On the meeting of the Criminological forum on ensuring the rights of witnesses and victims (Astana, March 3, 2017)

Today, the Prosecutor General's office in the framework of the Criminological forum "Kosshydagy Pikir almasu - Discussions in Kosshy" discussed issues of ensuring the rights and protection of the interests of witnesses and victims. The forum is supported by the European Union project "Improving criminal justice in Kazakhstan".

It was attended by members of Parliament, representatives of the Supreme court and Central law enforcement agencies, academic and legal communities, non-governmental organizations, international and national experts.

The meeting was opened by first Deputy Prosecutor General Johan Merkel.

As noted at the forum, strengthening the legal protection of citizens affected by crime remains one of the most pressing issues. Despite the existing legal mechanisms, these requirements are not always met in practice.

Many victims are untimely recognized as victims of crimes. It happens that they are forced to apply to various instances themselves to be recognized as victims in the case. They are not always compensated for the damage caused. At the same time, citizens suffer most from self-serving and violent crimes, the share of which in the overall structure of crime is about 70%.

Due to insufficient guarantees of their rights, many citizens refuse to be witnesses. This is mainly due to the rude, disrespectful attitude and lack of professionalism of individual law enforcement officers. People are afraid of being involved in a long process, they are worried about their safety.

During the forum, an interested exchange of views on strengthening guarantees of citizens ' rights in criminal proceedings took place. As a result of the discussion, recommendations and a draft roadmap were developed. It lays down legal and practical measures to protect the rights of victims and witnesses, create an effective mechanism for compensation for damages and restoration of violated rights.

Press service Law enforcement academies
under the Prosecutor General's office