News
Kyrgyzstan’s Lawyers and Judges Adjust to New Criminal Procedure Code
In February 2008, ABA ROLI conducted a four-day training event at Hotel Raduga on Lake Issyk-kul, along with the German Association for Technical Cooperation, the US Department of Justice, and the Judicial Training Center of the Kyrgyz Republic. The training event focused on pre-trial detention procedures in criminal cases and was one of the first training events in Kyrgyzstan that ABA ROLI has participated in that included defense attorneys as well as judges and prosecutors as participants. Read more »»
Kyrgyzstan’s Madrassa Students Participate in Street Law Classes
The Street Law program, implemented by the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, is aimed at providing public legal training on the basics of law, human rights and democratic principles. Since 2001, legal training has been delivered in 50 secondary schools of the Kyrgyz Republic, and since 2006, the law classes have also been provided in religious institutions—Islamic schools and madrassas. Read more »»
Raising Awareness About Jury Trials in Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, where the Parliament is considering a draft law introducing jury trials in compliance with the new constitution, the Rule of Law Initiative has produced and has begun broadcasting a documentary and a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) intended to raise public awareness about the benefits of trial by jury, and to explain how the jury system can act to protect individual and human rights. Read more »»
Programs
Anti-Corruption
In April 2006, the ABA sent a U.S.-based attorney as an Anti-Corruption Advisor to Bishkek for seven months to assess opportunities for Kyrgyz institutional and legislative reforms and to increase regional capacity to fight corruption. The Advisor prepared an assessment of existing anti-corruption legislation in Kyrgyzstan that discussed how well those laws complied with the United National Convention Against Corruption. Read more »»
Criminal Law
The Criminal Law program commenced in October of 2005, the ABA's criminal law reform program in Kyrgyzstan focuses on enhancing the skills of the criminal defense bar, ensuring access to justice for the indigent, and supporting the establishment of a unified national bar. Read more »»
Legal Education Reform
In parallel to its Kazakhstan program, the American Bar Association's Rule of Law Initiative seeks to bolster the public's legal literacy and corresponding ability to assert its rights in Kyrgyzstan. Among the activities undertaken through the public legal education program, the ABA has produced a series of public service announcements (PSAs) on basic rights and the function of the law in Kyrgyzstan that will air over the course of 2007. Read more »»
Publications
- Analysis of the Draft Law Amending the 2002 Law of the Kyrgyz Republic on the Rights of Citizens to have Peaceful Assemblies. Also available in Russian
- Prosecutorial Reform Index (PRI) for Kyrgyzstan (March 2007). Also available in Russian and Kyrgyz.
- Analysis of Anti-Corruption Legislation in the Kyrgyz Republic - September 2006 (both in English and Russian).
- Analysis of the Draft Code of Children for the Kyrgyz Republic (December 2005)
- Prosecutorial Reform Index for Kyrgyzstan (October 2004). Also available in Russian
- Judicial Reform Index for Kyrgyzstan (June 2003). Also available in Russian
Marit RasmussenCountry Director,
Kyrgyzstan & Tajikistan 8 Isanova street, # 4
Bishkek, 720017, The Kyrgyz Republic
Phone: +996-312-61-14-69; +996-312-61-14-75
Fax: + 996-312-61-14-87
Email: aba-ceeli@abaceeli.kg
Background
The American Bar Association launched its program in Kyrgyzstan in 1993 with the opening of its office in Bishkek. The ABA opened a second office in Osh in early 2001.
Since its program in Kyrgyzstan began, the ABA has worked on major projects that include forming the Association of Attorneys of Kyrgyzstan, the first independent bar association in the country; creating the Library Centers for Legal Information in Bishkek and in Osh, the first publicly accessible legal libraries in Kyrgyzstan; assisting in forming the Kyrgyz Judges Association and developing its charter and code of ethics; and coordinating the first-ever public hearing on a draft law in Kyrgyzstan.
More recently, the ABA has established street law teaching centers in Osh, Jalalabat, Bishkek and Karakol; introduced street law in seven madrassas; created revised law school curricula on ethics and advocacy skills used throughout the country; conducted a thorough assessment of the country's legislative framework for combating corruption; and undertaken a range of programming using the media to increase the lay public's understanding of the law's role in their lives.
Meet Legal Specialists
Kristina Ross joined the ABA Rule of Law Initiative in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan as a Criminal Law Legal Specialist in May 2007. Previously she was a criminal appeals staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society in New York City, and worked for New York City's Department of Finance. She holds a BA in History from New York University and a JD from the City University of New York.
Meet Our Staff
Azamat Kerimbaev, Deputy Country Director. Azamat's current projects include Public Legal Education, Bar Reform, and the 2007 Prosecutorial Reform Index (PRI) for Kyrgyzstan. Read More »»
