The Kyrgyz judiciary is not favorably viewed by the public and, at the same time, the public is not well-informed about the functions and duties of the courts. To assist the judiciary in strengthening communications with the public, IDLO under the USAID-IDLO Judicial Strengthening Program, has been providing assistance in the development of a communications strategy for the judiciary and training of new press secretaries of local courts taking up their duties for the first time in the history of the Kyrgyz Republic.
To increase public understanding of the role of the judiciary, on the other hand, IDLO has supported the creation of a court TV series focusing on common problems encountered by Kyrgyz society and the pathways toward their resolution either via mediation or through court proceedings. The series has aired in both Kyrgyz and Russian on KTRK, Kyrgyzstan’s largest public TV broadcaster, which has provided significant support for the series. A media campaign was launched via radio, TV, print and social media to bring attention of the public to the series and spur national discussion of the issues being addressed.