OSCE Centre holds discussion on criminal justice reform in Kazakhstan

ALMATY, 18 March 2011 – A roundtable discussion on ensuring human rights in criminal justice, supported by the OSCE Centre in Astana, began today in Almaty. The meeting focused on reform of the criminal law in line with the implementation of human rights standards in Kazakhstan.

The event brought together more than 30 representatives from parliament, the Constitutional Council, the government, the judiciary and international organizations. Representatives of local non-governmental organizations and academia also participated.

“Ensuring human rights in the course of justice, such as the right to a fair trial,is a key element of the rule of law,” said Jeannette Kloetzer, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana. “The OSCE Centre in Astana supports the legal reforms in Kazakhstan and welcomes the strengthening of dialogue between the government and civil society in this process.” 

“At the present time criminal justice reform is aimed at strengthening judicial control during criminal proceedings in line with international human right standards,” said Musabek Alimbekov, Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Participants discussed issues such as the humanization of the criminal justice system, the reform of the judiciary, the rehabilitation of prisoners and the enhancement of victims’ rights.

"When developing legislation, we should not forget about implementation. Any good law will not succeed if the responsible agency, be it the prosecutor’s office, the court or the criminal executive system, fails to do its job properly,” said Zhemis Turmagambetova, the Executive Director of the Charter for Human Rights.

The event, jointly organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana and the non-governmental organizations Charter for Human Rights and Freedom House in Kazakhstan, was part of the OSCE Centre’s activities to foster democratic legal reforms in Kazakhstan.