About us

The Legal Policy Research Center is a non-political, independent research institute founded by a group of Kazakhstani lawyers in April 2008. The center is located in Almaty (Kazakhstan) and operates in the Central Asian region. The Center is an analytical organization aimed at promoting the principle of the rule of law and liberal values through the implementation of research, publishing and educational activities in the field of legal policy.

Mission

Strengthening supremacy and democratic values through effective legal reforms.

Comprehensive LPRC Goals

• Promotion of innovative approaches for the development of legal policy and the implementation of legal reforms in the framework of the overall democratization of society;
• Participation in the development of effective tools for the interaction of civil society with political and business elites to make informed decisions;
• Strengthening the role of an independent expert community in the process of legal policy development.

Our values

• Compliance with professional standards of quality, integrity and objectivity;
• Providing highly qualified results in our work;
• Equality and Respect for all the people we work with;
• Demonstration of the transparency and accountability of our actions;
• To share, attract and take the lead in promoting the common good.

Mandate LPRC

• Impact on the decision-making process on legal policy issues through legal research, expert discussion, evaluation and implementation of various projects;
• Development of a culture of decision-making in the field of legal policy on the basis of an open, informed and inclusive dialogue;
• Promotion of a holistic approach to the implementation of legal policy through its integration into the process of general democratization of society;
• Promotion of research results to decision makers and other stakeholders, including political parties, NGOs, business sector and the public in order to influence the decision-making process in the field of legal policy;
• Identification and development of effective strategies for cooperation with political and business elites in order to promote the principle of the rule of law and liberal values ​​in legal policy;
• Strengthening the role of the expert community in making decisions on legal policy issues;
• Conducting legal research aimed at bringing national legislation and law enforcement practice in line with international standards and political commitments;
• Defining areas of legal policy requiring detailed study and analysis, presentation of research results to the general public and promotion of changes at the decision-making level;
• Promotion of international standards for the protection of human rights in national law and legal institutions;
• Promotion of the development of various professional groups in the field of legal policy research.

Guidelines

• Independence from political parties, government and other groups;
• Adherence to the principles of humanism, freedom and democracy;
• Implementation of projects based on openness;
• Adherence to long-term research in selected priority areas of legal policy;
• Responding to current issues under consideration by decision makers;
• Achieving consensus with the government and the private sector on legal policy development.

Working methods

• Empirical and legal research and analysis of key problems of legal policy reform in the region;
• Monitoring of legislative activities and legislation for compliance with international human rights standards;
• Advocacy for advancing strategic objectives and facilitating dialogue among key actors on legal policy development issues;
• Strategic litigation.

Our values

• Parliament
• Judicial system
• Government
• NGO
• Business sector
• Academic circles
• mass media
• Public

LPRC operates in the following strategic areas:

The rule of law

In the area of the rule of law, the LPRC focuses on criminal justice issues, the independence of the judiciary and the reform of administrative justice.

In the field of criminal justice, the task of the LPRC is to promote universal fair trial standards in international human rights law. Especially the LPRC works in the area of ​​enhancing judicial control, including judicial authorization of measures restricting a person’s freedom; strengthening of criminal procedures guaranteeing equality of prosecution and defense parties; reform of rules and standards of evidence to ensure an effective justice system; promoting early access to legal aid for all; improvement of defense mechanisms against torture, including the principles of Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture (Istanbul Protocol).

In the field of judicial independence, the LPRC works on promoting the standards and principles set out in the Kiev recommendations on the independence of the judiciary in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia, prepared under the auspices of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) with the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Based on an in-depth study of legal systems and practices, the recommendations focus on three strategic themes that have a significant impact on the independence of individual judges. These topics include: (1) Judicial Administration with a focus on the judicial council, judicial bodies of self-government and the role of the chairmen of the courts; (2) Judge selectivity – criteria and procedures; and (3) Judicial Accountability and the Independence of the Judicial Power in adjudicating.

In the area of ​​administrative justice reform, the task of the LPRC is to promote the creation of a proper administrative process that allows individuals and businesses to file complaints, challenge and resolve disputes against administrative or executive decisions taken by the state or on behalf of the state. The LPRC promotes an administrative justice system based on the principles of fairness, accessibility and efficiency. Work in this area involves the preparation of technical expertise on the drafting of a new Code on Administrative Offenses, a law on Administrative Procedures governing the decision-making process of administrative decisions and the development of an appropriate institutional framework in the country.

International Standards and Mechanisms for Human Rights

The LPRC continues to apply international mechanisms to promote compliance with international human rights treaties. Work in this area involves the preparation of alternative reports to the UN treaty bodies on the implementation of the country’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture, as well as the Universal Periodic Review. The LPRC is based on its ongoing work to promote human rights instruments at the national level, such as the National Action Plan on Human Rights, etc.

In addition to providing an analysis of the human rights situation in the country, the LPRC works towards the direction of the process of collecting and processing information on human rights issues. The goal is to integrate the OHCHR Human Rights Indicators into the activities of NGOs to standardize human rights monitoring and reporting processes.

Human Rights Based Public Policy

The LPRC seeks to promote information-oriented research and analysis, issues of existing government policies and practices, explores alternatives and provides the basis for policy reforms that include human rights standards.

The first initiative of the LPRC is to promote the implementation of UN Fundamental Principles in the field of business and human rights within the framework of the United Nations Framework for Protection, Compliance and Remedies.

Membership in various structures

LPRC is a member of the Civic Solidarity Platform. The platform is an association of civic organizations and groups from countries of the OSCE region, as well as international NGOs interested in joint activities to promote and protect human rights in the OSCE region, ready to coordinate their efforts in this direction, promote common positions and provide each other mutual support and assistance .

The LPRC is also a member of the Kazakhstan Coalition of NGOs Against Torture. The NGO Coalition Against Torture brings together about 20 leading Kazakhstani human rights organizations and independent experts. The Coalition’s partners, in particular, are the Representative Office of the International Prison Reform in Central Asia, the Open Society Justice Initiative, Freedom House Kazakhstan. The coalition carries out activities on the formation of a “zero tolerance” policy on the problem of torture in the Republic of Kazakhstan, minimizing and subsequently eradicating the use of torture and bringing the legislation of Kazakhstan in line with international standards.

The LPRC is a member of the Advisory and Advisory Body “Dialogue Platform on the Human Dimension” under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The “dialogue platform” was launched at the end of 2012 with the participation of representatives of state bodies, the national civil society, as well as political parties and Parliament.