MOSCOW, 14 December 2010 - Identifying ways to strengthen the independence of Russia’s judiciary and enhance public confidence in judicial independence were in focus of a meeting organized today in Moscow by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) together with the Information Science for Democracy Foundation (INDEM) and the Institute of Contemporary Development (INSOR).

The meeting brought together senior officials from the highest court in the Russian Federation, policy makers, parliamentarians and international experts who discussed the "Kyiv Recommendations on Judicial Independence", a set of recommendations adopted in June 2010 by an expert group under the auspices of ODIHR and the German Max Planck Institute.

Carsten Weber, the Chief of ODIHR’s Rule of Law Unit, stressed that the Kyiv Recommendations were developed to assist participating States in strengthening the independence of their judiciaries, with a focus on judicial administration, the selection of judges and their accountability.

"The Kyiv Recommendations are highly relevant for the Russian context and could be discussed in more detail in future judicial reform debates," said Georgy Satarov, the President of INDEM.

Boris Makarenko, of INSOR, noted the meeting helped to identify those measures recommended in Kyiv that are most relevant for judicial reform in Russia.

The meeting was part of a series of events organized to promote implementation of the Kyiv Recommendations in the region.

Direct link to the press-release