OSCE supports training seminar for defence lawyers in Kazakhstan

An OSCE-supported training seminar for representatives of the legal profession on the qualified legal protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms concluded on 14 September 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The two-day event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and the NGO Legal Policy Research Centre, with support from the Bar Associations in the cities of Almaty and Nur-Sultan. 

Some 40 participants took part in the training seminar, which was the second stage of a train-the-trainers course (ToT) on effective teaching skills for defence lawyers. The workshops were conducted by the nine best graduates of the ToT  and gave them an opportunity to apply in practice the acquired skills in preparing and delivering effective training sessions.

Discussions were focused on issues related to guarantees of lawyers’ legal security, the right to qualified assistance in criminal cases, analysis of covert investigative procedures in  lawyers’ work and the role of modern technologies in pre-trial proceedings. Particular attention was paid to the rights of minors and the practical application of international human rights conventions in criminal proceedings.

The training seminar is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and fair trial standards in the host country.