OSCE promotes judicial independence in Kazakhstan
ASTANA, 11 November 2011 – High-level officials and legal experts discussed judicial reform at an OSCE-organized conference in Astana today.
The conference, which brought together parliamentarians, officials from the Government, President’s Administration, General Prosecutor’s Office, and representatives of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Council, the bar association, academia and civil society, focused on plans for judicial reform aimed at strengthening independence and transparency in the administration of justice.
Experts from France, Georgia, Germany, the Russian Federation and the US discussed international standards and national practices in strategic development of the judicial system, the legislative regulation of judges’ accountability, steps to ensure impartial adjudication as well as practical implementation of international norms on the independence of the judiciary.
Representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission presented the recommendations of a Joint Opinion on the Constitutional Law on the Judicial System and Status of Judges published in June 2011 at the request of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan. The recommendations were based on the ODIHR Kyiv Recommendations on Judicial Independence (//www.osce.org/odihr/71178).
“The independence of the judiciary, as a fundamental principle in any democratic nation based on the rule of law, requires proper and secure working conditions for judges to be able to withstand both external and internal pressure,” said Ludvig Becking, Legal Officer of the OSCE/ODIHR Legislative Support Unit. “We hope that the Joint Opinion can serve to support the strengthening of judicial independence in Kazakhstan in line with international standards.”
"The strengthening of the independent judicial system is a priority area for Kazakhstan,” said the Chairman of the Senate, Kairat Mami. “An independent judiciary ensures the democratic development of the state, investment security and, above all, protection of human rights."
The conference was co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana in co-operation with the Senate of Parliament, the European Union Project “Support of Judicial and Legal Reforms in Kazakhstan”, Kazakhstan’s Union of Judges and the local NGO Legal Policy Research Centre. It represents part of the Centre’s work to promote judicial independence and justice reforms in Kazakhstan.