Southern Kyrgyz Protesters Demand Judicial Reforms

Many of the roughly 200 protesters were relatives of prisoners (RFE/RL) 19 November 2005 -- An estimated 200 protesters gathered in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh to demand reforms of the country's judiciary to pave the way for fairer trials, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reported.

The local nongovernmental group called the Union for the Protection of Law organized the demonstrations, and relatives of individuals whom they claim were denied fair trials addressed the gathering.

The first deputy governor of Osh, Kushbak Tezekbaev, also addressed the group, saying forthcoming constitutional and other legal reforms should help ensure that the Kyrgyz judiciary system is reformed sufficiently to meet citizens' demands for justice.

The current government was swept to power in what has been deemed a Tulip Revolution that ousted longtime President Askar Akaev in March.

There was no representative of Osh judges at today's rally.