March 25, 2004

Guests:           Linda Austere, Ministry of Interior

                    Peteris Ersts, State Information Network Agency

                    Andris Kaneps, Legal Expert

                    Baiba Broka, Faculty of Law

Judicial Watch accepted the invitation to meet with a delegation of Latvian scholars through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Project.  The program’s objectives are “to enhance the visitors’ understanding of ways in which the United States fosters institutional integrity, ethics and transparency in the judiciary.”

Judicial Watch’s success as an NGO promoting transparency, integrity and accountability was of particular interest to these visitors.  The titles of our guests’ scholarly publications (National Integrity Systems by Mr. Ersts, How Immune Should be a Parliamentarian? by Mr. Kaneps and Public Reports of Local Authorities – Still Afraid of the Sunshine by Ms. Austere) demonstrate a shared belief that “openness in government” is key in securing and maintaining an open society.