UNODC Iran and Islamic Republic of Iran Judiciary
conducted specialized meeting on Alternatives to Imprisonment and Restorative Justice
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Tehran, 5 September 2018 - UNODC Iran in close cooperation with the Iranian Judiciary held a specialized meeting in Tehran for one hundred twenty Iranian Judges, prosecutors and Police staff on subjects of the alternatives to imprisonment and restorative justice.
Several senior officials of the Judiciary, senior international experts from the Netherlands and Switzerland, members of the Mini Dublin Group in Tehran and several United Nations sister agencies joined the event. The Deputy Head of Judiciary on Social and Crime Prevention, Deputy Director General of International Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNODC Iran Country Representative, Mr. Alexander Fedulov, addressed the audience in the opening of the meeting in Tehran.
Mr. Fedulov, in his opening speech, pointed towards existing constructive cooperation between the UNODC Iran and the Iranian Judiciary. He stated that several Members States including the Islamic Republic of Iran have foreseen and integrated the alternatives to imprisonment and restorative justice in their laws and regulations. During event audience was informed that during the 27 th Session of Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice held in Vienna in May 2018, Resolution 27/6 on Restorative Justice has been adopted by the UN Member States.
The two-day working sessions include several subjects inter alia (i) national strategy on crime prevention and alternatives to imprisonment policies, (ii) legislative structure of the Netherlands, crime prevention policies and modalities of applying alternatives to imprisonment, (iii) structure of new Islamic Penal Code and Criminal Rules of Procedure, (iv) alternatives to imprisonment and restorative justice for vulnerable groups, with emphasis on women and children, (v) role of prosecutor generals in applying crime prevention policies and promoting alternatives to imprisonment, (vi) prosecution services in course of proceedings and significance of inmates' case files, (vii) in-prison legal services, centralized on restorative justice, (viii) regulatory role of lawyers in accomplishing eligibilities of alternatives to imprisonment, and (viiii) Switzerland's prosecution services in course of proceedings and significance of inmates case files.
A side meeting was also held prior to the opening of the event with presence of the UNODC Iran Country Representative, Mr. Alexander Fedulov, Senior officials of the Judiciary and several Ambassadors and senior embassy officials from Mini Dublin Group embassies in Tehran. The importance of dialogue and cooperation between international community and the Iranian Judiciary was emphasized by senior Judiciary officials, Mini Dublin Group ambassadors and UNODC Iran Representative throughout the exchanges. UNODC Iran and Iranian Judiciary thanked the government and the embassy of the Netherlands in Tehran for funding the UNODC Iran crime prevention project and the Tehran meeting. Mini Dublin Group embassies present in the side meeting underlined their willingness to upgrade cooperation with UNODC Iran and the Iranian Judiciary.
In the closure of the event, UNODC Iran Country Representative and senior officials of the Iranian Judiciary held a press conference with press and media on the Tehran meeting results and prospects of cooperation between the Parties.
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For further information, please contact:
Mehraj Singh (Mr.), Programme Associate, UNODC Country Office in Iran
Tel.: (+98-21) 8887 8377-81,
Fax: (+98-21) 88796700,
Email: mehraj.singh@un.org.