Participants in the seminar on “Court communication and administration” in Tunis Tunisia
IRZ held a seminar on the topic of “Court communication and administration” in Tunis on 14 July 2022 in cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice. By organising this seminar, IRZ addressed the Tunisian judiciary’s current reform strategy, which, among other things, places a high priority on modernising the judiciary and its administrative structures and hence on improving efficiency in this area. The event is part of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Cooperation Work Programme 2022 between the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tunisia.
The German side was represented Mr Christian Schmitz-Justen, Vice President of the Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG), while Mr Hassen Miaadi, Communications Director and official spokesperson of the Tunisian railway company, was involved on the Tunisian side. Around 30 employees from the administration of various courts from the Tunis region joined with two experts to share their views on aspects of internal and external court communication.
The purpose of internal court communication is to ensure smooth administration and to maintain communication channels between judges and non-judicial staff. From an external perspective, courts must guarantee that their communication with other administrative authorities and judicial actors functions properly. The latter plays an import role in expediting court proceedings and workflows. Correct determination of the necessary staffing levels is another crucial aspect to make sure that the courts operate efficiently.
While the Tunisian expert spoke on basic principles of communication science, the German expert fleshed out the theoretical part with numerous practical examples from the Cologne Higher Regional Court. Participants learned more about specific measures that are used to improve communication within the judiciary and received illustrative insight into the German experience from the viewpoint of the Cologne Higher Regional Court.
Overall, the one-day seminar was characterised by intense discussions and a lively communication. Participants were eager to share, which emphasised their considerable interest in an exchange of experience between German and Tunisian colleagues. Another event on this topic has been pencilled in for autumn 2022, involving other courts from a different region of Tunisia.
Inauguration of the conference. On the podium (from left to right): Hatem Rouatbi, Head of the Research Centre for Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Methods of the Faculty of Law and Political Science Tunis El Manar; Mustafa Ben Letaief, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science Tunis El Manar; Mohamed Abidi, Head of the project area for Africa at IRZ (Image: IRZ) Tunisia
The topic of the conference was “Law and Digitisation”, which was organised by IRZ on 4th and 5th March 2022, together with the Research Centre for Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Methods of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Tunis El Manar in Tunis.
Dr Lars Bierschenk, Judge in the Regional Court of Bonn, previously deputised to the Central IT Service Provider of the Judiciary of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (ITD), participated in the hybrid format of the conference. There were around 200 participants in all.
The following experts took part from Tunisia:
Hatem Rouatbi, Head of the Research Centre for Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Methods of the Faculty of Law and Political Science
Chawki Gaddes, President of the National Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (INPDP)
Kamel Rezgui, Lecturer at the University for Communication in Tunis and Lawyer at the Court of Cassation
Badii Ben Abbes, Civil Court Judge, Grade Three, Sfax
Kaouther Selmi, Managing Director “SIMARL” (Legal service provider in the area of alternative dispute resolution)
Mélanie Clément-Fontaine, Professor at the University of Paris-Saclay
Valérie Laure Benabou, Professor at the University of Paris-Saclay
Khaylan Ben Abdessalem, Doctoral Candidate and Member of the Research Centre for Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Methods
The following topics were discussed, among others, during the conference:
Digitisation and Data Security
Online elections and E-Democracy
Algorithmising the law and digitisation of the judicial service
Digitisation and Civil Disputes
Effects of digitisation on contract law
Electronic legal transactions in Germany
Digitisation is a current topic right now in the judicial system, which is discussed as an opportunity with several obstacles. In this context, the focus of the conference was on legal aspects and methods of digitisation with regard to the legal systems in Tunisia, Germany and France. The discussions also addressed the peculiar challenges of digitisation in the field of the judiciary system, the legal effects on digital transition and the question, how far can the legal system keep up with digitisation. There was an overall consensus that digitisation now is a central challenge, which must be accompanied by law.
IRZ is planning more in-depth events in 2022 on this topic.
Opening of the workshop. From right to left: Imed Derouiche, Prosecutor General and Director of the Judiciary at the Tunisian Ministry of Justice; Cherif Snoussi, Head of the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation; Mohamed Abidi, Head of the IRZ's Africa Project Area (photo: IRZ) Tunisia
The IRZ organised a face-to-face workshop in Tunis from 8-9 March 2022 with the Tunisian Ministry of Justice and the Tunisian penitentiary authorities (Comité Général des Prisons et de la Rééducation/CGPR) on the theme “Rehabilitation Plan, Preparation for release and Reintegration”.
The workshop was designed as exchange of experience on potential procedures to establish individual rehabilitation plans, to determine individual therapy programmes for prisoners, to prepare prisoners for release (transition management) and to discuss the methodology for successful reintegration of offenders after their release from prison.
The Tunisian partners were represented at a high level by Mr Imed Derouiche, Prosecutor General and Director of the Judiciary at the Tunisian Ministry of Justice and Mr Cherif Snoussi, Head of the General Directorate of Prisons and Rehabilitation for the Tunisian penitentiary authorities.
In accordance with the theme of the workshop, the Tunisian contingent was represented by the professional groups involved in prison planning, the preparation of prisoners for release and the reintegration of inmates released from prison. Participants from the penitentiary judiciary, the legal profession and sociologists, psychologists and representatives from the Ministry of Justice also attended the workshop along with members of the penitentiary authorities and the prison service.
The German team comprised the following experts:
Kai Abraham, Correctional Officer at the Justizvollzugsanstalt für Frauen, Berlin (women’s correctional facility)
Pascal Décarpes, Criminologist and international advisor to the European Union on the penitentiary system and resocialisation
The Tunisian partner institutions were represented by the following experts:
Mounir Ben Nsir, General Advisor, penitentiary authority
Tarek Elfanni, General Advisor, penitentiary authority
Issemeddine El Amine, General Advisor, penitentiary authority
Mohamed Miled, General Advisor, penitentiary authority
The penal and prison legislation in Tunisia has undergone a fundamental and comprehensive process of reform since 2014. In terms of the penitentiary system, the focus is on improving prison conditions, implementing international human rights standards and strengthening the resocialisation measures for released offenders. Successful reintegration of released prisoners should contribute to reducing the recidivism rate and thus counteract the steadily growing overcrowding of prisons in Tunisia.
The IRZ is contributing to this reform process through consultations which aim to humanise the penal system in the long term.
