OSCE-supported meeting seeks ways to further democratize judicial-legal system in Uzbekistan

Identifying ways to further democratize the judicial-legal system and strengthen judicial independence in Uzbekistan were the focus of a meeting held in Tashkent on 31 January 2010 by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the National Human Rights Centre of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, participants discussed the Kyiv Recommendations on Judicial Independence, which were adopted in June 2010 by an expert group under the auspices of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. The Kyiv Recommendations aim to assist participating States in strengthening the independence of their judiciaries, with a focus on judicial administration, the selection of judges and their accountability.

“An independent judiciary is fundamental to protecting constitutional rights, rule of law and democracy. This meeting provided a wide range of stakeholders in Uzbekistan with the opportunity to discuss how to proceed with further reforms to strengthen the independence of the judiciary,” said Ambassador Istvan Venczel, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

The event brought together representatives of both chambers of the Parliament, as well as from ministries and agencies, law enforcement and judicial bodies, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and international organizations accredited in Uzbekistan.