ALMATY -- Kazakh officials and German specialists met in Ak-Bulak, near Almaty, on Wednesday-Thursday (March 6-7) to discuss approaches to increasing the effectiveness of the nation's investigation and prosecution of crimes, according to a statement from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The conference was organised by the OSCE in co-operation with the Prosecutor General's Office, the Constitutional Council, and the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan with the support of the German Foundation for International Legal Co-operation, said the statement.
More than 60 high-level officials "from governmental institutions, law enforcement agencies, representatives of the judiciary, academia, the Bar Association, non-governmental organisations, as well as national and German legal experts" attended the event.
The two-day conference is part of OSCE efforts to support criminal justice reform in Kazakhstan.
During the conference, the Prosecutor General's Office presented a concept of a draft law on an enhancement of criminal and criminal procedure legislation.
Participants also discussed the existing practice of pre-trial proceedings, key challenges in criminal proceedings and new approaches to the competitive selection of judges, the statement said.
Meanwhile, specialists and officials stressed the importance of citizens' engagement in justice, including the extension of jury trial jurisdiction in Kazakhstan.
