Kyrgyzstan: Promotion of Rule of Law in the Kyrgyz Republic

Details: Published: June 1, 2018

Participants of the presentation of the Handbook for Presiding Judges of Courts of First Instance on Practical Issues of Court Administration as part of the EU Project in Bishkek: Ajnasch Tokbaeva, President of the Supreme Court (first row centre) with Presiding Judges and long term as well as short term experts of the EU Grant Project

EU Grant

Team leader: Dr. Stefanos Kareklas
Responsible at the IRZ: Angela Schmeink, Viktoria Börner

The web presence of the Project: www.rolpro-kg.eu/en and www.facebook.com/RoLKG

The project with a budget volume of EUR 9.5 million has been implemented by a consortium led by the GIZ since 2014. The IRZ participates as a junior partner with two long-term experts who work in the fields of court organisation, e-justice and legislation. The team of long-term experts is supported by short-term experts from Germany and other European countries in this context.

The aim of the project is to reinforce the rule of law in the justice and the court system. The reform efforts of the Kyrgyz Government and the state institutions, which are supported by the project, are directed towards increasing the effectiveness of judicial administration, creating transparency and credibility within judicial and court structures as well as fighting corruption. The main areas of focus of the IRZ component comprise the modernisation of the operation of the courts, including the introduction of a system of electronic files and court information and court management (e-justice), as well as legislative reforms.

In the last year of the project, activities focused mainly on the implementation of previously developed improvement measures and training courses for legal practitioners, also including a practical orientation. In the year under review, another study trip was organised for ten Kyrgyz legislative experts to Berlin and Potsdam. In total, the IRZ component has provided further training for more than 300 members of the civil service, lawyers and university lecturers in the field of legislative technique during the project’s term thus far.

In the field of judicial administration, extensive expertise was provided for a working group developing an evaluation system for judges. In the summer of the year under review, a draft of the new system, including the legal acts required for its implementation, could be presented as a result. It is currently being reviewed. Furthermore, the project contributed greatly to developing and publishing a handbook for presidents of courts dealing with practical questions of judicial administration, which will also serve as a basis for training measures in the future. On the subject of e-justice, the introduction of an electronic court file management system at three pilot courts deserves a mention. The project team has also successfully advised the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic on drafting a handbook on the legal formality of sub-legislative norms and has begun preparations for the digitisation of the legislative process.

After project completion in April 2018, a second four-and-a-half-year phase with IRZ participation is planned. Here, the above-mentioned and additional focus areas will be professionally enlarged and expanded upon.