2004 Press Releases

Participants of the Criminal Procedure Code Reform Conference. (Full Image)

Embassy and U.S. Justice Department Conduct Conference on Criminal Procedure Code Reform

Oct. 19, 2004

A two-day conference on Criminal Procedure Code Reform, jointly organized by the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Department of Justice, began today in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The forum will focus on basic international standards applicable to the operation of criminal justice systems, and will provide comparative information on the U.S. and recently reformed Russian systems of criminal procedure. Speakers at the conference will include representatives of law enforcement and legislative bodies of Turkmenistan, the United States, and Russia, including several principal authors of the recent Russian reforms.

Addressing participants of the conference, including Turkmen legislators and law enforcement officers, U.S. Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson said, "The subject of this conference-criminal procedure reform-is one of great importance as Turkmenistan considers its new draft Criminal Procedure Code. That document is the cornerstone of the criminal justice system, and is critical to protecting the rights of all Turkmen citizens."

Conference themes are designed to be of current relevance to participating Turkmen government institutions and agencies, as Turkmenistan is in the process of considering adoption of a new Code of Criminal Procedure. Organizers placed special emphasis on the requirements of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of which Turkmenistan is a signatory. Conference topics include legality and judicial review of detention and arrest, the adversarial process, access to defense counsel, exclusion of illegally obtained evidence, and double jeopardy.

The conference is funded by the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Project (INL), which is implemented by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Justice, and administered by the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat. One of the goals of the INL project is to reinforce partner governments' domestic efforts to promote rule of law.