Some 60 policymakers and leading experts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, together with experts from Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, will discuss recent developments relating to criminal procedure legislation, ways to improve judicial review over pre-trial investigation and experiences with and prospects for jury trials in the region.

Special sessions will be devoted to crime prevention and the reform of legislation on administrative offences.

"This forum has become an important informal discussion platform for professionals in the criminal justice field," said Carsten Weber, the head of ODIHR’s rule of law programme, adding that this year’s forum will focus on the recent changes in criminal procedure and new legislation in several countries of the region. "I hope that the exchange of ideas between experts at this meeting will contribute to strengthening the rule of law in criminal justice systems in Central Asia."

Arstan Akhpanov, a legal expert at the presidential administration of Kazakhstan, said: "We all greatly benefit from this annual meeting. I can assure you that many ideas discussed here find their way into legislative proposals back home. The forum also gives an excellent opportunity to discuss developments in the region, and helps to improve regional co-operation in the criminal justice field."

The event is co-organized by Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan, the Open Society Institute’s Assistance Foundation in Tajikistan and the Kazakh Legal Policy Research Centre.