Eighth Expert Forum on Criminal Justice for Central Asia
When
Where
Organized by
The purpose of this Expert Forum is to carry out informed dialogue and promote the exchange of experiences to contribute to criminal justice policy development and reform in Central Asia. A wide range of criminal justice stakeholders will contribute to the discussions, including policy-makers, representatives of the judiciary, prosecution, legal profession, civil society, academia and international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
The two-day Forum will comprise plenary sessions and parallel working group discussions. The discussion will focus on criminal justice reforms in Central Asia conducted over the past three years, covering issues such as access to quality legal aid, the use of pre-trial detention, roles of investigative judges, the independence of legal professions, judicial independence, fair trial standards, reform of penitentiary institutions with an emphasis on measures alternative to imprisonment and probation services, and the monitoring of places of detention.
In addition to plenary sessions and working groups, three side events will take place during the Forum. They will address topics such as fair trial standards during health emergencies, women and judiciary, and good practices and lessons learned from OSCE trial monitoring. The side events are organized by ODIHR in co-operation with the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.
Objectives
- Share latest developments in the criminal justice area in Central Asia and discuss the status of implementation of the recommendations from the 2018 Criminal Justice Forum;
- Promote the exchange of experiences and informed dialogue to contribute to policy development and reform in the area of criminal justice in Central Asia;
- Provide a regional platform for professional discussion on criminal justice and judicial reform, human rights including fair trial rights in criminal procedure, and the harmonization of national legislation with international standards and relevant OSCE commitments.
Background
ODIHR has been organizing the Expert Forums on Criminal Justice for Central Asia since 2008, as part of its mandate to promote the rule of law in the OSCE region
Format and participation
The Forum will take place on 24 and 25 November 2021 in Tashkent. It will be held in a mixed (hybrid) format, having both offline and online participants.
Simultaneous English-Russian/Russian-English translation will be provided during the Forum (including the side events), including for those participating in the Forum online.
Those wishing to participate online can connect via the Zoom platform and can send their requests to Dinara.Dildabekova@odihr.pl.