{"id":9320,"date":"2023-10-13T05:55:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T05:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/?p=9320"},"modified":"2023-10-13T05:55:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T05:55:07","slug":"prosecutors-for-prosecutors-working-to-save-prosecutors-lives-in-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/?p=9320","title":{"rendered":"Prosecutors for Prosecutors \u2013 Working to Save Prosecutors\u2019 Lives in Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this episode of Justice Speaks, JSI President\u00a0David Wallace<\/a>\u00a0speaks with the\u00a0Association of Prosecuting Attorneys\u2019 (APA)<\/a>\u00a0President and CEO, David LaBahn about\u00a0Prosecutors for Prosecutors<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>and the work to literally save the lives of prosecutors and their families in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

The APA and others are working to save those individuals who worked for the Rule of Law in Afghanistan. \u00a0This episode is a discussion about the work APA is doing for those prosecutors. The effort is called Prosecutors for Prosecutors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

About the APA<\/h3>\n

The episode starts with a discussion about the\u00a0Association of Prosecuting Attorneys<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(APA). Founded in 2009, it is one of two national prosecutor associations, the APA and the National District Attorneys Association.\u00a0\u00a0APA focuses on bringing prosecutors and other justice system advocates across the country together to create safer communities for a just and equitable legal system.\u00a0\u00a0APA looks to develop and implement promising and best practices for prosecutors and others, always striving for prosecutorial excellence and doing justice.<\/p>\n

APA has created a number of focused programs such as\u00a0gun violence<\/a>,\u00a0human trafficking<\/a>,\u00a0child abuse<\/a>,\u00a0animal abuse<\/a>, and\u00a0domestic violence<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0APA has also set a number of committees and advisory groups designed to help lead a number of discussions, such as the role of prosecutors and a prosecutor\u2019s independence to do the necessary work, and ultimately create safer communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

Prosecutors for Prosecutors and The Rule of Law in Disrepair\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Prior to the United States leaving Afghanistan, prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys and others worked to establish the Rule of Law in Afghanistan, holding individuals for terrorism, murder, and other crimes accountable for their actions.\u00a0\u00a0At one time, there were approximately 6,000 people working for the Afghan Department of Justice. \u00a0They were establishing the basis for the Rule of Law with approximately 60,000 people being held accountable for their crimes, locking up some very violent offenders.\u00a0\u00a0However, with a new regime in power, those who were prosecuted were released from prison and now they are looking for revenge. \u00a0Additionally, the Afghan Department of Justice was dissolved.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the U.S. left Afghanistan, APA has received hundreds of emails and messages from people \u201cbegging for their lives, please save us.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0The messages are from individuals who worked for the Rule of Law, who worked to bring to justice those people who were creating havoc in Afghanistan.\u00a0\u00a0In examining the situation, the APA found that approximately 14 different organizations were working on bringing out various factions out of the country safely.\u00a0\u00a0The best organized one being the U.S. Military.\u00a0\u00a0However, those former justice officials and prosecutors were never U.S. Government contractors and therefore are not eligible under the Afghan Adjustment Act, which is the process to get some people out of Afghanistan. Thus, the\u00a0Prosecutors for Prosecutors<\/a>\u00a0(PFP) campaign was established.<\/p>\n

Goals of Prosecutors for Prosecutors<\/h3>\n

The PFP has set three specific goals.\u00a0\u00a0First, to raise awareness \u2013 to get the message out that prosecutors are dying; prosecutors who worked to support the Rule of Law.\u00a0\u00a0Second, to put pressure on the U.S. Government to amend a pending bill, the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) and include those who worked for the Rule of Law.\u00a0\u00a0Third, to raise funds to get these individuals out of the country.<\/p>\n

Working with others, the APA has identified 3,850 people and created a documented list, former employees of the Afghan Department of Justice and family members who need to be brought out for their safety.\u00a0\u00a0The 3,850 includes approximately 1,500 prosecutors who are under threats of violence against themselves and their families.\u00a0\u00a0At the time of this interview, there have been at least 30 prosecutors killed for doing their work and over 40 attempted assassinations and this is only over a two-year time period.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Messaging for Prosecutors<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To lead the work of the\u00a0Prosecutors for Prosecutors<\/em>, a\u00a0Task Force<\/a>\u00a0was created.\u00a0\u00a0Made up of experienced and elected chief prosecutors, they have volunteered their time and effort to share the message that Afghan prosecutors are dying and need our support.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Task Force is also looking at finding jobs for any prosecutors who get out of Afghanistan, and to find ways to raise funds for this program.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Afghan Adjustment Act<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) is a\u00a0federal bipartisan bill (S.2327\/H.R.4627)<\/a>\u00a0that would provide a path to permanent status to tens of thousands of Afghans who were evacuated to the U.S. fallowing the fall of Kabul in August 2021.\u00a0\u00a0However, the bills do not cover those who worked to supported the Rule of Law effort in Afghanistan.\u00a0\u00a0As already noted, they were not U.S. Government Contractors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is anticipated that the AAA is coming up for a vote in the near future in Congress.\u00a0\u00a0It was not successfully passed in a previous effort.\u00a0\u00a0APA and others are working to amend the law and provide special visas that includes those who worked to establish the Rule of Law, primarily prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Donations for Prosecutors for Prosecutors<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A\u00a0donation page<\/a>\u00a0was created to raise funds to get the prosecutors and their families out of Afghanistan.\u00a0\u00a0All told, it is estimated that it will take $15 million to get them all out, which breaks down to $10,000 for each Afghan prosecutor and the accompanying family members. This is not to get them all to the United States, this is just to get them out of the country where their lives are at risk.<\/p>\n

Importantly, Mr. LaBahn noted that for every dollar donated for the PFP campaign, 100% of that donation will go towards the effort\u2014none of the donation is for administrative costs.\u00a0\u00a0The APA Board saw the importance of this effort, heard the pleas for help, and approved using APA funds to carry on with the work being done.<\/p>\n

To keep track and see how the money is being spent, it can be viewed at: APA-PFF.com under the tab \u201cTransparency<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The PFP and the APA understand the need to be very transparent with the money being raised.<\/p>\n

Other Supporting Agencies\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n

In addition to the Task Force, a number of other organizations, including State Prosecutor Associations,\u00a0No One Left Behind<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Jewish Humanitarian Response<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0International Association of Prosecutors<\/a><\/em>\u00a0to name a few of the supporting groups, are stepping up to support this lifesaving effort.<\/p>\n

They Matter<\/h3>\n

A webpage has been created on the\u00a0PFP website<\/a>\u00a0listing those prosecutors and family members who have been murdered.\u00a0\u00a0This is done to honor their sacrifice with the knowledge and support of the surviving family members.\u00a0\u00a0This effort matters, these individuals matter, and this tragedy is happening right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is also an effort to have a case filed in the International Criminal Court, the ICC. That requires the APA with assistance from the Afghan Prosecutors Association and others to document who has been murdered and why it happened, as well as who is still at risk. This requires that these cases be investigated and evidence found supporting any potential charges.<\/p>\n

To get Involved<\/h3>\n

While the campaign is \u201cProsecutors\u201d for Prosecutors, anyone who wants to support prosecutors and help save lives can get involved.\u00a0\u00a0The PFP and the APA will take all the\u00a0support it can get<\/a>. Whether it is supportive messaging, or speaking with federal legislators, or making a donation, and so much more, it all matters.\u00a0\u00a0It can all make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

And even those who would rather support more broadly the judges or defense attorneys, in addition to the prosecutors, a separate and broader coalition has been created called the\u00a0Afghan Rule of Law Coalition<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>for that very purpose.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this episode of Justice Speaks, JSI President\u00a0David Wallace\u00a0speaks with the\u00a0Association of Prosecuting Attorneys\u2019 (APA)\u00a0President and CEO, David LaBahn about\u00a0Prosecutors for Prosecutors\u00a0and the work to literally save the lives of prosecutors and their families in Afghanistan. The APA and others are working to save those individuals who worked for the Rule of Law in Afghanistan. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9320"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9323,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9320\/revisions\/9323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ago-af.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}