Government, civil society discuss rule of law, judicial reform at OSCE-supported event in Bishkek

BISHKEK, 11 December 2012 - Representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Parliament, the Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the government and civil society gathered today at an OSCE event in Bishkek to discuss the rule of law and judicial reforms in Kyrgyzstan.

The event was organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek together with the UN OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia and Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan.

“The rule of law is vital for all citizens, and a prerequisite for the success of the reforms is public support, which can only be secured if the people feel justice will be served,” said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. “Monitoring of judicial proceedings is a key instrument in increasing public trust, and I hope that the recommendations represented today by our civil society partners will be taken into consideration in our future joint work.”

Tursunbek Akun, the Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic, said: “The laws of Kyrgyzstan are in line with international standards, but their proper implementation is essential, and I appeal to all the participants to do all the necessary efforts in order to ensure it.”

Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament Member Irina Karamushkina added: “We put our hopes on civil society to help ensure the rule of law. Work has started to prevent corruption in the system, and only through the participation of all the stakeholders can we promote reform.”

The results of the monitoring of judicial proceedings undertaken in 2012 by the OSCE Centre in the south of Kyrgyzstan, including monitoring of hearings of judicial authorization of arrest, were presented to the audience together with a set of recommendations aimed at enhancing transparency, fairness and accountability in the delivery of justice.

The event follows the first session of the National Council for Judicial Reforms under the President. The Council’s meeting in October resulted in the adoption of the “Action Plan on reform of the judiciary for the years of 2012-2014”.

The event is part of an OSCE Centre project to promote an inclusive approach to justice reform including law enforcement, the judiciary system and civil society. The Centre in Bishkek has been involved in the promotion of rule of law for over a decade and engages all stakeholders through activities ranging from capacity building to legal aid mechanisms, advocacy and fair trial standards monitoring.