U.S. federal court judges have convicted nearly 500 individuals on terror-related charges since 9/11. But judges in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries on terrorism’s front lines are inundated with perhaps 10 times as many such cases and far fewer resources—while facing the real threat of becoming targets themselves.
Baker & McKenzie’s Robert Lewis, a senior employment partner who co-chairs the firm’s pro bono and community service committee, met some of these pioneering judges in October in Bangkok at a meeting of court officials. The meeting, sponsored by the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the nonprofit Global Center on Cooperative Security, included judges from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to share experiences adjudicating terror cases. Lewis presented the first draft of a judicial handbook grounded in international law to help them manage their burgeoning terror docket.
