Our Rule of Law Work in Kazakhstan

    Judicial Reform

    In April 2012, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)—with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development—began to implement a four-year program to support the modernization of the Kazakhstani judicial system and to increase public trust in that system. ABA ROLI is cooperating with several local partners, including the Supreme Court, the Union of Judges and the Institute of Justice, to enhance judges’ knowledge and to promote the application of best practices in judicial decision writing, to encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution methods and to help boost resources available for the country’s judges.

    Continuing its efforts, ABA ROLI is undertaking a public awareness campaign on mediation and on new and innovative legal provisions, especially with the passage of new criminal and criminal procedure codes in July 2014. The campaign employs a variety of user-friendly tools—including leaflets and public service announcements—to foster public discussion of key legal developments and to increase citizens’ familiarity with the legal sector.

     

    Past Programs

    Legal support to the independent media

    With initial support from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) opened the media support center (MSC) in Almaty to bolster free expression and journalistic rights in Kazakhstan. The center's activities are currently jointly supported by the British Embassy in Astana and the U.S. Agency for International Development. 

    Regional legal advocacy program

    From December 2008 through March 2012, the regional legal advocacy program provided a forum to connect and network advocates and legal leaders across Central Asia and encouraged them to discuss common problems, especially in criminal cases, and to come together to develop regional solutions. The program provided support for advocates on emerging legal issues, such as the recent institution of jury trials in Kazakhstan, the move to do the same in Kyrgyzstan and the use of strategic litigation across the region. It further trained advocates on advocacy skills in the courtroom and leadership skills in the community, providing them with guidance and resources on special issues and cases. The Central Asian League of Lawyers, a regional association of lawyers established as an outgrowth of the 2010 regional exchange, is a formally registered non-governmental organization in Kyrgyzstan and continues to promote cooperation within the region’s legal community.

    Regional court monitoring

    The ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s (ABA ROLI’s) 2010–2011 court monitoring activities in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan identified trends in courtroom criminal proceedings specific to each country as well as common successes and challenges. A comprehensive analysis of findings helped those countries’ legal communities’ better understand further reform needs, including in such areas as equality of prosecution and defense, openness of hearings, protection of defendant rights, quality of legal assistance and judicial independence. The program helped create and strengthen court monitoring mechanisms in these three countries. 

    Legal education reform and civic education 

    From 2002 to 2007, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI)—through its U.S. Agency for International Development-supported public legal education program—worked to bolster the public’s legal literacy and corresponding ability to assert its rights.