BISHKEK (TCA) — On 30 June the southern Kyrgyzstan city of Osh will host a round table “On the protection of lawyers’ rights and ethical standards of the legal profession”, organised by the EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Platform, in cooperation with the Kyrgyz and the Paris Bars.
The objective of the roundtable is to provide exposure to best European practices in the area of protection of the rights of lawyers and ethical standards and to propose related recommendations aimed both at lawyers themselves and at decision makers, and the public in general. The roundtable would therefore contribute to reinforcing the independence of lawyers and to strengthening the rule of law in Kyrgyzstan. Experts from France, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic will engage in a dialogue and will exchange information on the laws and practices of their countries, with emphasis of relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
Co-chaired by Board Members of the Kyrgyz and the Paris Bars, the roundtable will pursue the cooperation between the Kyrgyz and Paris Bars initiated with the signing of a Partnership Agreement in October 2015, under the auspices of the Rule of Law Platform. The Partnership Agreement’s objective is for the two Bars to support each other and their Members, on all matters of mutual interest relating to the exercise of the profession of lawyer, the development of the law and practice pertaining to the rule of law and the administration of justice and substantive developments in the law itself, both in France and Kyrgyzstan and at international level.
As emphasised by EU High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini, “defendants should be granted full access to full defense rights.” Core principles regulating the legal profession are the basis of the deontology of the European legal profession, which contribute to shaping the European but also the Central Asian lawyer. They are essential to the newly-established legal professions of Central Asia that are struggling to establish their independence.
The EU-Central Asia Rule of Law Platform project acts as a support mechanism to facilitate policy dialogue and promote the measures contributing to legal reforms in each of the Central Asian countries. The Platform is being funded by the European Union to the amount of EUR 1.8 million and is implemented by IBF International Consulting.
