Traditional Courts in Kyrgyzstan

As well as the formal judicial system, villagers in Kyrgyzstan often seek redress in minor disputes from traditional courts consisting of local elders.

In the village of Uchkorgon in the southern Batken region, Abdulaziz Hashimov chairs one of these courts and says its services are so much in demand that it now meets on a daily basis instead of twice a week as it used to.

The elders or “aksakal” dispense advice and issue rulings, and can even impose fines. The court also has a female council, which handles cases involving women.

Members of these informal are unpaid apart from some expenses, but some now feel they are so busy that they should get a wage.

The other report in this programme was about a fire at a petrol station in Karabalta, which raised questions about safety regulations at privately-owned service stations in Kyrgyzstan.

The audio programme, in Russian and Kyrgyz, went out on national radio stations in Kyrgyzstan, as part of IWPR project work funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.