Australia will send a six-member legal team to Iraq to help the Middle East country strengthen its law and order sector.
The Australian contribution will be part of a group of lawyers, investigators and court officers, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Defense Minister Brendan Nelson announced Thursday.
The team will train and mentor local counterparts so that the court system can fairly and expeditiously try detainees accused of major crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping and terrorist offenses under Iraqi laws, according to the ministers.
Australia's contribution aims to supporting Iraq's Law and Order Task Force initiative, which has been established to create a safe and well resourced environment in which detainees charged with major crimes can be accommodated and their cases investigated and brought before the Central Criminal Court of Iraq.
"Strengthening the capacity of the Iraqi law and order sector is an essential component in building a stable and democratic Iraq, able to govern and protect itself," the ministers said in a statement.
Three lawyers from the Australian Defense Force will be in the initial team, while a second group of three team members with appropriate investigatory experience is being recruited, the ministers said.
Source: Xinhua
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