OSCE and partners promote judicial independence in Kyrgyzstan

BISHKEK, 4 November 2011 - Building public trust in the judiciary through the fair selection of judges was the focus of a two-day training seminar that ended in Bishkek today.

The seminar for members of the country’s new Council for the Selection of Judges was co-organized in Bishkek by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek. Instructors included national legal experts, experienced judicial practitioners and policy makers from Estonia, Lithuania and the Russian Federation, and the former President of the Danish Supreme Court, Torben Melchior.

Participants discussed how to ensure a transparent selection of judges, based on the highest standards of competence and integrity. The training was designed to prepare the Council members for their role in selecting judges, which is important for the overall independence of the judiciary and for building public trust.

Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “The selection of judges is a burning, topical issue at present in Kyrgyzstan. A strong, independent and effective judiciary is viewed as crucial to the country’s future welfare both by the domestic public and the broader international community of partners and investors. This expert workshop was therefore timely and aimed to share international best practice with those who will play a role in selecting judges.”

Shamaral Maichiev, the Chairman of the Council for the Selection of Judges, said: “Setting up a transparent selection process in line with international human rights standards is an important step to increase public trust in the judicial system. We believe that best practices from countries that faced similar challenges in the past will be helpful to the work of the Council for the Selection of Judges.”

The conference was organized by ODIHR and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Regional Office of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Central Asia, the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, the EU-UNDP new legal framework project, the German Society for International Co-operation and the Soros Foundation.