This was demonstrated by the widespread participation of civil society organizations during
discussions of the police reform concept, the independent drafting of alternative concepts
and the work of the Public Supervisory Council (PSC) of the MoI.
The PRP provided support, assistance and advice throughout this process, concentrating on
the three priorities of sustainable commitment from the Kyrgyz authorities, engagement of
civil society, and multilateral assistance from the international community.
Police Reform
Throughout 2012, the PRP facilitated the promotion of police reform through a joint policepublic reform concept by lobbying for a consolidation of three competing concepts into a
single strategy document. The PRP therefore hosted co-ordination meetings between the
PMO, the MoI, Parliamentarians and civil society representatives.
There were rigorous attempts to reach consensus on these three concepts. However, the
drafters of the different versions did not wholly agree on key tenants and the Government
coalition of the time did not fully support the process, despite PRP championing it. However,
the process was not without success as new and productive relationships were built with the
PMO. This directly enhanced the implementation of projects and addressed the issue of
police reform. By working directly with the Government, the PRP enjoyed greater political
buy-in. In 2012, the Parliament and PMO, guided by the PRP, tasked the MoI to finalize the
reform concept by taking into account input from the Government and civil society alike. The
newly appointed senior management of the MoI has since taken decisive steps in partnering
with civil society and finalising the concept. However, at the end of 2012 the concept had still
not been finalized.
Police Accountability
In 2012, the PRP supported members of the MoI’s PSC in their efforts to increase police
accountability through the assessment and enhancement of police-public relationships and
the monitoring of post-administrative arrest redistribution facilities. This was facilitated in
conjunction with the CiB’s Human Dimension (HD) component and as many as 45 public
hearings were held nationwide with participation of police, local administration and civil
society. These events helped to identify root problems and develop recommendations for
solving those problems.
In June, an MoU was signed between the Ombudsman’s Office, NGOs, the OSCE and
several Government ministries, including the MoI, which provides free and unannounced
access to all places of detention, aimed at improving the compliance with standards of
international human rights. The findings of such visits were presented within two independent
reports and submitted to the Interior Minister for their consideration and proposals for further
improving of the quality of police service. The independent monitoring of detention facilities
confronted law enforcement malpractice and furthered an agenda for a more open,
accountable and transparent service.
A key outcome of these developments was the creation of a legal basis for civilian oversight,
due in part to the lack of capacity of the PSC. The PRP developed and assisted draft
legislation on Civilian Oversight that quickly passed four aspects of examinations: legal,
human rights, gender and anti-corruption. It was widely discussed and submitted to the MoI
and PMO for consideration and their recommendations. The PMO decided to elaborate it
further and align it with a redrafted Law on Police.
The PMO did, however, request assistance from the PRP to conduct a baseline survey of
MoI capacity and present the findings to a special commission formed under the
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