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Tajikistan urged to bring justice system into line with international norms
DUSHANBE 23 April 2002
DUSHANBE, 23 April 2002 - Tajikistan was urged at a two-day international conference to bring its criminal justice system into line with international norms.
The conference on "Criminal Justice: Correlation of National Norms and International Obligations of Tajikistan in the Field of Human Rights" was organized by the OSCE Mission to Tajikistan, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the recently established Commission of the Government of Tajikistan on Ensuring the Fulfilment of International Commitments in the Field of Human Rights.
The Conference, which took place on 18 and 19 April, focused on the compliance of Tajik legislation with the country's international obligations in the field of human rights, on the implementation by Tajikistan of criminal justice provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), on individual complaints to the UN Human Rights Committee and implementation of its decisions in other countries.
Participants discussed issues related to reviewing the Criminal Code, the role of prosecutors, lawyers and public defendants in the criminal justice system and strengthening the role of an independent judiciary as one of the main pillars of the protection of human rights. Special consideration was given to the process of drafting a new Criminal Procedure Code of Tajikistan. Two experts from ODIHR focused in their presentations on the experience of the Russian Federation in reforming its legal procedures and judicial system.
More than 120 people attended the conference, including representatives of the President's Office, the Lower Chamber of Parliament, the Government, Constitutional and Supreme Courts, judges, lawyers, scholars and representatives of international and local human rights organizations.
The Conference adopted a Final Document, which recommended:
The conference on "Criminal Justice: Correlation of National Norms and International Obligations of Tajikistan in the Field of Human Rights" was organized by the OSCE Mission to Tajikistan, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the recently established Commission of the Government of Tajikistan on Ensuring the Fulfilment of International Commitments in the Field of Human Rights.
The Conference, which took place on 18 and 19 April, focused on the compliance of Tajik legislation with the country's international obligations in the field of human rights, on the implementation by Tajikistan of criminal justice provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), on individual complaints to the UN Human Rights Committee and implementation of its decisions in other countries.
Participants discussed issues related to reviewing the Criminal Code, the role of prosecutors, lawyers and public defendants in the criminal justice system and strengthening the role of an independent judiciary as one of the main pillars of the protection of human rights. Special consideration was given to the process of drafting a new Criminal Procedure Code of Tajikistan. Two experts from ODIHR focused in their presentations on the experience of the Russian Federation in reforming its legal procedures and judicial system.
More than 120 people attended the conference, including representatives of the President's Office, the Lower Chamber of Parliament, the Government, Constitutional and Supreme Courts, judges, lawyers, scholars and representatives of international and local human rights organizations.
The Conference adopted a Final Document, which recommended:
- continued co-operation between the Commission on Ensuring the Fulfilment of International Commitments in the Field of Human Rights and international organizations;
- additional discussions with a wide participation of the civil society on the compliance of the draft Criminal Procedure Code and draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code with international norms;
- further discussion on transferring the administration of the prison system from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice;
- studying the possibility of transferring issues of detention from prosecutors to judges;
- continued efforts to further strengthen the independence of the judicial power.