OSCE's human rights office facilitates discussion on international trends and local perspectives in criminal justice in Central Asia

ALMATY, 7 August 2006 - The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today welcomed 25 criminal justice practitioners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to a week-long Summer School on Criminal Justice in Central Asia. The course provides participants with an opportunity to learn from leading criminal justice experts.

"A fair and effective criminal justice system is one of the main pillars of any democratic state that embraces the rule of law," said Dr. Vladimir Shkolnikov, Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department at the opening of the course in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

He welcomed the interest prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, academics and NGO lawyers have shown in attending the seminar.

"Such broad participation facilitates an open, informed and professional discussion, which is crucial when dealing with the challenges faced by criminal justice systems in the OSCE region," he said.

The course aims to facilitate debate about different criminal justice systems. Participants will discuss how the criminal justice sector in Central Asia can benefit from the experience of other OSCE countries. Experts from Germany, the United States, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan will share their views and debate key issues in criminal justice reform with the participants.

The School will conclude with a roundtable on "Criminal Justice in Central Asia: Current Trends and Prospects for Further Development" to debate key issues including prosecutorial reform, plea bargaining and restorative justice.

Germany and the United Kingdom are financing the course.