OSCE Centre in Ashgabat presents commentary on Turkmenistan’s criminal procedure code

ASHGABAT, 23 April 2012 – The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat presented an article-by-article commentary on the Criminal Procedure Code of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat today.

Some 30 representatives of the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor-General’s Office, the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan, as well as teachers from the Law Faculty of Magtymguly Turkmen State University and S.A. Niyazov Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs attended the presentation.

The commentary provides a comprehensive explanation of the content of the Code and relevant terminology, as well as detailed legal interpretations of article-by-article provisions in light of other provisions of the Criminal Procedural Code, relevant pieces of national legislation of Turkmenistan and international treaties to which Turkmenistan is a party. 

Begoña Piñeiro Costas, the Human Dimension Officer of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, said: “We believe this comprehensive commentary will help to bring national legislation in line with relevant international standards and will be of practical use to the Mejlis (parliament), law enforcement institutions and legal practitioners, as well as teachers and researchers from high educational institutions.”

Four international experts on criminal procedure who were involved in the drafting of the commentary led the presentation. The event was organized as part of the Centre’s Human Dimension’s support to the ongoing legal reform in Turkmenistan.

The commentary is also available online at //www.osce.org/ru/ashgabat/89898