OSCE Centre supports series of parliamentary expert meetings on criminal justice reform in Kazakhstan

Three OSCE-supported expert meetings on specific aspects of criminal procedure and criminal executive legislation were held from 11 to 13 December 2013 in the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of Parliament of Kazakhstan.

The events brought together leading legal professionals from Ukraine and the Russian Federation and were organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana in co-operation with the Committee for Legislative and Judicial Reform of the Parliament, a local think tank Legal Policy Research Centre and the Office of Penal Reform International in Central Asia.

The events aimed to support the parliamentary working groups currently preparing draft Criminal Procedure and Criminal Executive Codes, which include government officials, academics, lawyers, judges and non-governmental organizations.

These tailor-made meetings contributed to a wider discussion on reform of the criminal justice and penitentiary systems through sharing international best practices.

During the first session, the discussion focused on the abolition of the initiation of a criminal case – a special pre-trial stage in the criminal process that has remained in Kazakhstan's legal system since Soviet times. The second session focused on an early conditional release programme, and the final session aimed at expanding judicial control in criminal proceedings.

The series of expert meetings is part of the OSCE Centre’s continued efforts to support Kazakhstan’s authorities and non-governmental organizations in the criminal justice reform process