2024-11-12T14:07:41-06:00 2023-12-31 260776291 Wegley Higginbotham & Associates PLC 10470 Armstrong Street Fairfax VA 22030 990 2023-01-01 311771358 International Bridges to Justice INTE 7035917301 198 Tremont Street 447 Boston MA 02116 Karen Tse CEO 7035917301 2024-11-06 1 1 Patricia K Higginbotham P00166641 7035917301 2023 2024-10-15 13:58:12Z Karen Tse 64 Rue de Monthoux CH Geneve SZ 2120861 0 X www.ibj.org X 2000 MA In recognition of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Internatinal Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of individuals in countries around the world. Specifically, IBJ works to guarantee all citizens the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial. 17 16 0 37 0 0 2699263 2119534 0 0 3 1178 -148 149 2699118 2120861 0 0 0 0 1396969 1279073 0 0 13592 1621056 1401364 3018025 2680437 -318907 -559576 1074117 682301 343295 511055 730822 171246 X In recognition of the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Bridges to Justice (IBJ) is dedicated to protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens in developing countries. Specifically, IBJ works to guarantee all citizens the right to competent legal representation, the right to be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial. 0 0 800036 Myanmar - Despite the security threats that lawyers face due to the military coup, IBJ Myanmar has continued to respond to the country's justice needs. The IBJ Justice Centers have earned a strong reputation as formidable legal service providers, offering direct legal representation to poor and vulnerable defendants. In 2023, IBJ's Justice Centers represented 2,482 marginalized individuals accused in 2,666 criminal defense cases, of which 875 were politically targeted cases against pro-democracy and human rights activitists. Of the clients, 17% were female, 10% were juveniles, 2% were members of the LGBTQ community, and 5% were persons with disabilities. Fifteen percent of these cases were directly referred to IBJ from judges, police officers, court clerks or prison officials, demonstrating the mutual trust between justice stakeholders and IBJ. In addition to direct high-quality representation, IBJ's legal helplines at each of the five Justice Centers provided 2,318 holistic legal advice and referral services, of which 63% were directed towards non-criminal cases. These included 1,811 instances of free legal advice for various legal issues, such as 25% marital issues, 10% inheritance, 5% land issues, 11% civil lawsuits, 9% monetary issues, 2% labor issues, 4% minor drug abuse issues, and 16% estate and property issues. Additionally, there were 507 effective referrals to various psychosocial, healthcare service providers, and UN agencies.The Justice Centers also emphasize raising public legal awareness through 'Know your Rights' campaigns, reaching more than 2,938 individuals, 60% of whom were female, and client legal empowerment through Focused Group discussions reaching 210 clients and families, 57.2% of whom were female. The program has continued to build the capacity of the lawyers in the country, training more than 802 lawyers in 2023. To enhance awareness of gender issues and cultivate gender- responsive access to justice programs, IBJ organized a national roundtable on International Women's Day, March 8, 2023, reaching 87 participants from multiple disciplines. 668908 China - In 2023, IBJ continued to support Chinese lawyers with online training resources. Our China eLearning website currently hosts over 100 modules on topics ranging from basic advocacy skills such as developing a theory of the case, reviewing a case file, and cross-examination, to more complex topics such as understanding forensic evidence and defending clients with mental or physical disabilities. In 2023, we developed new modules to respond to emerging needs. For instance, with the enactment of a new regulation on bail which greatly expanded the applicability of bail, we updated our existing module on bail and created a second module to highlight the changes, provide practical tips to lawyers, and flag some issues on implementation. We also developed two new modules for duty lawyers, and one on cross-cultural representation skills to help lawyers better represent clients from ethnic minority populations. Our modules attracted over 1,707 new viewers in 2023, not including returning learners. We also created an interactive educational platform to raise awareness about the legal rights of people with disabilities reaching over 18,000 people. 537456 MENA (Syria) - IBJ continued its mission in Syria in 2023 to uphold the rule of law and combat investigative torture. In partnership with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, IBJ empowered a dozen women lawyers by providing legal training and honing their leadership skills. Supported by this initiative, IBJ's women lawyers were able to offer proficient legal counsel, and some were even promoted to judges in an area where women's inclusion is sorely lacking.Through a project funded by the European Union, IBJ carried out the following activities in 2023:Capacity Building for Lawyers: IBJ implemented an intensive Training of Trainers capacity-building workshop for Syrian lawyers in the northwest region of Syria. The training was held in Gaziantep and covered international norms on due process and fair trial rights as well as practical legal skills.Human Rights Monitoring: IBJ began police and prison monitoring visits to curb human rights violations, ensuring adherence to international standards within the criminal justice system.Tunisia: IBJ launched its first program in the North Africa region in 2023 in Tunisia. In September, IBJ launched a nationwide rights awareness campaign with local partners to inform the public about their due process and fair trial rights. Additionally, IBJ organized a three-day capacity-building workshop for defense lawyers in Tunisia, followed by a series of training sessions in collaboration with the Young Lawyers Association of Tunisia. In total, IBJ trained 120 lawyers who will be part of the team representing the most vulnerable detainees in Tunisian prisons. The rights awareness launch event and the training workshop were also attended by the Tunisian National Bar Association and leading social justice civil society organizations in Tunisia. 116737 Other Program Services - Africa - In 2023, the IBJ programs in Africa demonstrated their dedication to Strengthening the rule of law through providing legal assistance to vulnerables, monitoring of detention centers and police cells, training justice actors and raising rights awareness among ordinary citizens, including detainees and high school pupils during youth school visits on crime prevention. In Burundi, DRC and Rwanda, IBJ has developed strong relationships with key justice stakeholders through roundtables and trainings to 346 criminal justice actors (lawyers, correctional centers agents, judges, judicial police officers, Magistrates), including more than 60% of women. This has enabled and facilitated IBJ to provide legal representation to 1,496 vulnerable arrestees from the police stations to court. In Burundi, IBJ has strengthened and improved its strategic relations with those involved in the criminal justice system through memorandums of understanding with Inspectorate General of the National Police, the Ministry of Justice and the Bar Association, and by maintaining its collaboration with NGOs and CSOs. Thanks to these relationships, IBJ Burundi has been able to remain one of the few human rights NGOs working to protect the legal guarantees of vulnerable people from the earliest stages of criminal proceedings. This has been made possible through mentoring sessions for defense lawyers on capacity-building issues, capactiy-building for stakeholders involved in criminal proceedings in collaboration with the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, the Monitoring of Places of Detations, and so on.IBJ was also able to raise awareness among thousands of ordinary citizens via a radio station with nationwide coverage on the special procedure of flagrante delicto, the prevention of certain offenses such as sexual harassment, and the subjective and objective grounds for lack of criminal responsibility or mitigation of sentence. 116737 2123137 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 4 0 0 0 1 SZ CH CB IN AF RW BY ZI TU SY OC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 17 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 MA X The organization 7035917301 64 Rue de Monthoux Geneve SZ KAREN TSE FOUNDER AND CEO 40.00 X X 150075 0 0 FRANCIS J JAMES BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 ROLF OLSEN BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 MIA F YAMAMOTO BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 JOAN DARRY BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 POOJA SACHIN DUGGAL BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 DANIEL FUNG CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD 5.00 X 0 0 0 LUIS VELASCO CHAIR FINANCE COMMITTEE 5.00 X 0 0 0 JOHN JAMESON BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 CHRISTINE CERVENAK BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 SHEILA DENNIS BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 HENRY ELKUS BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 TRACY HOLLAND BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 KELLY OTTER BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 SANJEEWA LIYANAGE INT'L PROGRAM DIRECTOR 40.00 X 147591 0 0 VEDAT SALFUR FINANCE DIRECTOR 40.00 X 115920 0 0 Andrew Ozanian Associate Director 40.00 X 96876 0 0 510462 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 1445328 674206 2119534 1178 1178 Miscellaneous Income 990099 450 450 Gain/(Loss) on Investm 990099 -301 -301 149 2120861 0 0 1327 X 586130 104991 481139 314974 314974 377969 377969 2242 2242 5888 5888 452445 419966 32479 279794 272978 3626 3190 4262 4049 213 203785 188984 4612 10189 1659 1659 316060 314974 1086 399 399 TELEPHONE 106217 104991 1226 OTHER PROGRAM EXPENSES 23310 23310 OTHER EXPENSE 3214 0 3214 EXCHANGE RATE GAINS/LOS 2089 2089 2680437 2123137 543708 13592 689897 247277 16290 17046 187022 248060 208436 208436 0 0 180908 169918 1074117 682301 91908 129595 251387 381460 343295 511055 X 0 0 0 0 730822 171246 730822 171246 1074117 682301 -559576 0 X X 0 1 X 1 0 X 2953444 2382838 3012370 2699263 2119534 13167449 2953444 2382838 3012370 2699263 2119534 13167449 1764743 11402706 -5387 -24318 -25245 9242 -911 -46619 1203 -700 3983 -148 149 4487 13125317 0.86880 0.86490 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 208436 208436 0 0 Branch Advances 114334 Guarantee Deposits 55584 169918 Branch Payable 381460 381460 3965645 1844784 1844784 2120861 0 2120861 4525221 1844784 1844784 2680437 0 2680437 Africa 4 14 Program services Legal rights training, promotion of legal aid services, legal manuals prepared for criminal defenders, magistrates and high court judges. In Rwanda, the Kigali Defender Resource Center is the model of local legal aid infrastructure that IBJ hopes to ultimately establish countrywide. IBJ is also working on an initiative to inspire development of a pro bono culture to promote a culture of pro bono representation among Rwandan lawyers. In Burundi IBJ is working with the Ministry of Justice to combat the high rates of pretrial detention. IBJ Burundi has assisted over 2,380 detained individuals. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, IBJ signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Justice and opened and a Defender Resource Center in Bukavu. Lawyers on the ground started taking on legal cases and IBJ team has developed a program to monitor detention centers with a view to prevent torture, identify individuals in need of legal assistance and sensitize police. 59092 Cambodia 7 13 Program services IBJ has 7 Defender Resource Centers in Cambodia providing legal protection in 15 of 25 provinces. In addition to providing direct legal aid services, IBJ conducts community campaigns to raise legal rights awareness among ordinary individuals. IBJ continues its radio rights awareness efforts, reaching a greater percentage of the population. To enhance lawyers's knowledge in several areas, including substantive legal topics, trial techniques, and client counseling, IBJ continued to train its lawyers and investigators from throughout the country. 35663 China 0 1 Program services Strategic partnerships have been created with the National Legal Aid Center, All China Lawyers' Association, People's Public Security University (the country's key police training institute), major universities (Peking University, Renmin University, Tsinghua University, and China University of Political Science and Law), 23 regional universities, and numerous law firms, regional bar associations, justice bureaus, procuratorates, many key civil society organizations, and with over 9,000 justice officials. 668908 Myanmar 5 42 Program services IBJ Myanmar led a successful coalition of legal aid providers to craft and submit a letter of recommendation to the leaders of the government requesting that they limit arrests, reduce detention populations and maintain core court functions in the face of the pandemic. The process and product provide a blueprint for similar coalition advocacy efforts in the future. The Senior Lawyers at our 5 Justice Centres have implemented a duty lawyer schedule to provide advice and emergency representation. The contact information has been disseminated by sign at our offices, on social media, and by communications with government justice actors and local legal and civil society partners. 800036 MENA (Syria) 2 5 Program services The Syrian Interim Minister of Justice and IBJ/Syria lawyers have formed a task force to keep police stations and prisons in check so as to prevent human rights violations during this critical period.IBJ/Syria is working on a 24/7 duty schedule; IBJ-affiliated lawyers are taking shifts to provide emergency legal consultations and file bail applications to reduce prison overcrowding. IBJ/Syria's lawyers visited courts in Jandairis, Afrin, Raii, and Jarablus to discuss with judges shorter court proceedings and increased bail applications to decongest prisons and detention centers. 537456 Indonesia 1 2 Program services IBJ Indonesia offers programs ensuring access to legal assistance and preventing torture being used as an investigative tool. One such program is the Justice Makers competition. The 2021 10 Jusice Makers Fellow provided legal representation to 811 women and children. 17994 India 1 3 Program services IBJ began a program in New Delhi to assign defends counsel as early as legally permissible. Sri Lanka 0 1 Program services IBJ Lanka was able to provide free legal assistance to a total of 361 Individuals, directly inform hundreds of people of their legal rights at live events, and distribute an additional 2,640 rights awareness booklets on the rights of the accused. Significantly a number of local Bar associations endorsed our work, with the Jaffna Bar Association agreeing to collaborate on various activities, and the President of the National Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) acting as a trainer at our second Defender Training Workshop. In 2023, the defender community that IBJ trained in 2019 and that IBJ supported in 2020-2021 is still taking on cases pro bono. To this day, our defender manual is a key reference handbook used by defense lawyer in Sri Lanka. 20 81 0 0 20 81 2119149 0 2119149 0 0 0 0 0 0 Part I, Line 2: The Organization is not a grantmaking organization. The Organization does have programs in Africa, China, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Syria, Indonesia and Sri Lanka and therefore does have more than $10,000 in program service activities related to these countries. The Organization does maintain records to substantiate the expenses for each of these programs. The substantiation is in the form of general ledger records, invoices, banking records and correspondence. The expenditures listed below are for each program and are spent both inside and outside of the region. Part I, line 3: Total region expenditures are reported using the same accounting method used for financial statement reporting which includes in-kind contributions which are not included on the tax return per IRS instructions. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 KAREN TSE FOUNDER AND CEO 150075 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 150075 0 0 0 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b Form 990 information is compiled and prepared by the organization's accounting firm. A completed draft 990 is electronically sent to the organization's operations director for review. Following a review by the operations director and the organization founder any necessary adjustments are made and a final form 990 is sent by the accountant to the organization for final review and necessary signatures. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 Organizational documents are avaialable to the public upon request. Form 990, Part IX, line 11g CONSULTING: Program service expenses 419,966. Management and general expenses 32,479. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 452,445. Form 990 Part XII, line 2c There have been no changes from the prior year. Form 990 Part V, line 2a For 2023 there were no US based employees so there were no Forms W-2 or W-3 filed for 2023 but the organization did have non US citizens employed in other countries during 2023 for a total of 85 employees. All employees were reported by the organization on the reporting forms of the individual countries.