OSCE Centre in Astana fosters development of administrative legislation in Kazakhstan

ASTANA, 3 June 2010 - A roundtable discussion supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana on improving administrative law in Kazakhstan was held in Astana today.

The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the Committee on Legislation and Judicial Reform of the Mazhilis (Lower Chamber of the Parliament) local non-governmental organization the Legal Policy Research Centre and Freedom House/Kazakhstan.

"The administrative justice system, and administrative-delict legislation in particular, reflects the way citizens are treated by the authorities," said Ambassador Alexandre Keltchewsky, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana.

"The role of the administrative justice system in Kazakhstan should be reassessed so that it becomes more protective than punitive. In this regard the OSCE Centre in Astana, jointly with other OSCE structures, such as the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, stands ready to further assist with initiatives aimed at improving administrative legislation and proceedings."

The roundtable meeting brought together parliamentarians, representatives of the government, the judiciary, law enforcement bodies, business, academia and non-governmental and international organizations, as well as international and local experts to discuss issues of administrative responsibility and the development of legislation on administrative offences.

Participants also discussed challenges such as legislative regulation related to freedom of expression, freedom of religion and belief, freedom of assembly and freedom of movement with respect to the amendments into the legislation on administrative offences suggested by the Kazakh Ministry of Justice. The roundtable event resulted in expert recommendations outlining measures to promote administrative law reform in Kazakhstan based on international standards and best practice.

Serik Temirbulatov, the head of the working group on revision of the Code of Administrative Offences and a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Legislation and Judicial Reform, said: "As of today the Mazhilis deputies have proposed more than 250 amendments to the draft Code of Administrative Offences. And that is only the beginning. In the course of discussions over the document the working group and the deputies touched upon almost all principal institutions of the administrative-delict law."

The roundtable meeting is part of the OSCE Centre's activities to strengthen dialogue between experts and policymakers on administrative legislation reform.