International Development Law Organization

Increasing Public Trust in the Judiciary in Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz Republic has made significant strides in working toward improvements to a justice system shaken to the core following the 2010 Revolution. While a wholesale reselection process of judges changed the landscape and provided hope for real change, it also created a judiciary staffed with many inexperienced, under-skilled first-time judges who are more easily exposed to negative influences - both perceived and real. Consequently, the public mistrusts the judiciary and holds a negative perception of it being corrupt, inefficient and dependent on other branches of government.

With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), IDLO is implementing a project that aims to increase public trust in the judiciary as an independent branch of power that protects citizens’ rights and upholds the rule of law in Kyrgyzstan. To this end, the project will establish processes to measure judicial performance, improve public oversight and increase transparency within the judiciary. Furthermore, the project will seek to enhance engagement of the judiciary with civil society and other branches of government, and strengthen the judiciary’s public outreach capacity.

The project builds on reform efforts initiated under the previous USAID-IDLO Judicial Strengthening Program, to ensure that achievements are consolidated and integrated throughout the judiciary.

Status: 
Active
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