UNODC Supports Measures to Improve Forensic Psycholinguistics and Religious Expertise in Kyrgyzstan

13 March 2019, Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic - Forensic expertise plays an important role in ensuring adherence to fair trial standards in criminal proceedings. In cases related to terrorism and extremism, this requires the provision of religious and psycholinguistic expertise.

To improve the practice of conducting psychological - linguistic and religious examinations, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provided the State Forensic Service (SFS) under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic with $9 000 worth of equipment.

"Standardizing and improving the quality of psycholinguistic and religious expertise is a key priority of the State Forensic Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic," said Mr. Akylbek Musakhodjaev, Chairperson of the SFS. "Our constructive cooperation with UNODC has enabled us to promote the application of best practice and international standards to increase expertise and modernize the department of psychological-linguistic and religious examination of the SFS.

According to Mr. Andrey Seleznev, Head of UNODC in the Kyrgyz Republic, "the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and international partners work together to promote the rule of law and the establishment of an effective and fair criminal justice system. As part of this initiative, manuals will be developed, and trainings conducted involving international and local experts."

Psycholinguistic expertise is a type of forensic examination, which uses psychology and psycholinguistics to determine the degree of reliability or credibility of the testimony of witnesses, victims or defendants. Religious expertise is conducted in order to determine the religious nature of an organization on the basis of its constituent documents; to check and assess the reliability of information contained in documents submitted by the religious organization regarding the basic tenets of its creed; to verify the compliance in practice with  the forms and methods proclaimed as part of its state registration, as well as to examine imported and distributed documents for the presence of violent extremist and terrorist ideology.

UNODC renders assistance in strengthening the capacity of the SFS to produce comprehensive psychological - linguistic and religious expertise with financial support by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

This initiative is implemented by UNODC as part of the implementation of the State policy of the Kyrgyz Republic in the religious sphere for 2014-2020 and the country's Peacebuilding Priority Plan (2018 - 2020).

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For more information, please contact

Vasilina Brazhko (Ms.),

National Communication and PR Officer, UNODC//ROCA

cell. +996 775 98 78 17, e-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]unodc.org