OSCE Centre in Bishkek supports establishment of witness protection unit in Kyrgyzstan
The OSCE Centre in Bishkek supported the establishment of a new Witness Protection Unit under the Criminal Investigation Department of Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry on 10 December 2014, by providing technical equipment that will ensure the information security of protected witnesses during the investigation of criminal cases.
The Witness Protection Unit is the first State programme of witness and victim’s protection established in Kyrgyzstan and within Central Asia. The Unit will begin operations in early January and is expected to last for four years. There will be a priority for cases particularly linked to organized crime.
The OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau provided intensive training courses for investigators on detecting and defusing threats against protected witnesses. More methodological support and the development of internal instructions on how to protect witnesses and ensure confidentiality will be provided by specialists from the Lithuanian Witness Protection Programme.
“The Witness Protection Programme is a great achievement for the Kyrgyz Government, and specifically for the Ministry of Interior as it shows political will to intensify efforts to protect citizens who collaborate in the delivery of justice,” said Victor Sotchi, the Head of the Police Matters Programme. “The protection of witnesses is expected to contribute to the effectiveness of criminal investigations in line with democratic policing principles and will facilitate inter-agency co-operation. The OSCE Centre in Bishkek will continue supporting the newly-formed Witness Protection Unit in the coming years sharing expertise and best practices from participating States such as Lithuania, Serbia and the Russian Federation.”
The State programme on the protection of witnesses, victims and other participants of the criminal justice system for the period of 2014-2016 has been approved by decree of the Kyrgyz Government on 10 January 2014.
The technical equipment was handed over as part of the OSCE Centre Police Matters Programme’s project to strengthen law enforcement capacities in fighting organized crime, drug trafficking and cybercrime.