March. Read more

Red Travel/Business Warning: Bali, Indonesia. Corrupt elements in the police and prosecution service, which concoct criminal cases and extort, remain a threat to business people & tourists. Here, from the island, are some classic examples of the dangers of legal system extortion and the tyranny of the corrupt.

Red Business Warning: The Economist reports that: "one in six businessmen in Russia has been prosecuted for an alleged economic crime over the past decade." Read more

Fair Trial

FAIR TRIAL

The basic criteria of this basic human right are:

PRE-TRIAL RIGHTS

1. The prohibition on arbitrary arrest and detention

2. The right to know the reasons for arrest

3. The right to legal counsel

4. The right to a prompt appearance before a judge to challenge the lawfulness of arrest and detention

Read more

THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THE SPREAD OF THE RULE OF LAW ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CIVIL OVERSIGHT AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LAW ARE QUINTESSENTIAL TO IT.

no rod to fish FOR EVERY DOLLAR

SPENT, OPENTRIAL

GUARANTEES TO

LIFT AT LEAST

ONE PERSON OUT

OF POVERTY IN

THE DEVELOPING

WORLD

No other initiative has anything approaching the same exponential return, and the reason, metaphorically speaking, is that instead of OpenTrial donating food, we provide fishing rods so that people may fish for their own food.

That is, OpenTrial works to provide the tools that enable societies to bring their legal systems to account themselves; those tools being online information that can be used by civil society to combat corruption, violence, human rights abuse and injustice within legal systems. This strengthens the rule of law, which, in turn, provides the basis for economic, social and political development, all of which lift people out of poverty, exploitation and abuse

Legal system efficacy should not be taken for granted; but must be demonstrated on a daily basis. While we may ascribe authority and functionality to legal systems, those around the world that can be relied upon to mete out justice tend to be the exception rather than the rule. However, corruption and torture in legal systems can be beaten; email us for a complimentary project guide explaining how this can be done for various countries around the world.

OpenTrial's audience currently spans 101 countries.
travel warning, bali, indonesia, police, extortion, corruption
Men won't do much for a shilling.

For a pound they may be willing.

For twenty pounds the verdict's in the sack.

Bertolt Brecht - The Caucasian Chalk Circle

Traditionally, the law has preferred to be shrouded in mystique. Many judges, police, prosecutors and lawyers are not comfortable with public scrutiny. But this opacity is what makes possible legal system corruption, violence and human rights abuse, particularly in developing countries. This must change.

OpenTrial espouses openness, accountability and societal engagement with respect to the law. Ours is a four-pronged approach based on this espousal:

1. Harness modern technology to advance legal system transparency for societal accountability, engagement and locally initiated ownership and reform.

2. Conduct court monitoring to engage the public to improve justice systems, hold justice systems to account, and to promote an open and transparent court process.

3. Advance legal system accountability by means of consolidating legislation in countries around the world to bring miscreant judges, police and prosecutors to account, while also guaranteeing judicial independence.

4. Advance legal system accountability by monitoring the conduct of companies and individuals operating in the developing world and covered by extra-territorial anti-corruption legislation.